Around The Bases

I'm not much of a baseball fan, but I loved the patterns in this Around the Bases Crochet-Along by Keito Palette Blog and was eager to get started.  I used 23 skeins of Scheepjes Stone-washed yarn that I ordered from Wool Warehouse in these colors:

     6 - Moonstone
     3 - Yellow Jasper
     3 - Garnet
     2 - Black Onyx
     3 - Boulder Opal
     3 - Red Jasper
     3 - Amazonite

I came very close to the end of the skein with several of the colors.  Love, love, love this yarn.  Has such a pretty look and drape.  I started this CAL with a size G hook.  My center block was Carolyn's, from www.PinkMambo.com, Dream Circle 12" square.  As i progressed with the CAL rounds, my square started to round out.  Per the pattern instructions, I did go up a hook size when working single crochets and chains.  To even out the lop-sided square, when the pattern called for a whole round of single crochets, I made that row evenly of double crochets, half double crochets, single crochets, back to half double crochets, and finally double crochets.  This forced the corners to even out a bit.  I also worked the Moss stitch and V stitch rows with the next size H hook, going back to the G hook for the final shell border.

I found keeping track of my stitch count a little complicated as this CAL assumes everyone may start with different stitch counts.  You will need to count carefully because several weeks you will be on either an A or a B team.  The final project measured 53 inches.

Paris...Eiffel Tower

Who doesn't dream of seeing the Eiffel Tower?  It's the place of movies and romance.  We made several trips to see it day and night and from different perspectives.

Paris...Street Scenes and Cityscapes

Our first trip of the new year took us to beautiful Paris.  It's a gorgeous city, rich in architecture and culture.  There are lots of museums, fun cafes, and, of course, the Eiffel Tower!  We hit as many of them as we could squeeze in.  Unfortunately, this trip, due to too many stairs, I hurt my knee.  A month later, I'm still nursing it.  There are a lot of photos to share, so I've decided to divide them up into several posts, this one being the street scenes and cityscapes. 

It was really cold and except for the first night, it was also cloudy and overcast most of the time.  Hope to go back in the Spring, maybe summer.  

Le Palais Royal Courts

 

The tunnel where Princess Diana was killed

The Flame of Liberty gifted to France by the US for the Statue of Liberty

 

Views from on top of the Arc De Triomphe

Enjoyed some good spaghetti and crepes at this cafe.