Mystery Afghan - Solved!

I finished the Bernat Mystery Afghan I began in September in time to send it to Father-in-Law for Christmas. The beginning of my project doesn't give any clues as to the finished afghan AT ALL! And, like all the other crocheters, I had a problem with the corner squares - because they didn't work up square. Bernat invited us to submit photos of our completed projects, and you can see mine here and the other participants' afghans in Bernat's crochet-along Flickr set.

What I learned:

• When divided into weekly tasks, the finished project was easily achievable; having a goal of completion before Christmas helped, too.
• Even do-it-yourself afghans are not cheap.
• I really enjoyed working on this, and re-discovered my love of crochet after several years of knitting smaller projects.
• I now know how to work at the required gauge in order to make the squares the same size.
• One of the colors in my project yarns was much skinnier than the others, even though they were all Bernat's "Softee Chunky" - something to be aware of, if I use several colors of yarn in a future project.
• The other participants' comments were helpful in answering some of my questions. Their friendly and encouraging responses each week helped keep me on track. This is a great way to keep the momentum going when working on a big project.

Department Store Windows

When I was about 3 or 4 years old, my Gramma would take me "Downtown Honolulu" on the bus, and we would walk up and down the sidewalk looking at the animated Christmas displays in the store windows. It was so amazing to me to see Santa waving, elves ice-skating, reindeer noses blinking, Mrs. Santa baking cookies and Christmas tree lights twinkling.

This year, in Sacramento, some antique animated figures were reconditioned and are on display at 10th and K. They don't look much like the ones I remember, but the magic is still moving!

The Blustery Day

Toward the end of our stay in Copenhagen, the wind came up. Sometimes, it rained. While waiting for the airport shuttle, I saw this banner blowing about, and used the Fuji Finepix to capture a few seconds of the action.

I'm so glad I bought that coat in London! It was perfect for the weather!

Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen

Copenhagen in October is dicey. The first two days were overcast and breezy. Daytime highs: upper 40s; nights: upper 30s. But today, it is beautiful! Blue skies, white clouds, and sunshine - lots of sunshine!

On my first day here, I took the Metro (light rail) to Kongens Nytorv station in the city of Copenhagen, and did the canal tour. Our guide pointed out the different islands, the important buildings, and included a brief history. That gave me some ideas about what to do the next day.

Just before catching the Metro back to the hotel, I decided to visit the House of Amber, a small shop with upscale amber jewelry and an amber museum on two floors upstairs. I knew amber is a resin, but had no idea how many different forms amber can take, nor how it is processed into jewelry! After visiting the free exhibit, I purchased a pair of earrings.

Yesterday, I took the Metro back to town and walked to the Amalienborg palace to watch the changing of the guard. There was also an exhibit there honoring Queen Ingrid, so I bought a ticket and walked through the museum. Stopped for lunch at the Els Restaurant, where I had a deliciously hearty potato soup with bacon, pesto and croutons, and a plate with bread, herring, and salmon plus some greens.

The waitress very helpfully gave me directions to my next stop: the Royal Library, also known as the Black Diamond. I was a little skeptical about the directions, but they were accurate, and I found not only the library with its peaceful garden, but also a medieval fair, where I bought a warbling bird whistle to bring home as a souvenir.

By that time, it was getting on 4 p.m., and I'd been on my feet, hobbling over cobblestones, for about 5 hours. I was really ready to head back to the hotel for dinner, a hot shower, and a soft featherbed.

Tower of London

In my imagination, the Tower of London was the British version of Kilmainham Gaol. When I finally visited it for the first time, I was stunned to see it is a little medieval village on the Thames. It has a moat, a wall - several, in fact - residences, a surgeon's office, and, wait for it, several towers.

Our timing was good, and we found the beginning of a tour and tagged along. The tour guide is a Beefeater in full regalia, and he told some very amusing stories about the major players in the history of the Tower. He took every opportunity to make sly digs at the US ("We had a Water Gate before the Americans did.") After the tour, we saw the ravens that protect the continuation of the current monarchy, and walked through the Crown Jewels exhibit, where cameras were verboten.

Whirlwind in London

Marty and I are traveling through London on our way to Copenhagen for the iGaming conference. Marty wanted me to see some of the things he enjoys most about London, and I wanted to touch bases again with Carol, a distant cousin descended from my great grandfather. By coincidence, another cousin, Peter, was also in town on his way home to Jamaica, so the four of us met at The Audley, a traditional English pub near our hotel.

We had a lightning 2.5 days in London town. We walked across Green Park to see the beginning of the changing of the guard at Buckingham palace, and then we had high tea with Marty's friends, Peter and Angela, at Fortnam and Mason. We did a bus tour of the city, and then crashed.

The next day, we visited the Imperial War Museum, which turned out to be far more interesting than I expected, and the Tower of London before meeting Carol and Peter at The Audley for a half-liter of Guinness and a plate of food to share. This was the first time Carol and Peter had met, and I felt bad that we had to leave after an hour to go shopping for a coat. And Marty was falling asleep. But I think they stayed to visit and compare notes for a while after we left.

About the coat: I had my London Fog raincoat cleaned and pressed for the trip, and I left it at home! So, since it's colder and windier in Copenhagen, I had to get another one. I couldn't find one that fit exactly, but we were both so tired and cranky that I just bought the first one I could fasten shut at Marks and Spencer's.

Next morning, it was all about packing and getting the train to Heathrow. We got there early, and spent some time in the Scandinavian Air Service's lounge, where we had free wifi and a snooze.

Crocheting Along

Bernat, the yarn company is in week 3 of its first "crochet-along". The final product is a sampler "Mystery Afghan", and Bernat is releasing a clue a week for 12 weeks, from September 22 through December 7. The ultimate design of the afghan won't be revealed until the very end.

I'm finding it very doable - the squares work up really fast, and I can usually complete 2 during the nightly TV news. I have 9 squares finished - 3 more in the 3rd pattern to do this week, and the 4th pattern will be ready to download on Wednesday. So by Christmas, I should have a brand-new, cocoa-colored afghan to snuggle under!