Knittin' Crap: SFAC December 2013

Still fighting off the Borg this month!

Mission	Report
Command - Learn a new technique, try a new pattern, or use new information in some way to isolate, imprison or destroy the Borg Queen.	As the Borg mastery of technology outstrips our own and means we risk having our own technology turned against us, I decided we should go lower-tech. Using the genetic engineering lab, I modified a flying squirrel to allow it to be trained and coordinated for group attacks. Sending hundreds of these furry creatures zooming at the Borg queen will no doubt overwhelm her so the humanoids can rush in and take her down. I also added bioluminescent genes to the white fur, just because.
Engineering - Conduct your own down-and-dirty repair: Make something that takes less than a day’s work (8 hours), or fewer than 200 meters of yarn.	This small, finger-controlled robot can get into tight places for fine repairs. Unfortunately, he’s a bit of a daredevil, and while he made crucial repairs, he sustained his own injuries.
Medical - Create a hat or other headwear to help shield your mind, and cover implant removal scars.	This fastener can be used to deftly hold remaining hair in place to conceal healing or balded areas. The floral decoration serves as a further distraction from the reason such concealment is necessary.
Science - Replicate hull plates, or any of the component parts of the hull which might need to be replaced - in the form of flat things or things crafted in parts or multiples.	This piece of 4 times the thickness of normal fabrication methods would work well for a repair where extra strength is needed.
Tactical - Craft something in the bright colors of the explosion.	I managed to capture a very good holo-image of the explosion of the Borg Cube. And, even though it seems to go against the laws of physics, the explosion was also square-shaped. I will have to do additional calculations to try to figure that one out.
The Brig - Finish a UFO (note: this is actually my Brig report from November, but I forgot to put it in that post, and I didn't finish any UFOs in December anyway)	This prisoner was found colluding with the pictured invasive quadrupeds on a plot to take over early-21st century Earth. After four years in the Brig, it has finally given up the plot, especially after realizing the quadrupeds’ attention span was too short to take over much of anything other than a warm lap for more than 10 minutes.

Flying Squirrel pattern by Izumi Sasaki
Flower and crochet edging from Japanese book Best Crochet Motif Pattern 238
Totoro chart by brella
World Afghan pattern by Kay Niederlitz

Knittin' Crap: SFAC November 2013

Yeah, so, apparently we all got captured by the Borg. Big suck.

Mission	Report
Engineering - Craft something to help you stay unnoticed in the Borg cube.	While wearing this light gray covering, it should be easier to walk among the Borg. In a pinch, the wearer can meld into a panel of wiring to hide.
Medical - Craft something to help you return to your normal pre-Borg self or hold on to your individuality.	I can’t think of anything that screams anti-Borg more than a deep pink, fuzzy mohair garment. Hence, my mission report:
Science - Craft a part of the Borg Queen’s new body.	While the Borg are busy changing the environmental controls to raise the temperature to their liking, I thought the Borg Queen would appreciate this head gear to warm her cranial circuits. Little does she realize, it is made of a self-reversing material that will entrap her!
Shuttle - Make a decorative item representing a holiday from your homeworld.	While this sphere might normally not evoke notice from a Borg, the gold and red are quite festive indeed!

En Pointe Pullover pattern by Alice Tang
Mohair T-Shirt pattern by Lisa Myers
Brioche Hat pattern by Kevin Norton
Bauble pattern by Suzanne Strachan

Knittin' Crap: SFAC October 2013

October projects are a little late going up because many of them had "extended" deadlines. This tour started with a visit to a really cold planet. Or something.

Mission	Report
Command: Prove your own understanding of the concept of duality: Craft an item made up of two parts (a pair of gloves or socks, for example), or two separate items which mirror each other in some way.	My mission report on duality may come from a slightly unintended angle. I thought not of the split personalities in the physical copies created by the transporter malfunction on the Enterprise at Alpha 177, but of what they represented: two aspects, however highly contrasted, contained within a whole. Once Captain Kirk was re-integrated, he still contained the contrasting personalities. This report demonstrates that quality: each side is the opposite of the other, but they are indivisible, part of a complete whole and the complement can always be spied from the other angle. This is also demonstrated by this invasive quadruped. On the one hand, he’s in a comfortable warm lap, yet the total coward side of his personality still shines through. At least he looks handsome modeling the mission report!
Diplomatic: Finish up your UnFinished Objects!	This UFO had been sighted on an earlier tour, but it seemed unspaceworthy and when we tried to catch it in the tractor beam, it disintegrated into balls of yarn. (Strange, but true.) I began working to recreate it in a more stable form in August, and have finally completed the facsimile. Status at beginning of the month: Completed mission:
Engineering: Craft – in black (or another dark color) – something which might be of use to a member of a Landing Party.	This device not only provides a high-contrast background for the dangerous ore, but particles passing through the detector pores in the fabric will automatically be analyzed and set off an alarm if they pose a threat, either to equipment or personnel.
Science: Craft an otherwise plain design, then add embellishment.	The trims on this simple torso-covering is made of a special fabric with self-activated chameleon-derived color changing pigments. They will automatically identify and display a series of horizontal and vertical bars to communicate the wearer’s identity, rank, and other salient information. Children start learning the patterns and color meanings from an early age, starting first with their parents, until they finally can read the information even for people they never met before. In times of danger, they can force the trim to assume the same coloration as the background ice-storm camouflage fabric to remain unseen. (A favorite prank of juveniles is to reprogram their identification trims to appear to be figures of authority. Obviously this works better when they’ve chosen a senior of the same height and build.)
Tactical: Craft something to prevent or treat frostbite.	My self-tested experiments have found that sipping and holding a container of a warm beverage or food helps warm the fingers and raise the comfort level of warm-blooded humanoids in cold conditions. Therefore I have programmed the replicators to make some nabeyaki udon, a Japanese noodle soup with multiple toppings.
The Brig	This prisoner was just in pieces at the beginning of the month. I gave it a good pep talk and told it to pull itself together already! Finally, it did.

Fisherman's Rib Muffler pattern by Kotomi Hayashi
Seamless Pullover recipe by Elizabeth Zimmermann
Begonia shawl pattern by Carfield Ma
Mosaic V-Neck Pullover pattern by Makiko Okamoto
Nabeyaki Udon pattern by Mitsuki Hoshi
Diamond Jacket pattern by DROPS

News: Transport Tidbits

• WANT
  
• So true....
  
• Awesome
  

And because kitties need transport to:

News: Funny Ha Ha

Long time, no post! Anyway, here's some stuff to kill some time.

• Yo Mama jokes are universal!
• For Fluzz: