Knittin' Crap: SFAC March 2014

I didn't get much done in March. Well, I did, but most of that was work on my 3-month Away Mission, due at the end of April, which I will probably actually finish, but it has been consuming almost all my free time.

Mission	Report
Engineering - Make something again that gave you difficulty before. Explain what you’ve learned that made it easier (or better) now.	(My Engineering mission disappeared temporarily in a Temporal Rift, delaying its completion.) Sometimes in Engineering, we need to get in tight spaces to make repairs. Our hands may fit, but they lack room to move and function. I had previously attempted to make a minibot technician glove, but my first attempt failed as the minibots were uncooperative due to incompatible control circuitry. I made some design modifications and began a re-implementation last month, which disappeared into a temporal rift shortly before completion. However, it has now escaped from the temporal rift, oddly enough, completed and fully functioning.
Science - Craft something to represent one of the sciences (utilizing the parameters outlined above) Botany - use plant fiber or a botanical motif	I performed research in the field of botany by investigating the properties of the popular Earth bast fiber “cotton.” This report exhibits its crispness in fine textiles:
The Brig - Finish a WIP	This prisoner has been holding out for almost a year, but it finally bloomed.

Basic glove pattern by Anna Gilmour

Crochet square from 238 Best Crochet Patterns

Azalea stitch pattern from Marianne Kinzel

Knittin' Crap: SFAC February 2014

Mission	Report
Diplomatic - Craft something to represent who - or what - you might meet on the Shore Leave Planet. (Feel free to cross fandom lines for this mission)	While I knew about the Shore Leave Planet’s unusual offerings, I’m afraid I let my mind wander a bit while I was transporting down, and the planet picked up on that. I had just been perusing some late 20th century literature in that highest of art forms, the “comic book,” namely “The Tick,” which was based on the true story of a crime-fighter who dressed as a blue arachnid species which appears to now be extinct. Next thing I know I was staring eye-to-eye with his occasional crime-fighting partner, the Man-Eating Cow. She looked a little displeased. We did manage to have a pleasant conversation. Me: Nice weather here. Man-Eating Cow: Moo. Me: You been here before? Man-Eating Cow: Moo. Me: Had to eat any evil-doers lately? Man-Eating Cow: Moo.
Medical - Craft something to help you tell your ship’s doctor about something you did on shore leave.	That all-you-can-eat sushi bar seemed like a good idea at the time, you see, until I realized I can eat quite a lot of sushi. Here was the first course:
Science - Craft something to show what is unique or unusual about the planet you’ve chosen for your shore leave.	Having pored over the ships logs of the NCC-1701, I thought I’d take this opportunity to visit the site of one of its classic missions: Gamma Trianguli VI. This is the tropical planet whose inhabitants had been trapped in a state of arrested development by their “god,” a seemingly-omnipotent computer named Vaal. Captain Kirk valiantly freed them from the computer’s tyranny so they could evolve as a civilization. The civilization they evolved into is a free-wheeling tropical gambling mecca centered around their new god: money. But they may continue to change as time goes on. After all, one of Earth’s greatest centers of learning and culture was founded on casino money, but who doesn’t visit Earth without stopping at the wonderful galleries and theaters of Las Vegas? Back to Gamma Trianguli VI, though. The flowers there, while beautiful, can also be deadly if not handled properly, as several members of Kirk’s original away team learned. Here is one such flower:
The Brig - Another WIP finally gets finished!	This prisoner was recruited to complete a mission the last tour, but it stopped halfway through and gave me the finger. I gave it a good attitude adjustment and now want to see it out the door.

Original (non-man-eating) cow pattern by Izumi Sasaki
Miso pattern by Mitsuki Hoshi
Phalangees pattern by Jodie Gordon Lucas

Knittin' Crap: SFAC January 2014

January is an off-month, but there were still a couple things to do.

Mission	Report
Shuttle - Craft something to lift the spirits of your crew mates by making them laugh. Craft something silly. Please feel free to include silliness in your mission story as well.	I’d heard rumors that produce was missing from the ship’s vegetable garden, but as I have a brown thumb and hadn’t touched anything, I paid no attention. Then, walking through the garden today, I spotted something… out of the ordinary: Rabbits have acquired stealth technology. No carrot is safe!
Brig	Until the start of this staryear, this prisoner had no direction, wandering this way and that through life. I smoothed out the rough edges and now its perambulations make it an interesting but useful character.

Bunny pattern by Abbygurumi
Vest pattern by Hitomi Shida

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