Even on RAGBRAI...

...I crochet.
"What's ragbrai?" You ask.
The Des Moines (Iowa) newspaper is the Register and for 43 years they have sponsored the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. This year, there were over 15,000 registered riders! Some go for the whole week. Others only go for one day. The route is different every year.
One begins by dipping the back bike tire in the Missouri River. On the final day, the front bike tire is dipped in the Mississippi River.
How did I crochet while biking? I didn't. I was the support driver for my family's team. I got up at 5 in the morning with the riders, helped take down our tents,  and load all the gear in the truck. They started biking on the day's route, I started driving to the town where we would spend that night, buying gas, bottled water, and ice as needed. I usually arrived in less than 2 hours. I would set up the tents and have HOURS to crochet before any of my team arrived.
I took:
My green and white shoulder bag. I seldom get those bags, so progress is slow. I'm on the handle. After crocheting the 6 bags I had cut, fastened, and rolled into a ball, I'm still working on the handle.

My grey plarn stadium cushion.
I had rolled 7 balls of 6 bags each. After crocheting those, I'm still only about half finished. Oh well, I'm happy with that progress.

Thread for a red, white, and blue coaster. I started a coaster and worked into row 11 of 12.

I feel that I accomplished a lot this past week, but I'm very glad to be home!

Coasters for the Pineapple Parfait Set

 We all know how much I like pineapples. I have 12 of these doilies in different colors, one for each month. Now, I'd like to have coasters for each color to match.
I tried the small doily pattern which was written with this pattern, but it worked up much too big to be a coaster, so I'm going to have to change it.

 Why not just make single pineapples as coasters? I already have patterns for that.

Maybe I will later, but that's too easy. I want round coasters. So, I tried using a smaller hook. Size C aluminum still made it too big. Size 3 steel still made it too big. Maybe it's the tr which are too big. Time to change the pattern. Patterns are just suggestions, right?
Round 1:  ch 4, work 13 dc in 4th ch from hook. Counting the starting ch as a dc, there are 14 dc in this round. Join.
Rnd 2: ch 3, dc in same st as joining, 2 dc in each st around, join. 28 dc.
Rnd 3: ch 3, dc in same st as joining, 2 dc in each st around, join. 56 st.
Rnd 4: ch 3, dc in next 3 dc, ch 2, *dc in next 4 dc, ch 2. Repeat from star around. Join. 14 4dc groups. 14 ch 2 groups.
Rnd 5: ch 3, dc in same sp as joining, dc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc, ch 2 * 2 dc in next dc,dc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc, ch 2. Repeat from * around. Join. 14 6dc groups. 14 ch 2 sp.
Rnd 6: ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, ch 1, dc in next 3 dc, ch 3 * dc in next 3 dc, ch 1, dc in next 3 dc, ch 3. Repeat from * around. Join. 24 3dc groups.
Rnd 7: ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, ch 2, dc in next 3 dc, ch 4 *dc in next 3 dc, ch 2, dc in next 3 dc,  ch 4. Repeat from * around. Join.
Rnd 8: ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, ch 3, dc in next 3 dc, ch 5 *dc in next 3 dc,  ch 3, dc in next 3 dc,  ch 5. Repeat from * around. Join.
Rnd 9: ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, ch 6, dc in next 3 dc, ch 6, * dc in next 3 dc, ch 4, dc in next 3 dc, ch 6. Repeat from * around. Join.
Rnd 10: ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, ch 7, dc in next 3 dc, ch 6, * dc in next 3 dc, ch 7, dc in next 3 dc, ch 6. Repeat from * around. Join.
Rnd 11: ch 1 sc in same st as joining, *12 dc in ch 7 sp, skip next 2 dc, sc in next dc, ch 7, sc in next dc. Repeat from * around. Join to first sc.
Rnd 12: sl st in first dc, ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in next 11 dc, sc in ch 7 space, * 2 dc in next 12 dc, sc in ch 7 space. Repeat from * around. Join. Finish off.

Pineapple Parfait Set

 This is one of my 12 "month" doilies. The pattern is called pineapple parfait and refers to this as the large doily.

In each corner is a "fan". The "small doily" of the set is just fans with no pineapples. In the picture with the pattern, the large doily is shown as a placemat and the small doily is shown as a coaster.
The pattern says the large doily measures about 18 inches square and the diameter of the small doily is about 10 1/2 inches. Sounds like a big coaster to me. The pattern also calls for a size 7 hook. No way can I use a 7 hook. I crochet so tightly that by the second round, I wouldn't be able to get the hook into the loops if I used a 7. I know, I've tried! Usually with size 10 crochet thread, I use a 00 hook. My large doilies measure 22 inches across.
I started a small doily using my usual size 00 hook. Part way through round 13 (of 14), it already measures 11 inches in diameter. That's not a coaster, that's a good sized doily for under a vase of flowers!
Patterns are just suggestions! I'm going to try again using a smaller hook and change the pattern to hopefully use fewer rounds.
Aluminum hook size C.

Striped Round Ripple Baby Blanket or another way to change colors

I'm expecting to need 4 more baby blankets soon for 2 nephews, a daughter and a son. I have 2 finished and 2 started. More W I P!
For one of these, I'm using baby sport weight yarn in baby ombre (variegated baby colors) and pale blue. Each stripe is 3 rows wide.
I'm not cutting the yarn to change colors and it does seem to go faster, since I no longer have to cut yarn, tie on a different color, or work in ends.
At the end of a round, I join with a slip stitch, sl st in next stitch, work 3 ch st to count as first dc of next round. As I work each of these ch st, I work it around the unused yarn color. This raises the yarn of both colors to the next round. Then, I continue working in pattern using only the yarn color I want for the next round.
This works best for narrow stripes of only 2 different colors.