I guess this is more of a recipe than a pattern.

Finished Size:

After blocking, about 23″.
The pattern should be easily modified for other sizes.

Gauge

In stockinette
3.5 stitches per inch
4.5 rows per inch

Materials Needed

16″ 10.5 circular needle
10.5 circular DPNs
Tapestry or Darning needle for embroidering
1 skien of black yarn
1 skien of white yarn
1-2 skiens of “TARDIS blue” yarns
3.5″ pompom maker

You can do this in bulky or worsted weight yarn. If you do it in worsted, you have to double it (which is how I did the ht shown above). Both Cascade 220 and Nature Spun worsted have good blues for a TARDIS. I used a strand of each in mine.

Directions

Cast on 72 stitches. (For a tighter rib, feel free to cast on less stitches and increase later. You can see after blocking my rib isn’t as tight.)

K1 P1 around for about an inch in blue.

Knit one row around in blue. This is where you would do the increasing up to 72 stitches if you chose that route.

Follow the color chart below for about 3 inches. I did mine in fair isle and unfortunately my tension stank because I’d never done it before. Intarsia would probably work well for this hat, too.

Knit 4 rows in blue.

Knit 6 rows in black.

Finish knitting in blue until the hat raises a little bit off of your head.

Switch to DPNs and K2tog tightly around until you have 5-7 stitches left. Pull the yarn through these stitches and finish off. I recommend leaving a long tail because when I decrease this way I get holes in the top of the hat and I like to go inside and sew them shut. It’s worth it because it makes the pompom cuter.

Make a 3.5″ pompom in white (and a bit of blue if you want) to represent the light at the top of the TARDIS. I went out and bought cute little pompom makers, but TECHknitting has a great how-to for doing pompoms using cardboard circles.

Sew your pompom to the top of the hat and weave in ends.

Embroider “POLICE BOX” in the middle four rows of the 6 rows of black using a strand of white yarn. I just delegated 2 stitches per letter and it fit evenly across two “windows” and one blue strip, giving me 3 repeats. Of course if you choose a different size, you will need to recalculate.

That’s it! You’re done and you should post your finish project here or on Ravelry so I can see it!

Recommended Charts for Different Sizes

The chart is built to repeat 6 times, so when you adjust the size you’ll want to do it by 6 stitches. I made charts for this but didn’t test them at all.

• Chart for 78 Stitches
• Chart for 66 Stitches
• Chart for 60 Stitches
• Chart for 54 Stitches
• 48 Stitches - Use 72 stitch chart and repeat 4 times instead of 6 times.

As you make smaller hats you might want to decrease how tall the windows are a bit, and do less rows for the blue and black strips above the windows so they don’t end up wrinkly from the decreases at the top of the hat.

The beginning of this belt has a hole you can use to slip the other end through for a cute and stylish look.

Materials:
1 Skein Lion Suede Mocha
1 Skein Lion Suede Coffee
US Size K Crochet Hook
Tapestry Needle

Abbreviations:
rnd = round
ch = chain
st = stitch
sl st = slip stitch
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
fpdc = front post double crochet (tutorial)

To Begin: With mocha, ch 8.
Rnd 1: dc in 4th ch from hook and in each ch across; 5 dc.
Note: Mark this side as the right side.
Rnd 2: ch 3, turn. fpdc around next dc, ch 1, skip next dc, fpdc around next dc, dc in top of beginning ch.
Rnd 3: ch 3, turn. dc in ch 1 space, ch 1, dc in same space, skip next dc, dc in top of beginning ch.
Rnd 4: ch 3, turn. fpdc around next dc, ch 1, fpdc around next dc, dc in top of beginning ch.

Repeat rounds 3 & 4 until you reach desired belt length. Fasten off and work edging.

Edging: Right side facing, attach coffee with sl st to right corner of end of belt.
Rnd 1: ch 1, 2 sc in same st, sc in next dc, sc in ch 1 space, sc in next dc, sc in top of beginning ch. 5 sc.
Rnd 2-3: ch 1, turn. sc in each sc across. 5 sc.
Rnd 4: ch 1, 2 sc in same st, sc down entire length of belt, 2 sc in corner ch, sc in next 3 chs, 2 sc in beginning ch, sc down entire length of belt, 2 sc in corner sc, sc in next 3 scs, join with sl st to first sc. Fasten off.

Finishing:
Using tapestry needle, weave in loose ends.

http://www.knittingknonsense.com/skullcrossbones.html

As you can see, the image is broken so you don’t know what the dishcloth actually looks like. So I’ve taken a picture of mine with the hopes that it might be useful to someone else. It’s a little hard to see since I use a much bigger size needle than recommended, and the gradient doesn’t help, but it’s better than no picture at all.

Many sites weren’t of any help at all, and some replies to this question on forums were met with, “Uninstall the program”, which is perhaps the stupidest answer of all.

So here’s the resources I finally used, so you don’t need to look anymore.

Removing “Send To” Entries:
Customize the Windows Vista Send To Menu - Simple, easy, and won’t break your computer.

Removing “New” Entries:
Clear Unwanted Entries from Explorer’s New Menu - For the more advanced only! You’ll have to edit your registry for this, but it’s relatively straightforward.

General Menu Customization
Fast Explorer - For the more advanced only! It was useful for getting rid of one of my general context menus that popped up on any file or folder I clicked for an archive program I used.

I had a lot of trouble finding a crocheted pumpkin fridgie that wasn’t too hard for me to do and actually looked like a pumpkin, so I decided to make one of my own with the following pattern as a base. It’s very simple to do!

Basic Crocheted Flat Circle With Solid Center

Materials:
Orange and Green Worsted Weight Yarn
US Size G Hook
stick-on magnet strip

Finished Size:
About 2 inches in diameter

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
ea = each
rnd = round
sc = single crochet
sl st = slip stitch

To Begin: Chain 2 with orange.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook. Sl st in first sc, to join.
Rnd 2: ch 1, 2 sc in ea sc around. Sl st in first sc, to join. (12 sc)
Rnd 3: ch 1, (sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc) around. Sl st in first sc, to join. (18 sc)
Rnd 4: hdc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, (sc in next 2 sts, 2 sts in next st) 4 times, hdc in next 2 sts. Sl st in last st. Fasten off, secure ends. (22 sts)

Stem:
Attach green with sl st to the sl st in rnd 4 on the pumpkin. Ch 3, sc in second st from hook. Sc in next st, join with sl st in same sl st you attached green to, fasten off, secure ends.

Finishing:
Peel back off of magnet and stick to the back of your pumpkin.

This is actually a combination of two free crochet patterns I found on the internet to make my own black cat that looked a bit more balanced, with some other tweaks.

To give credit where credit is due:
Basic Crocheted Flat Circle With Solid Center
Black Cat Fridgie

Materials:
Black Worsted Weight Yarn
US Size G Hook
Tapestry Needle
Small googlie eyes
stick-on magnet strip
White glue (like Elmer’s)

Finished Size
Body Circle: 1.5 inches in diameter
Head Circle: 1 inch in diameter

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
ea = each
rnd = round
sc = single crochet
sl st = slip stitch
hdc = half double crochet

Body and Tail:
To Begin: Chain 2.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook. Sl st in first sc, to join.
Rnd 2: ch 1, 2 sc in ea sc around. Sl st in first sc, to join. (12 sc)
Rnd 3: ch 1, (sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc) around. Sl st in first sc, to join. (18 sc)
Tail: ch 6, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in remaining chs. Sl st in next st on circle. Fasten off.

Head:
To Begin: Chain 2.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook. Sl st in first sc, to join.
Rnd 2: ch 1, 2 sc in ea sc around. Sl st in first sc, to join. (12 sc)
Rnd 3: ch 3, hdc in 3rd ch from hook. Sl st in next two sts. Ch 3, hdc in 3rd ch from hoom. Sl st in next st. Fasten off.

Finishing:
Using tapestry needle and loose yarn ends on the head, fasten the head to the body as shown in the picture and secure all loose ends. Stick the magnet on to the back of the cat. Use the white glue to fasten the googlie eyes on to the cat’s head.

Within the past two years or so, there have been GIANT LEAPS in usability on Linux platforms. The latest version of Ubuntu is an awesome testament to that fact. The last time I tried to configure a Linux machine - I think it was an installation of Suse - I managed to break it within a few hours after it was installed. I’ve also managed to kill Kubuntu before. I haven’t broken Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty) yet. This is a sign from the Gods.

So what’s the problem?

The problem is when a new user, like me, needs to get something done, obviously they turn to “experienced” Linux users, and the first thing those users say is, “open a terminal and type…”

This is very discouraging for those of us using the new installations and wondering why there isn’t a way to do it through the normal interface. The thing is - there ARE ways to do it through the normal interface now, but the people who have been using Linux forever only know how to do it through the terminal and find it easier that way - even though it isn’t easier for the rest of us who are graphics-oriented.

I’m not saying those of you who are using the terminal are wrong or bad people. And I know that a lot of people coming to you guys with questions have not “RTFM’ed”. But just be aware that help documents have improved, and that they and other system configurations no longer need to be accessed from the terminal.

And to new Linux users out there - pick up a modern installation and try to RTFM. And stop asking experienced users “how” to do things. It’s one thing to ask, “Is it possible to do this?” or, “What’s it called when you do this?” so you know how where to look in your manuals, but if you ask an experienced Linux user “how” to actually do it, you’re going to be in for a world of hurt. Just so you know.

Mysterious disappearances have been happening all over Tatsumi town, and the student council of St. Ruminus Academy decides to look into it themselves when students at their school start going missing. Souma doesn’t believe that students actually can just disappear, but the others in the council aren’t discounting something supernatural. They speculate that it might be a monster, and decide that Kiriye’s kendo skills are more than enough to protect them, although Kiriye thinks that he’s not as good as they say. Saionji, who seems to be the class president, knows more about it than he lets on. He seems to know about the existence of another world, and comes across a book that he feels should explain how to get to it.

On his way out of the school, Souma notices windows rattling in the student council room. It makes him stop long enough to remember that he left his cellphone in the room, and he goes back in to get it. While he’s inside, the rattling window opens on its own, and the wind that it lets in opens the book that Saionji had earlier. Souma notices, says something about a “Dream Continent”, and looks out the window again. He may or may not have notices the boy standing in the tree outside the window. The boy has wings, one white and one black.

In the next scene, it is revealed that Saionji has gone missing now, too. Later that night, amidst an odd glow in the park, a strange girl appears and jumps away, much farther than a normal person should be able to. She lands on a telephone pole, musing about the fact that Zero must be in this world somewhere. This suggests that she is from the other world that Saionji was reading about before he disappeared. The girl keeps moving, and meanwhile a monster appears in light similar to her’s from earlier.

The scene shifts to the next day in the student council room. Kiriye is talking about an odd dream he had, in which a girl appeared and said to him “When the tree that links with this world blooms, the illusory door which leads to the continent will open. The red moon of the heavens will reflect upon the mirror-like spring and will be the door to the other world.” He thinks it has something to do with the disappearances, and Souma passes it off as a coincidence, still thinking that there must be a logical explanation for everything. Kureha, one of the girls in the council, asks for more information. Kiriye tells her that the girl had strange, long ears, but that she was very pretty. Shiina, the other girl there, says to forget about the dream because there was a wolf-like howl heard last night.

Outside, waiting by the gate, Souma decides to confess to Kureha. Before she can answer, they are attacked by a werewolf type monster. The strange girl from earlier shows up and begins immediately fighting with the werewolf. Souma catches her when the werewolf sends her flying, and her hat falls off to reveal that she has cat ears. They both act embarassed, and the cat girl introduces herself as Mao. She explains that the monster is a beastman that got through the gate from the other world. With the help of Souma and Kureha, Mao captures the beastman. She then explains about the other world, End Earth, and its relation to the normal world, Elde. It seems she’s there looking for the boy with the wings, Zero. Before much more explanation, the beastman breaks free and attacks Mao. He manages to break a mirror she was holding that she refers to as the mirror of dimensions. It starts releasing a green light, and everyone there is transported to the other world. Souma and Kureha wind up in what looks like a void. There, they meet with Zero. Zero says that he watches over the world, and then seems to entrust that responsibility to Souma. They are transported again.

Meanwhile, Kiriye and Shiina notice that the sakura tree that hasn’t blossomed in years is in full bloom. Kiriye remembers the dream he had.

Back to Souma and Kureha, they find themselves in a large field. They decide to look around for the mirror of dimensions when Kureha somehow senses that something is coming. A goblin type monster attacks them, and Souma stops it. Then, a bunch more show up. They run for a bit, but Souma decides to hold them off and let Kureha escape. After the obligatory “I can’t do that!”, Kureha runs off while Souma stays to fight. That doesn’t last long, as Kureha is attacked and conveniently has her clothes ripped in such a way that her undergarments are easily visible.

Just after Souma notices this, they are attacked by a large cyclops. Kureha gets in the way of a thrust from the cyclops’ sword so that it hits her instead of Souma. When it does, an eruption of purple light sends the cyclops flying. Souma rushes toward Kureha, who seems to have felt the effects of the stab even though she’s glowing rather than bleeding. She stops responding to anything, and Souma notices the hilt of a sword coming out of the light around her chest.

Souma hears Kureha’s voice, telling him to take her heart. Visuals make it obvious that she means the sword. He pulls the sword of out her, and looks at it while the camera shows it off. Kureha wakes up, wondering where he got the sword from. He tells Kureha that it is her heart and promptly cuts the cyclops in half with it. The other monsters run away, and Souma says that with that sword he feels like he can’t lose.

Characters

Souma

Eurkos: To be honest, I didn’t think he was the main character at first. He doesn’t seem like the likely candidate, especially with someone like Kiriye there. Not that it’s a problem, really. I like that a non-likely person is the main character. He’s realistic in his thinking… he seems to have some skill fighting and isn’t worried about thinking that he does. He’s probably still gonna try to deny the things around him now that he’s in End Earth. It’ll be interesting seeing where they take his character from here.

Kureha

Eurkos: Kureha is the sweet, quiet type. It’s no wonder that Souma likes her. She used a bow for a bit while they were fighting with the beastman, and it looked good on her. I hope that she becomes less needy as the show goes on. Right now she’s just the normal “Oh, save me Souma-kun!” and I’m hoping she learns to take care of herself.

Kiriye

Eurkos: Even though he and Shiina didn’t go with Souma and Kureha to End Earth, I’m sure they’ll show up there at some point. They wouldn’t have been in the episode as much as they have. Plus, they wouldn’t have mentioned that both of them are really good at kendo. Anyway, Kiriye is more the main-character type than Souma. He seems fairly average in everything. He’s obviously modest to a fault. At this point, I’m not very interested in him, which makes me glad that he’s not the main character.

Shiina

Eurkos: Like Kiriye, I’m sure Shiina will be in End Earth at some point. She gets bonus points for being a redhead, but I haven’t seen enough of her to have much interest at this point. Hopefully more will come later.

Saionji

Eurkos: Maybe it’s just me, but this guy is obviously up to no good. He just spills evil out, and his interest in End Earth is very suspicious. I’d bet that him trying to find ways to get to End Earth is why people are disappearing. He’ll probably be a main struggle point for the other characters.

Hiruda

Eurkos: Hiruda is Saionji’s lapdog. Or rather, I’m sure she’d like to be. He probably doesn’t pay much attention to her when she’s not doing something for him. Like Kiriye and Shiina, she’ll probably be around later but I haven’t seen enough to be interested.

Mao

Eurkos: Mao seems fun, so far. She’s fairly light-spirited, as she was fairly happy with things up until her mirror broke. I wonder what the thing she wants to ask Zero is, and why it’s so important. I also wanna see more of what she can do, since it seems like she has special attacks and whatnot.

Zero

Eurkos: He’s all over the place in the opener and closer, and he got a decent amount of screen time for someone with only two lines. He’s obviously very important, and I wanna know why. What’s up with the rings, and why are his wings two different colors?

Storyline Thoughts

Eurkos: So far, it seems like things that have been done before. I guess that’s because it’s based on an old j-rpg. It’ll probably turn out to be good because of that, as well. If you’re looking for something completely original, this probably isn’t it. I’m curious to see what the deal with Kureha is, and why she got all glowy and swordy when she got stabbed by the cyclops. I also wanna know more about End Earth in general.

Final Verdict

Eurkos: This one makes it into the 6 ep test. Admittedly, it’s not one of my favorites right now, but it has potential. That’s the main reason why it took me so long to write this review. I’d been busy watching other stuff, aside of having life issues to deal with. But I picked it back up. I like the animation in it, except for the over-use of washed colors due to bright light. It seems like the outdoors in Japan are exceptionally bright according to the animators. All in all, it’s decent. I look forward to more.

Koizumi is a girl who is always made fun of because she is tall, and Ootani is a boy who is always made fun of because he’s short. The two are very alike in personality and interests, and bicker to the point where they’re like a comedy duo. The two of them end up in summer school - Koizumi because she fell asleep and screamed aloud during an assembly, and Ootani because he failed.

The day before summer school Koizumi tells her friends, Nobu-chan and Chihara, that she’d be able to better get through the experience if she had someone she liked. Lo and behold, the next day in class a boy named Suzuki from another class is also in summer school and Koizumi instantly gets a crush on him. Ootani realizes this immediately and gets “evil” plans.

After class, Ootani tells Koizumi that he knows she likes Suzuki, and he’ll help her get together with him if she helps him get together with Chihara, and she agrees. Later on, the four of them, plus Nobu-chan and her boyfriend Nakao-kun, go to the pool. Things are going well, if a bit awkward, as Ootani and Koizumi get to know their interests. When Nobu and Nakao go on the waterslide, Ootani and Koizumi want to go also, but Suzuki and Chihara are both afraid, so they go on it together. When they come back, Suzuki has disappeared and Koizumi panics, but it turns out he was buying drinks.

As everyone leaves, Koizumi tells Ootani she’s worried because Suzuki and Chihara went home together. He tells her not to worry. However, the next day Ootani is crushed because Chihara doesn’t think of him as a boy because he’s short, and likewise for Kotani - because she’s tall, Suzuki doesn’t see her as a girl. The two help each other out and decide to invite their interests to the summer festival.

Ootani initially blushes when Koizumi shows up in a yukata, but plays it off as thinking she was someone else. When Chihara and Suzuki show up together, it becomes apparent to Koizumi and Ootani that the two like each other, so they give up and go off by themselves. They both have a lot of fun, and Koizumi later ends up blushing because of Ootani.

The next day at school, the two are back to fighting again, and initiate a contest to see who can get a significant other first.

Characters

Koizumi Risa

Koizumi is headstrong and snarky, and has a bit of a complex because she’s so tall. It seems that she is a tad shy around people she likes and is initially unable to converse properly with Suzuki, or even act like her normal self around him. Although she’s a little tomboyish it’s clear that she still wants romance in her life. I wonder if she’ll realize she likes Ootani before he realizes the same, but she seems to be a little less observant than he is.

Ootani

Ootani has a personality similar to Koizumi’s, but he’s a bit more outgoing and it seems to be easier for him to relax and chat with people he likes than it is for Koizumi. He’s fairly observant - at least when it comes to Koizumi, and he’s mostly optimistic. I imagine that he’ll be the less difficult of the two when they get together.

Tanaka Chihara

Chihara is very shy and reserved, and initially has a fear of boys. After her visit at the pool, she is pretty much cured of that fear, as she realizes how nice Suzuki is - and maybe even because of Ootani although she said he doesn’t feel like a boy to her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes a better friend to Ootani later on in the series as his feelings for Koizumi develop.

Suzuki

Suzuki initially seems like he is the cold and silent type, but it unexpectedly turns out that he’s just really shy, and he blushes a beat red when he’s embarrassed. He’s afraid that Chihara hates him and confides in Koizumi, who he finds easy to talk to, and she reassures him. Like I said with Chihara, I can see Suzuki becoming a better friend to Koizumi later in the series.

Nobo and Nakao

Neither of these two had a lot of screen time or got their own close up shot. I think they’re sort of there to balance out the wild and quiet types of their respective groups. I really only include them here because they’ll be showing up more often, and I don’t have much else to say.

Storyline Thoughts

I’m not usually a sucker for slice-of-life types, but the characters are interesting enough that I already want to see how Koizumi and Ootani get together, because it’s inevitable at this point. At least, I think so. I’m also interested in how relationships between the other characters will play out and how everything will affect the group dynamic they had in this episode.

Final Verdict

Besides the characters being a bit silly, there’s also a lot of weird slapstick in this and some fun wordplay (as Koi means little and Oo means big when put in names). I also like the manga-ish style of the piece and I’m interested in seeing a bit of the manga to see how much of the artist’s original designs came through. It’s a nice difference from some of the other things I’ve been watching - which is mostly shounen - so I’ll be keeping an eye out on this for a bit to see if it satisfies the fangirl in me!

Full Lists at ANN:

Seen Some
Seen All
Will Not Finish

Anime: Currently Watching

Bleach - 127 (on hold until crappy filler passes)
Getsumen to Heiki Minna - 7
Hayate no Gotoku - 21
Idolmaster Xenoglossia - 21
Lovely Complex - 20
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS - 8
Mai Otome Zwei - 3
Nagasarete Airantou - 14
Naruto: Seppuuden - 27
Overdrive - 9

Spring 2007: 6 Episode Test

Darker than Black - 1
El Cazador de la Bruja - 4
Gigantic Formula - 1
Heroic Age - 3
Kami-chama Karin - 3
Kaze no Stigma - 1
Monster Princess - 3
Murder Princess - 2
Romeo and Juliette - 1
Sisters of Wellber - 1
Sola - 3
Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagaan - 3

Summer 2007 Anime - 6 Episode Test

CODE-E - 4
Mushiuta - 2
Sky Girls - 5
So Long, Mr. Despair - 1
Zombie Loan - 4

Anime: On Hold for Future Watchings:

Black Cat
Blood+ - 1
Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokoro-Chan
Boogipop Phantom
Claymore - 6
Code Geass - 1
Death Note - 1
Demon Detective Loki
Fate/Stay Night
Ikkitousen Dragon Destiny
Initial D Stage 3
Initial D Stage 4
Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl - 2
Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru - 2
Reideen - 10
Soukou no Strain - 1
Utawarerumono
Venus Versus Virus - 1