Final Ravelympics Results

I hope that you all enjoyed watching the 2008 Summer Olympics as much as I did. All of the athletes were amazing! I was not impressed with NBC's coverage of the events, and because of that I watched many of the events on CBC out of Canada.

As for the last 2 Ravelympic events that I signed up for, I only got one project completed. I know, I will have to train much harder for the winter Olympics. The final one that I did complete was for the mitten medley, From the Top Down Mittens by Mei Lynne Travis. I love this pattern because I am able to make them two at a time on two circs, so both mittens are completed at the same time. I used Bernat Berrella in Aqua on 2 size 5 circulars and I used size 3 dpns for the cuffs.

The event project that I didn't complete was for the sock put, The Basic Sock Recipe by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. I used Patons Kroy Jacquards in the Tutti-Frutti colorway, which is a self-striping sock yarn, so this is really a no-brainer, but I simply ran out of time. I am knitting on a 2.5mm circ with a 47" cable. I was able to turn the heel on this 1st sock during the closing ceremonies so they are a bit more along than the picture shows.

So here are the Ravelympic medals that I won for completing 3 of the events that I entered, the Hat Dash, the Scarf Stroke, and the Mitten Medley. I am so glad that I participated in this first Ravelympics and I look forward to the next one. I want to express my gratitude and admiration for the wonderful people at Ravelry for the amazing job they did in running everything!

Finally, I am proud to say that all of the participants, from many countries around the world, showed wonderful sportsmanship and to my knowledge, no steroids were found in any of the ravathletes. Isn't it great to have a controversy free, international event!

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I bet my neighbors heard that squee and with as much noise as they have made in the middle of the night and early mornings lately, I really don't care if they did hear it. After all, I squeed with glee when the mail arrived at 2 in the afternoon, not in the wee hours of the morning, when their disruptions of my sleep occur. I know this is not a very mature attitude, but I am cranky from the constant loss of sleep.

What did I squee about? I won! A few months ago, Vicki Howell (yes, the Vicki Howell) ran a contest on her blog. She had just put out a podcast that included an interview she did with Drew Emborsky, aka The Crochet Dude, and then asked her blog readers, "What was Drew's former profession, before becoming a crochet designer?". To which I replied, "He painted pet portraits!". She drew winners from the correct responses, of which mine was one. What did I win? Look what came in the mail today!

You would squee too, wouldn't you? I must say this book is incredible. Not only is it well written by Annie Modesitt and Drew Emborsky, but it is just a beautiful book. It is a hardcover with very hefty, sturdy pages and great photography. I am not sure what I enjoyed looking at more, the two-legged models, the four-legged models, or the patterns. Eye candy for everyone!

I must admit to having a couple of favorite patterns in the book which will be making it into my queue. One of them is the Man's Rasta Hat, which I find is a free pattern now that I own the book! I am hoping that one of my nephews will enjoy wearing this hat once I make it. Also, there are a couple of very helpful charts in the book. One showing mens size measurements up to 4x! The other of note is the doggy size chart. Where else are you going to find one of those?

Here's a quick update on my Ravelympic knitting. I did finish the Rainy Day Scarf at 12:34 am on Aug, 18th, 2008. This is a nice easy pattern that I will most likely make again. I think it would look better in a variegated yarn than the solid color I used.
Finally, I have cast on for a pair of mittens and I will try to get a picture of the WIP up tomorrow. I hope that you find something to squee about today!

Ouch!

It has been way to long since my last post and I apologize for neglecting this blog. I just haven't had anything really positive to share and I didn't feel like subjecting you to the whining.

I haven't completed any projects since the last post because I am experiencing wrist and shoulder pain, which is limiting my knitting time. Previously, I had thought that I hadn't signed up for enough Ravelympics events, but now it is looking like I won't be able to complete the 4 that I did signed up for. I really am not happy about this. I don't like failure. I know that I should be used to failure by this stage in my life, but apparently, I am not that mature.

For the time being, I am going to be a cheerleader for my fellow ravathletes and wish them much success in their events (protect your sanity by trying not to imagine me shaking my pom-poms). I will try to post again soon, and with a better attitude. Hang in there my friends!

Ravelympics Event #2

What did I decide to cast on? It was the Rainy Day Scarf from Unique One Sweaters & Yarn. The pattern is simple and clearly written and I am finding it easy to keep on track while watching the Olympic coverage. There is a 32 row repeat to the pattern so a row counter is a must for me. I have 2 photos here to show you how very different the lighting is in my living room which is why I have a difficult time capturing the color accurately in photos. Again, my walker is the display piece ;)
The yarn was purchased by my Mother at a yard sale. It is Orlon Sayelle, 4 ply, worsted weight in the Aqua colorway. I am not fond of this yarn, and I hope it softens with washing, but the price was right. I am knitting on Takumi bamboo US size 9 circs. It should be working up faster than it is, but my hands and wrists are starting to ache from the knitting frenzy of the Ravelympics! I am off to the first aid tent. Ha!

My First FO for the Ravelympics

That's right! I have finished one project for the Ravelympics on Ravelry. Only 3 more to go before August 17th, 2008. How are you doing on your projects?

The first project that I cast on for the Ravelympics was a child's hat, the Saturday Afternoon Hat designed by Julie at J. Knits, so it didn't take much time to knit up. I made it in the hand spun yarn that I featured in my last post, so I was very excited to see how it would turn out since that was the first time I had spun yarn. Here is a picture of the finished hat, modeled on the end of a one pound skein of worsted weight yarn.

I did make a few changes in the pattern. First, I used my hand spun, which is a very uneven sport weight instead of the worsted weight the pattern called for. Because of the yarn difference, I knit on US size 5 needles. These changes resulted in a child's hat instead of the M/L size adult hat that the pattern suggested it would be.

Now I am trying to decide what I cast on next. Should it be:

1. The Basic Sock Pattern by Stephanie McPhee
2. The Rainy Day Scarf published by Unique One Sweaters & Yarn
3. Mittens From the Top Down by Meilynne

What do you think I will do?

Spinning!

I have finally made a 2 ply yarn! Ok, it isn't anything that anyone else would want,but I am pretty proud that I have accomplished this feat no matter what the quality. My youngest brother made the spindle and the burnt orange corriedale fiber was a gift from twistedknitter on plurk. I apologize for not being a good photographer and having difficulty getting the color to show correctly.Then I tried my hand at the Andean Bracelet so that I could turn this into a 2 ply yarn. I don't know if I did it correctly, but it did allow me to ply from both ends of the yarn.When I went to remove the plied yarn from the spindle I wrapped it around my walker handles. It turns out that it is 37 inches for every revolution around the handles so I just counted that as 1 yard. It is nice to find another use for the walker ;) From there I put the yarn in hot water to soak and set the twist, then I hung it to dry with a soup can at the bottom to straighten it a bit since it was very curly. I think the curl means I over twisted it at some point, or possibly at all points. It was dry by this morning so I wound it into a center pull ball.Now I have cast it on my needles to make a hat for the Ravelympics! I don't know if this will turn out to be anything that will ever be worn, but it certainly has been a learning experience and I can't wait to spin again!

The Ravelympics are Coming!

I am so excited! The anticipation factor is amazingly high in waiting for the 2008 Olympics to start so that I can cast on for my Ravelympics events projects. If you are not aware of what the Ravelympics are, then you must not be a member of Ravelry yet, so let me explain.

Ravelry describes itself as a knitters and crocheters community, but it is so much more than just that. Spinners are warmly welcomed. There is an amazing organizational system within Ravelry for your projects, stash, library and an incredible pattern repository. You can find a group for whatever your interests are including sports (I am in the Red Sox group), groups by age (I'm in over 40 knitters), or perhaps you are a Mike Rowe fan who knits along to one of the myriad of shows that he hosts or narrates. Yes, there is a Mike Rowe group and no, I am not a member but I am a fan.

The Ravelympics has been organized to commence at the start of the 2009 Olympics. Participants will start whatever project they have entered into "events", such as the mitten medley, or the sock put. The entrants may not cast on before the opening ceremony and must finish by the end of the closing ceremony. They may "compete" as an individual or for a team. Most of us will be working away at one of our favorite pastimes while watching the Olympic competition, so why not join in the fun! You have until August 8th, 2008 to enter.

I am on 2 teams, Team Red Sox Nation, and Team Splurk. The events that I will be in are the hatdash, the scarf stroke, the sock put, the mitten medley, and the gift knit pentathlon. Wish me luck in completing everything!

The Sock Knitter :)

I received a small package in the mail today that touched my heart. It was from Darlene, thesockknitter on plurk, who knew that I haven't been able to afford to buy yarn for a while. In the package was a skein of Drachenwolle sock yarn, that is so soft and has a lovely colorway. I am so grateful for her generosity and I don't know how I will ever repay her. Mostly, I am lucky to have her friendship, and I cherish it. In other matters, I have finished the Fuchsia Cabled Scarf. It is shorter than I would like, but I only had one skein of this lovely, tweedy yarn to work with. The pattern is the same as the Lilac Cabled Scarf I made a while ago: Fancy Cabled Braided Scarf designed by Trish Day.Lastly for today's post, I have cast-on another Nanner Sock designed by Wendy D. Johnson. The yarn for these socks is called Nanners and I purchased it from the chicks with sticks. I highly recommend that you check out her etsy shop, because I love this yarn and she was wonderful to deal with.

Ugh, I've been tagged.

A plurk pal of mine, Mitchypoo, tagged me. Gee thanks. Apparently, I am supposed to list 5 things about me that most of the world probably doesn't know (and probably doesn't want to know). Then I list the 5 people I am tagging. Finally, I go to their blogs to let them know that they have been tagged and and so the game continues. Fun huh?

Well, here we go:

1. I am a world class procrastinator. Heck, I put off this post for days. I can even put off procrastinating. How's that grab ya?
2. I have previously told you what an incredible family I have, but what I haven't told you is that I am the black sheep of the family. I have failed to achieve any of the expectations that my family has had for me.
3. I loath housework! Yes, I am a slob. Thank goodness for the incredible man in my life who patiently does his best to pick up after me.
4. I have always dreamed of being a writer. Since you are reading this, you understand why that dream never came to fruition.
5. Lastly (are you as grateful as I am that this is almost over?), I firmly believe that the worlds most perfect food is cheese. If you put cheese in it, on it, or at least in the name of whatever food you are serving, I will eat it. It is wonderful in both savory and sweet dishes. Cheese is at its best in it's purest state, alone, as a slice, a nugget, a nibble, a shred, a brick, a block, a wedge or a wheel. I LOVE CHEESE! (Not quite the epiphany that you were hoping for, right?)

Now for the naming of the victims...er, I mean the taggees:

1. Tata
2. wheeltrish
3. Zarzuela
4. laughloveknit
5. SquireHogg

Hopefully you all will be more interesting for your readers than I have been. I hope that you will please forgive me for tagging you as I have decided to forgive Mitchypoo for tagging me.