I should be committed

This is a list of upcoming knitting commitments. I should've done this sooner, as I see I am going to be in trouble when 08/08/08 runs around. Oh, well, at least there will be plenty of Olympic coverage on the tee vee.

• ongoing: Slow Bee Mystery. Catch up with clues 7 and 8 before clue 9 appears on Friday July 4.
  
• June 30: Knitter's Holiday, Ice Cream. Deadline for mailing package. Two sewing projects. done
  
• July 1: Sock Knitter's Pentathalon, sock 3. Be ready to get the pattern around noon.Bailed on this, since I can't knit the sock correctly and also have it fit me. Why knit a sock that I can't wear?
  
• July 15: Project Runway. At least this doesn't involve making anything. Each of us in a group is assigned a designer. The person whose designer wins PR gets prezzies from each of the rest of us. I'll be watching anyway, so why not?
  
  Olympic Yarn Smackdown, yarn and needle requirements posted.
  
• July 20: sign up for Hat Attack 2. Two different colors of Therapi purchased from YarnZone (15% discount with code HA2, woo hoo!). Attack starts September 16.
  
• July 31: Knitter's Holiday, EZBD. Watch for partners to be posted. EZBD is Elizabeth Zimmerman's birthday. The package we'll create will be themed around EZ and knitting inspiration.
  
• August 4 or 5: Olympic Yarn Smackdown. Targets assigned.
  
• August 8: Olympic Yarn Smackdown. Patterns on Yahoo after 5pm EDT. I'm competing under Advanced Sock (simultaneously in Sock Put in the Knitting Olympics Trials), Crochet Amigurumi (simultaneously in Amigurumi Toss in Knitting Olympics Trials), Granny Square, and Goofy categories. I have not lost my mind. It's long gone.
  Knitting Olympics Trials. Sam the Ram is my main project under Amigurumi Toss. I must sit down and make lots of little pattern charts and stitch counts before this begins if I have even the remotest chance of succeeding.
  
• September, date tba: Super Sock Scarefest. Finish the project bag you're donating as a prize. Get the beads for the coordinating stitch markers. Take pictures and post on Ravelry. done
  
  
  
  

They blowed up real good

My Detonators arrived today. Blue Moon fans will no doubt recognize that they are made from Socks That Rock Silkie in the Tide Pool colorway. They are knit perfectly as far as I can see and fit my feet. How lucky am I? I am so lucky that Holly also sent some baby alpaca/merino blend yarn. The color's a deep shaded purple.

Sock Wars 3 has mutated into two parts. The first part turned into a drawing for someone to win yarn. I could do a major rant on this, but I'm not going to. If by some bizarre twist of fate my card arrives in Ireland in time and I win, the yarn's going to the winner of the second part.

The second part is a resurrection of the War. It is being run as if no sudden death had been called and will keep going until one warrior is victorious. Helen is the person who has got the War going again. She's the coordinator of Yarn Smackdown. That's another event that's starting in August. The Oracle of Hat Attack! has stepped up to be the referee. Fair and consistent application of the rules will no doubt be the case for the balance of the war. Sign up for Hat Attack! because a-it is run well, b-they learn from what didn't work last time (hat pattern will fit everybody this time), and c-the fine people at SWTC are sponsoring this. Sign up for Yarn Smackdown, too.

Friday the 13th: SW3 goes to sudden death!

I have no idea why, but Sock Wars 3 went to the sudden death round today. Over 25% of the warriors are still alive, including yours truly. The sudden death part involves mailing a postcard or letter or something more creative to the Supreme Commander. I'm sending a postcard of The Big Chicken. I'm sending it because it is a local landmark and because big chickens (deserters, flakers) in the war must be a major headache.

My socks of death are on the way from Holly in the U.K. I'm going to be really cautious when opening my mailbox today. ::later:: No socks.

It appears that the SWTC people who sponsored Sock Wars 3 found out about this little twist at the same time the warriors did. Those are nice, generous people and treating them this way was Not Cool.

If anybody's looking for me, I'll be swearing and throwing beads finishing up last week's Slow Bee clue. If I survive, I'll be starting on BYOB from the new Knitty. If I don't survive, that second B will definitely be a bottle of something.

I am not yet dead

I am very much looking forward to:

1. Finishing Kimmy knits' Detonators and popping them in the mail
2. My Detonators showing up in the mailbox
3. Not playing stupid Sock Wars any more. Ever.

I have a couple of fun and silly projects in mind. Both are inspired by Firefly/Serenity. Both will require unsweetened Kool Aid. Buying the Kool Aid will be my reward for getting those fraking Detonators in the mail.

Trade

fleeceart
Originally uploaded by Paula knits

Jessica traded me this pretty Fleece Artist for some yarn that's on the way to the post office in a few minutes. I hope you like the yarn I'm sending at least half as much as I like this stuff, Jessica. Yum!

Project Progress

Sock Wars death should occur within the next week. I expect to have to knit one more pair of Detonators from scratch. Depending on a number of factors, I might be working on one more pair beyond that. I'll have matched the number of kills from the last war. I'll be getting really nice socks knit in very nice yarn. Then I won't think about any of this nonsense until Hat Attack II, which obviously won't be socks.

Slow Bee Mystery continues. I got clue 4 done just hours before clue 5 was posted. It's not perfect, but the mistakes aren't huge and glaring. I have no need for a beaded shawl, but it is a whole lot of fun to knit.

Ravelry has got me organizing my stash. I've been in denial about how much yarn there is around here, but at least I can find things now. The UFOs all* live in a big black Lion Brand tote bag that somebody gave me in a swap. It reminds me of the monolith in 2001 A Space Odyssey. It makes strange humming noises that sound like "finish usssssss, you must finish usssssss!".

*This is a lie. There are several in the knitting basket plus a sweater in a tote bag stuffed behind a chair.

Beginning of the End?

Today was the first big day in nearly a month of playing Sock Wars.

My original assassin, PS, has officially flaked. Her assassin, CA, had been killed but was unable to send yarn back. Her assassin, HD, is my new assassin. There have not been any postings that I've seen by HD's assassin, so I have no idea when she'll be shot down. I do know that HD's first pair ended up sitting in customs for a week. ::edit:: HD's going to send these via USPS, so that's not a factor. Today's Tuesday and she plans to mail on Friday. Also, HD's death socks are on the way to her. If she's killed before Friday, I'll live on for a while.

In the other direction, my third kill will occur as soon as MS opens her mail. MS's target PW and her target PY are both listed as alive. My goal was to be an Ace (5 kills). I've got 3. Depending on what's going on with MS, I'm pretty sure I can get a fourth in before anything happens with my assassin.

In other knitting news, I've been doing about as much frogging as knitting on my Slow Bee shawl. I've decided that more of a mess is made by frogging than corrections. Unless it's a huge mistake, I'm going to just knit. The Knit Police can just go bother someone else.