Ravellenics 2012 Day 3

It's a good thing I set up a backup project. The Tardis shawl is almost done. It just needs about 2" of ribbing. I wish the yarn had been more solid because it has a stripey quality that I don't care for. Oh, well.

Speaking of stripes, I've already started the Color Affection shawl. There was a problem with the joins on the circulars I was using on the Tardis shawl. I had to switch to a pair of straight needles. I haven't used straight (non-dpn) needles in years and it turns out my hands don't care for them at all. I'm alternating between doing a row on the Tardis and a row on the Color shawl (on circulars) to give my hands a break.

I enjoyed the opening ceremony very much. A big thumbs down to the NBC announcers, though. They kept talking and talking and talking over the event when they really should have not been talking. Also they didn't know who Tim Berners-Lee is and had to go on and on and on about how they didn't know. Duh.

P.S. I got a giggle from @Disalmanac on Twitter. The tweet stated that due to NBC's tape delay, we were just now finding out that Jesse Owens' wins had upset Hitler.

Watching the Clock

Yarn, patterns, needles gathered for primary (Bigger on the Inside shawl) project and backup (Color Affection shawl) project. Check.

Cats fed. Check.

Caffeine acquired. Check.

Tweet about how it annoys me that we can't see the opening ceremonies live. Check.

DVD of Doctor Who episode Fear Her in player. This was selected as an opening ceremonies substitute because The Doctor lights the flame at the 2012 Olympics in it. Hmm, better go dig that out.

Later!

Color Infection

I've been reading posts in the Ravellenic Games section on Ravelry. I feel like a knitting wimp because I only planned on doing one shawl in 17 days. There are people who are doing two of the shawl I'm doing. I decided that there must be a backup project in case I do manage to finish Bigger on the Inside before the end of the Olympics. It could happen.

I read about the Color Affection shawl. Over 5000 people on Ravelry have selected three colors of fingering weight yarn and cast on. My stash could use a diet, so I dug out three skeins that should work. One is handspun from Tour de Fleece two years ago. One's from Cherry Tree Hill that I got on sale. The third is from Schmutzerella Yarns. I think I bought it with another skein so they wouldn't have to travel alone. The handspun is off white, pink, and green. The CTH is a shaded green. The Schmutzy yarn is off white with some very pale lavender. I'm tempted to drop everything and cast on, but I'll be good. Back to finishing a second sock!

Tour de Fleece Final Day

This is what I did four this year's Tour de Fleece. It's 500 yards of two-ply yarn, kind of a light DK weight. I did make it through that big Bainbridge Island batt. I learned that I need to spin on a regular basis or what few skills I have deteriorate. I also learned that I really need to put down the spindle and give the wheel a go. I don't expect either of these things to happen for a while. Five days, one hour and five minutes until I cast on for Ravelympics the Ravellenic Games.

Bigger on the Inside

It is the second rest day for Tour de Fleece, so that's my excuse for goofing off. I was looking at the number of people who are doing the same project that I'll be doing for Ravelympics Ravellenics. There are at least 37 of us doing the shawl called Bigger on the Inside. I was wondering if it was a lot to do in three weeks. It'll be interesting to see how we all do.

Most of the people are doing it in blue fingering weight. No surprise there as it's what the pattern calls for. I didn't find anyone using the same yarn as I am. There are a few using the original's yarn from Lorna's Laces. A number of people are using different kinds from Knit Picks. The only one I was a little jealous of was a blue with sparkly stuff in it.

There were a few choices that baffled me. Multicolored yarns? I wouldn't want to do that much work and then not even be able to see the pattern. I'm not talking shaded, I'm talking colors with extreme contrast between each of the colors. My yarn's shaded and I'm hoping it'll be okay. Laceweight? Unless you're making it for a tiny person, I wouldn't think that would work. You'd have to use big needles to get gauge and the Tardis pattern again might be lost. Bulky yarn? I can't begin to guess what that person was thinking.

I think I'll go take a look at the pattern again. There's a section where you have to pick up 300 stitches and I'm quite sure I'm going to want to find another way of handling that little chore.

Tour de Fleece Day 13

I finished this two days ago. I call it North Pole because the angelina in it looks like snow when it sparkles.

I'm continuing to spindle away at the Bainbridge Island batt. I'm still overspinning but not as badly as I was at first.

Ravellenics 2012

Sox for Stephen

These are the socks that are going to Stephen Colbert next week. I finished my second Tour de Fleece project and the yarn's drying. I grabbed a batt to use to finish the Tour:

I unwrapped it and couldn't believe how huge it is. My Ravelry notes say it is 4.3 ounces. There's no way I'll get it done in a week. It's called Bainbridge Island and I bought it from Knit Picks primarily because of the name. It's a place I used to visit on trips to Seattle and remembering makes me happy.

Doctor Who Bag

I saw this the other day on Pinterest. I've had this itch to embroider, so guess what my next project will be? I've got four days between the end of Tour de Fleece and the start of the-games-that-will-occur-in-the-first-city-in-the-UK-that-I-visited-when-I-was-there-in-2001. Vague enough for you legal types? I didn't use the L word or mention the current year. I won't even be denegrating anyone with my embroidery. Okay, maybe Daleks. Oh, that gave me an idea for a new Ravatar. I could print it out on fabric and include it on the bag.

The power went out in the middle of the night yesterday when I was not yet sleepy. It was too dark to do much of anything. I went to bed and instead of counting sheep, thought about different patches to embroider for this bag. I knew I kept those little scraps of Spoonflower Doctor Who fabrics for a reason.

Eye Check

I saw this:

here.

Tour de Fleece Day 8

Here's that kinky mess washed and caked together with the rest of the less twisted spinning:

I cringe when I see the beautiful, smooth, wheel-spun yarns that other people are turning out. Then I remind myself that everybody in this Tour is not at the same level. I'm participating and that will have to be enough for right now.

There's a bike race coming right past my front door tomorrow morning. This might not sound unusual, but I live in a little bitty place. The chances of having a deer stroll through one's yard are far greater than having 500 bike racers zoom by. I hope to be awake when they come through and will try to get a picture of my spindle and some bikes. That'll be a balancing act for sure.

Tour de Fleece Day 3

I wasn't going to post today, but I found this too funny. I knew that I had a little problem with overspinning. It turned out to be bigger than that.

Tour de Fleece Day 2

Day 1 looks just like this with about half as much spinning. One of my cats has decided that a spindle in motion is very interesting. Fortunately cats get bored quickly.