While the Canadian Hockey team was getting ready to go into overtime at today’s fantastic last sports event of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, I was sitting at my computer, officially crossing the Ravelympic finish line with my projected. I finished……… YEAH!!!
Here is the collage of my finished handspun Multnomah – it is such a fabulous pattern. I know I will knit it again – with handspun or with some of my commercial yarns. It’s a great little pattern.
Ravelympics 2010 - The The Finish Line - Multnomah Shawl
It was a fabulous 2 weeks. I wish I had taken in more of the action but it seemed a rather large challenge getting around all the people with the little creatures.
I feel accomplished that I got this project done. During the week, I have to tell you more about my fun shopping trip to my fave LYS, 88 Stitches
I’m really loving that there is a wireless network to connect to while I spend two hours at the dance studio while I wait for the little Miss. Oh yes, I think I didn’t mention that I got an iPhone for my birthday last week. I wanted one so badly but really can live without one so it was a great surprise and much as I expected, I love it.
This morning I lined up at the ungodly hour of 6:20 am to participate in the awesome annual customer appreciation Sal at the fabulous 88 Stitches. Thanks to Sue and all her stuff (including the hubby ). You guys are awesome!!! I will flash my stash on Ravelry but let’s just say a bunch of lovelies came home with me, mostly Noro. I like it for weaving.
And, as the Olympics wind down, I still have hope to finish my project. I have two more rows to knit. Those will get done in the next hour, here at the dance studio. Blocking right after and maybe it will be dry by tomorrow for its photoshoot!!!!! I Believe…..yes I can do it.
I’m getting close but I’m also cutting it close…..12 more rows and one long cast off row. I hope to be blocking no later than tomorrow afternoon so I can do a photoshoot on Sunday. I said I was cutting it close.
I’m knitting and really hoping that I can finish before the Olympics are over. I think I can do it. I’ve made decent progress on my Multnomah. I have about 24 rows of the feather and fan pattern left to knit. My goal is to finish knitting by Friday and block on Saturday. Here’s a rather dark picture of my progress:
I’m in the middle of an olympic break!!! I stayed up way past my bed time last night to soak the yarn and get it hanging to dry. I have over 500 yards and I should be able to get my Multnomah knit with that yardage. I’m a bit behind because I was hoping that while I hang out at the dance studio this morning (over 2 hours), I could make a good start on the shawl but I need to give the yarn some drying time. Yarn pics later…. and by later tonight or tomorrow I’ll be knitting. Now I’ve heard of some fabulous knitters getting Multnomah done in just a few days. I guess my hindrance is that I have a really busy weekend coming up as well as a very busy week at work. I haven’t had one of those days where I could just cuddle up in a corner on the couch with my knitting all day long in a very, very, very long time. I’ll be sneaking knitting breaks wherever and whenever I can.
In the mean time, this morning while I hang out and wait, I’ll be working on a sooooper-sekret little shawl project or a pair of handspun socks or maybe both. Shawl the first hour, socks the second hour.
I’m still plying………. I tried to ply all of my singles last night but even though I kept going until my neck and shoulders were sore, I had to finally give up. Plying these nice and fine singles just takes a whole lot longer than I thought. So now, my schedule is way out of whack. I probably won’t be home until about 8 pm tonight. I can finish the plying tonight but once I was the yarn and set it to dry, it probably won’t dry until late Saturday and I might be able to cast on on Sunday. My plan was to take my two hours of wait time at dance tomorrow to really get into it and get a good head start on the knitting. Now I feel the pressure because my well laid plans are not working out. But hey, that’s what an Olympic challenge is all about, right???
Late last night I finished spinning the singles. I set the wheel up for plying and quickly plied a few yards. I even sat down this morning and plied another few yards before doing my motherly morning duties. I’m at work and I can barely wait to get to the wheel tonight. No matter what, I will finish plying tonight and if I can swing it even wind it off and soak it so that by tomorrow night I can wind my skein and start knitting. Go TEAM GO!!!
Keep on spinning, keep on spinning………… I guess 5.2 ounces does take longer than a normal 4 ounce bump of fibre, especially when you’re spinning really thin.
Plan is: finish spinning the single tonight, ply tomorrow night, skein and soak as fast as possible. I should be able to be in a knitting position by Saturday.
Nothing much to say today. The weekend went quickly. Hubby and I went out for a nice Valentine’s Day dinner (by ourselves) last night. That was nice but in my own selfish way, I was a bit disappointed that I was left out in our little gift exchange. We always have a little gift for each kid and I had something special for hubby….. but I guess that’s what happened when your birthday is only a week later. I really should have bought that camera bag that I really wanted last night for a treat. I’ve also been scouring Etsy all day today searching for fibre but I really don’t need any new fibre and nothing I just “HAD TO HAVE” popped up today. So, I am just giving up for today. Going to try and get the kiddies to bed now and then going back to spinning on my Ravelympic project.
Here’s my progress. First, still on the bobbin and second, first bobbin is done and showing the rest of the fibre to be spun.
Back to work tomorrow. The weekends are always so short. Once I’m done the spinning, I can take the knitting on the road so I’ll be able to make some progress at lunch time and other times even though I might not always be at home.
The Olympics have officially begun. I thoroughly enjoyed the ceremonies on TV with the exception that the kidlets were not particularly quiet. They are in bed now……. yeah!!! I think I am headed there soon, too.
With the opening ceremonies over, I have just spent the better part of the evening starting my Ravelympics project. Yes, when I came home tonight, my wheel was empty. The fibre was sitting in my spinning chair and Bugsie was just waiting.
Bugsie waiting for the Workout
As it was time, I used the scale and started dividing up the fibre, trying to get close to having equal halves as much as possible. It always takes a bit of juggling.
Capri - Ravelympics Fibre
The lighting in my house does not make for great evening photographs but you get the idea. This is gorgeous fluffiness. Over the cours eof the evening, I have spun about 1/2 of the first bobbin. I’m not sure how far I’ll get this weekend with the spinning. It’s a busy day tomorrow with our regular activities plus hubby and I are going out for a bit of shopping and a nice Valentine’s dinner. The way the day tomorrow is shaping up, I won’t be home much. Unfortunately, I also had to bring home some work so I will have to do some of that on Sunday. Ideally, I’d like to be done with the spinning by about next Wednesday, ready to cast on for the knitting portion of the project around Thursday or so.
Let the Games begin!!!
