Ravellenic Games...Will She Medal? [Commercial Break where we see her appearance on tomorrow's Today show wearing the medal]

Oh sorry, was that a spoiler?

Yes, despite joining up with Team Apathy whose motto is "We don’t care if we finish or not," I finished my Ravellenic Games project. Just shows what you can do if you lower your expectations. No Norwegian sweater this time. One pair of socks. And I still feel like I barely made it.

But I did!

I finished up the cast off while watching volleyball Saturday morning.

Speaking of, here's a close up:

Still loving the "invisible" cast off.

I followed the pattern on this sock more than most. (As opposed to just plugging the lace pattern into my usual formula.) I did have to change the lace because I adjusted the stitch count, and then I had to start the gusset way sooner. I did follow the pattern's method for a traditional flap heel (done toe-up in this case).

It worked very well, and I think it will be my new go-to heel.

Another thing I did yesterday was make some sock blockers out of wire coat hangers.

Now I can block my socks, and more conveniently, I can take pictures without wearing them. The shape looks a little odd and they're not tall enough for the long socks I like to make, but I think they'll work.

Project Stats
Started: 27 Jul '12
Finished: 11 Aug '12
Pattern: Jane Fairfax by Mary the Hobbit ($1.28)
Materials: Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20 (Romi's Garden) 1 skein ($32)
As a general note, these socks were knit from the yarn that I bought in Sarnia (Ontario) on a trip home. It was dyed by a local woman. It was a little pricier than I usually go but I decided to get it anyway. When I started knitting with it, I could tell it felt different than the usual sock wool. That's when I looked at the label and realized they were part cashmere. Ohhhh, well that changes things. It was wonderful to work with, and I have to say it made any other project I picked up feel like baler twine!!

By finishing the socks, I crossed the finish line in the three events I could enter with them: Sock Put, One Skein Sprint and Lace Long jump.

Here are my badges to prove it:

I was called to the Ravelry "podium" with the following declaration:

Now will Ravthletes and spectators alike bow your heads for the stately yet thrilling Ravellenic Games anthem... dum de dum dum … dummmmmm .. DA DUMMM!and the crowd roars with excitement at yet another successful bid for Ravellenic Glory is achieved!

And, as the title of this post implied, you can look for me tomorrow on Today. (Ok, just kidding.)

Ravellenic Project Progress

Friday, Jul 27, 6:38 pm
A toe. My third one since the first two were the wrong size. What do you mean, "Did I swatch?" A sock is a swatch!

Friday, Jul 27, 9:00 pm
Making some progress on the foot and new stripey lace pattern.

Saturday, Jul 28, 9:39 pm
I've turned the heel!

Sunday, Jul 29, 1:19 pm
Making progress up the leg. For the first time in a long time, I've done the heel as directed in the pattern. Instead of a short row heel, it's a traditional "flap" style.

Sunday, Jul 29, 2:01 pm
Like some of my previous socks, it was way too tight across the top of my foot. I decided to do something about it and ripped back to half way up the foot.

Sunday, Jul 29, 7:42 pm
I started the gusset a lot sooner. This gives more ease and results in a bigger gusset, which worked for a better fit.

Monday, Jul 30, 6:51 am
I've turned the heel (again). (My sock now has had three toes and two heels. ;) It fits much better.
Although I followed the general idea of the heel in the pattern, I still ended up making up my own as I went.

Tuesday, Jul 31, 7:02 am
Further progress up the leg. Soon I'll have to decide how to increase the circumference as I move up the leg.

Ravellenics...or whatever

The Olympics have started again. And so they are celebrated by knitters everywhere with their own competitive events. Events like afghan marathon, balance beads, cable steeplechase, charity rowing, colourwork cross-country, cowl jump, double-knit boxing, felted freestyle, frogging trampoline, handspun heptathlon, holiday hurdles, lace longjump, 
scarf hockey, shawl sailing, single skein sprint, sock put, synchronized stash busting, weaving vault, WIPs wrestling, and more.


I have participated in a couple of the winter games (the knitting ones, I mean, not the actual athletic ones, obviously), but really didn't think I was going to get into it over the summer games. Even though I knit year round, I still kind of feel that knitting just belongs with winter. And I have a lot going on right now.


But I took just a little peek at the Ravelry group for the games and the first team I saw was Team Apathy. And I thought...that's me! That's where I belong. So I joined. I know, right? If you were actually apathetic you'd never join the team. But whatever, nobody cares enough to argue the point. The best part was, they didn't even care if I cast on. So I could join, "participate," and not actually have to do a bloody thing! Brilliant! (Oops, sorry. There are a few too many !s there for someone on Team Apathy. Won't let it happen again.)


And once I had joined and realized I had not one, but two, gatherings to attend to celebrate the opening ceremonies (both of which I'd be knitting at anyway), I started to wonder....what events do they have this year? What yarn do I have to use? What project do I need to start anyway for that trip next week?


And so I started another pair of socks.

Third time's the charm! That's how many times I had
to reknit this toe tonight. But I think I'm off and
running now...

(I'm almost done the one pair I have going, after all.) I figure it should qualify in two events: sock put and single skein sprint. And one of my sisters wanted to learn to double knit while we're at the cottage next week. So if that actually happens, I could enter the double-knit boxing.


Or not...doesn't matter. Whatevs...

Progress by the end of the night.