Author: tabitha

Victory Lap

Well the final finish line is crossed, the flame is extinguished, the closing ceremony is over and the goodbyes have all been said. Ravelympics is over.

I was a lot of hard work. I had to resort to drastic frog distraction techniques from time to time in order to get my knitting done.

But I am happy to report that I managed to finish all my Ravelympics projects in time. And now is the time for them to each take their victory laps.

First finished was the Raindrops on Roses towel that you have already seen.

Next, came my little black sweater that I lovingly refer to as Darth Sweater since a certain Lord Vader was its inspiration.

I will probably have to change the pattern name to avoid any sticky situations involving Lucasfilms International but that is the working title.

You could certainly rule the galaxy in a sweater like this.

Finally, came two dishcloths to match Raindrops on Roses. There will be a total of three dishcloth patterns in the pattern set when it is finalized but I didn’t have time to get the third pattern written before the closing ceremonies.

Four projects, 16 medals. Not a bad haul for two weeks work. I feel like the knitting Michael Phelps.

I would like to say thank you to SuperHubby, Preteena and SmallFry for all their help and encouragement, Preteena knitted the celebratory Olympic rings at the top of the post other assorted prizes along the way and SmallFry made me a celebratory Olympics robot (but then he decided that he would have more fun with it than me so he took it back). SuperHubby picked up all the slack that I dropped in the last two weeks and never once complained that I was spending too much time knitting. He didn’t even fuss when I ordered myself a celebratory skein of yarn. He also was very complimentary of the sweater. It does actually look pretty good on me.

I would also like to thank those of you who offered me recipes and encouragement along the way. The comments were always such a wonderful uplift to my day. I couldn’t have done it without your help. I will choose a winner to the contest later today. Thank you again for all your encouragement.

Mile 19 (Ravelympics Day 13)

Running a race takes dedication and hard work. I have never run an actual marathon but if it is like any other endurance race, there comes a point where it becomes difficult to continue running. I think of it as Mile 19 in a marathon. You have successfully covered three-quarters of the required distance but you have been running long enough for physical and mental fatigue to start nagging at your body. You have accomplished so much but you still aren’t close enough to actually see the finish line. There is a point when motivation to continue may waver, where it would be far easier to grab a bottle of water and sit down under that tree and rest. Sprinters don’t have this problem because their finish line is visible from the moment they start the race. But marathoners have to find the motivation to keep running even when the finish line is nowhere to be seen.

I am at Mile 19 with my sweater. I have accomplished so much. It is 19 inches long, the lace/cable panel is complete, the hip increases have been made. I am in the home stretch, yet I am having trouble staying motivated. I cannot see the finish line and the physical and mental fatigue are setting in. My resolve to finish is starting to waver and I am starting to wonder if it would really be such a big deal if I didn’t complete the silly sweater by the deadline.

But just when I am thinking that shade tree and water bottle are starting to look really good, Preteena decided to do something to cheer me on. I found this when I visited the refrigerator to prepare lunch.

Here is a close up of the chart she made me to keep up with my Ravelympics progress.

Forget that shade tree, I am going to keep ~~running~~ knitting. How could I not finish the race with such a wonderful and enthusiastic cheering section?

Rounding the Final Turn – Ravelympics Day 12

It is Day 12 of the Ravelympics and the final crunch is on. Only 5 days left to finish my two remaining projects – one of which hasn’t been cast on yet. Though I still have not completed my sweater, the finish line is in sight. I have completed 15 inches of it, so it is long enough now to be a cropped sweater if need be. And the most amazing this is that is actually fits! _{faint, faint}

The only little “design element” that is keeping me from perfect knitting happiness is that one, pesky, little place where I just spotted a reversed cable – arrgggh! What makes me so livid with this, is that it wasn’t a mistake with the knitting. Nooooooo, it was a stupid mistake ⇒ I ⇐ made when charting the pattern. Can’t believe I was so stupid in that spot. _{muttering like Yosemite Sam and hitting myself over the head like Dobby the House Elf.} I am hoping to be able to repair that little boo boo without having to rip the whole sweater back. Wish me luck.

Overall, I am ~~jumping up and down thrilled~~ pleased with the design. I did decide on a design change last night, prompted by my design consultant, Preteena. I think I might change it to long sleeves rather than the short ones I had planned, assuming I have enough time and yarn for a change that big at the last minute.

It has been fun watching the design evolve over the course of the months since its conception and particularly over the month of August when the designing in earnest began. The process between concept and reality is fascinating. Hard to believe that the idea originated where it did – but that is a surprise for later. This has been a definite challenge for me. The math necessary to get it to fit my fairly odd figure was staggering. My math professors would be ecstatic to know I actually used some of the stuff they taught me – and successfully at that. I really didn’t have a realistic understanding of actually goes into the design of a garment. I have a new respect for those professional designers out there.

The Ravelympics crock pot adventure has been a learning experience as well. There have been a couple of things that we really didn’t like but for the most part everyone has been willing to at least try Mommy’s cooking experiments. I made a huge pot of chicken stew over the weekend that turned out quite yummy. I like having several meals cooked at once. But so far, last night’s Roast Chicken and Hash Brown Casserole were the biggest hits. The chicken was tender and moist and completely infused with flavor. The Hash Brown casserole was serious comfort food even though I did get the potato to sauce ratio off just a little. Perhaps, I should actually follow a recipe one day instead of regarding it as a list of suggestions.

Crock potting is making me feel ever so organized. Supper is started when I prepare breakfast and then I only have to worry about adding a vegetable and putting everything on the table. It is nice not to have to heat up the kitchen with an oven. Big issue when you live in the South and have a west facing kitchen. It is also nice to save a few kilowatts of electricity since the air conditioners are running constantly now.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to share your recipes with me. I will choose a contest winner on August 24th in honor of the closing ceremonies for Ravelympics.

Halfway Home – Ravelympics Day 8

Thank you to everyone who made such kind comments here, on Ravelry and via email about Raindrops on Roses. I have never gotten so many enthusiastic comments on any of my projects. You really encouraged me more than you can ever know. For those who have asked about the pattern, I plan to make it available in the next few weeks. I need to translate it into human readable language instead of the cryptic scratchings that I use for designing. I will also need to have someone proofread and edit it for me. I will post progress updates and availability information here for the pattern. Information will also appear in my Ravelry profile.

I am working furiously on my sweater design for Ravelympics. I am about one-third complete and it is shaping up nicely. I am incredibly excited about my first sweater design. I am hoping to get a lot of work done on it this weekend assuming my aching joints will allow it. Then I will need to whip out the wash cloths to match the towel and I will have completed my Ravelympics challenge.

The whole Ravelympics experience has been great fun. I have cherished the sense of support and camaraderie among those participating. There is always someone who can sympathize with your failures and cheer you in your triumphs. It has been encouraging to have the support system in place when you are challenging yourself. Any time you are stepping out of your comfort zone, there will be times when you are afraid you can’t meet the challenge. Being part of Ravelympics community has helped me to really stretch my knitting skills. I have attempted many new things and learned so much just because I knew there was someone there to support me. Thank you Ravelry for sponsoring such a wonderful event. Sign me up for the decathlon in 2010!

The crockpot adventure continues. The sweet and sour tofu was not a hit. My family didn’t like the taste of LaChoy sweet and sour sauce and, face it, tofu has no taste on its own. It would have been fine with a different sauce but I am not crazy about sweet and sour sauce in the first place but I especially didn’t like the LaChoy. I am pretty sure that SmallFry will not be bugging me for tofu again any time soon. Last night was chicken stew. It was yummy even if the kids didn’t appreciate this fact. It also made enough for leftovers today. I also tried Blueberry buckle for dessert. It was pretty good too. The recipe I used made it a little tart for my tastes so I think that I will cut down on the lemon juice if I make it again. It stuck like glue to the crock even though I sprayed it heavily with non-stick cooking spray so that part I didn’t like. But it was nice to have a healthy dessert all ready when I got home. This week I will be trying roast chicken and lasagna for sure. I haven’t decided on what other new things I will try. Hopefully, there will be something the kids will eat.

I feel bad there I don’t have any photos for you this time so I will share my Ravelmympics medals with you instead.

Now back to knitting.

Gold Medal Day

I am feeling like a true Ravthlete because I got to cross three finish lines today. I completed the much frogged design for a towel to win gold in Designer’s Discus, Home-stuff Hammer Throw and Gift Knits Pentathlon. And to think I finished this project while Yang Wei was accepting his gold medal for men’s gymnastics. If you didn’t see him perform, go to www.nbcolympics.com and check out the videos. The man is amazing.

But here is my winning entry
Raindrops on Roses Towel

The pattern will be available as a Ravelry download soon. It will be available as a set with at least one matching dishcloth pattern.

I am also happy to report that I got the latest tweaks complete on the sweater pattern that I am working on for Ravelympics. I think I am finally happy with the results.

Off to cook some tofu for my son.

Contest Reminder
Don’t forget that my blog contest ends tomorrow. The pattern for this towel will be one of the prizes. So get your recipes in soon!