In case you haven’t guessed, I spent most of my day knitting and frogging and knitting and frogging some more without actually getting very far.

Knit a little, frog a little
Knit a little, frog a little
Rip, Rip, Rip,
Frog a lot,Knit a little more

_{(Fans of The Music Man will recognize this catchy, little ditty)}

I am happy to report that about the time that Michael Phelps clinched his ninth gold medal (GO USA), I was able to work out the problems with the towel (thanks in part to the help of my design consultant, Preteena) and FINALLY make some forward progress. By the time the US men’s gymnastic team won their bronze, I had actually completed a full 7 inches of towel. This doesn’t sound like much until you realize that I have spent most of the last 2 days reknitting the same 3 inches. The pattern is complete, I only have to complete the sample and I will be able to cross three finish lines. I also have the dishcloth pattern worked out and ready to put on paper. Progress at last!

Citius, Knitius, Purlius

And now for an update on the crock pot adventure
Last night was crock pot mac and cheese. This one was a BIG hit, especially with Small Fry. He ate his portion and part of mine. I overcooked it a bit for my tastes but it was shockingly easy to prepare and a nice change from the way I normally make mac and cheese. I love the dump-it-in-the-pot-and-walk-away feature of the recipe. I didn’t use as much cheese as the recipe called for and I cut down on the mustard since 1 Tablespoon of dry mustard seemed excessive. I used about half that much.

For those who commented on the meatloaf recipe, I need to clarify a few things. First, I would like to point out that I am not terribly fond of meatloaf in the first place. It’s something that I only want about once every ten years. My husband loved it. I think where I went wrong with the recipe is that I needed to use an insert to make it easier to remove the grease rather than cooking it directly in the crock pot. I also used only ground turkey when the recipe called for some beef and I think I may have gotten too many veges and not enough meat. It also might have helped to cook it in the smaller crock pot if cooking it directly in the pot, rather than in an insert. So the problem might have been me rather than the recipe. If you like meatloaf, don’t rule this recipe out based on my opinion.

Tonight I am trying out one of the recipes you sent me. Tune in tomorrow for the verdict.

My knitting progress in a nutshell. Last night I started working on the towel only to discover that I didn’t like what was happening with the design. This morning I ripped it all and started again. I think I have nearly got the design I was wanting. I need to make a few minor adjustments tomorrow then I think I will have it down. I made it to about 4 inches in length but I am beyond the hardest part of the design so the rest should be smooth sailing. No sweater work today because I have to tweak the pattern for the lace panel before I knit any farther. (changed my mind about the design again).

On the crockpot front, I am not hugely impressed with crock pot meatloaf. My hubby likes it but I think I can take it or leave it. The kids were thoroughly unimpressed. I might have liked it better if I had an insert that would allow the grease to drain better. Tomorrow I have to find a crock pot tofu recipe to make my son happy. Wish me luck.

I have had a productive morning of knitting and watching Olympics. Go USA!

I have recovered from yesterday’s “injury” and am back on course. I have made up the lost distance on the sweater and have it about to the point to start the design.

I like the yarn a lot. The tight twist makes it much easier to knit than most cotton yarns.

I only got a little bit of the towel done last night.

I discovered that the main lace pattern was more difficult than I could manage while tired and trying to watch the Olympics. I’ll get it this afternoon when the house is quiet.

One final photo.

This is what my sweet hubby brought me when he heard about the sweater disaster. The virtual chocolate that I have gotten from all of you is nice. But the real stuff is a lot more satisfying.

Update on the Crock Potting Adventure
The ribs that I cooked for supper last night were wonderful but the french toast bake for breakfast, not so much. I really am not hugely fond of bread pudding and that is basically what I ended up with. The kids liked it but I doubt they will ask for it again. I have a meat loaf in there for tonight. Tomorrow will be leftover ribs. I have to find a recipe that uses tofu to make the youngest happy. I am not sure why he suddenly thinks he needs tofu. Not entirely certain he remembers ever having it before. Normally, when I cook with tofu, I cleverly disguise it as something he likes. But he specifically asked for tofu so I will see what I can come up with.

I need to rest my poor hands for a few minutes so I thought I would update you on my progress.

• 7:00 AM – Cast on for Ravelympics sweater.
• 7:15 AM – Ripped out that cast on out and tried again.
• 7:30 AM – Knitted first row of sweater and started placing markers for increases.
• 7:45 AM – Realized that markers were all in the wrong places.
• 7:50 AM – Slipped all stitches to remove the incorrectly placed markers, and replaced markers in the correct places. Made corrections in pattern notes.
• 8:00 AM – Started knitting in earnest.
• 9:30 AM – Finished 5 rounds of sweater. Do a quick gauge check and everything is looking good.
• 9:35 AM – Take break to feed animals, read email, pick vegetables and put supper in the crock pot. Feeling pretty confident.
• 11:30AM – Post a quick update to Ravelry teammates then back to knitting.
• 11:35AM – ARGGGHHHHH! Find Giant, Huge, Unrepairable, Insanely Stupid mistake and that requires ripping out everything I have done in order to correct it.
• 11:40AM – Hopelessly tangle yarn while ripping wasting yet another 30 minutes.
• 12:10PM – Cast on for Ravelympics sweater. De jevu!
• 12:30PM – Complete first two rows and set stitch markers. Break for lunch.
• 1:10 PM – Help Preteena with math problem that is stumping her. Discovers that she is making a silly mistake. Decide the best course of action is the drown our sorrows in Oreos and milk.
• 1:45 PM – Nearly at the point where I had to rip before so even though I am running way in the back of the pack, I am not out of the race yet. Update blog and team progress thread so others can feel sorry for me and send me chocolate. 🙂
• 1:50 PM – Back to knitting.

I am trying to think of this as pulling a hamstring in a preliminary race. Didn’t finish in the top three but didn’t get eliminated either so there is still hope for a medal.

20 minutes until the starting whistle and I have everything ready. Preliminary pattern notes and sketches, yarn, needles, caffeine, and even crockpot recipe du jour – today is barbecued ribs. I am ready to go whenever the clock tell me I can start. I have decided that since I have two projects to do I will use the sweater as the day project and the towel set as the night project. That way I will be working on both projects each day but reserving the one with lighter colored and larger yarn for lower light settings. I will try to keep you updated on my progress. 10 minutes and counting. Wish me luck.