Holding Out for a Hero

Superman had a cape.

Batman had a utility belt.

Wonder Woman had bracelets.

Now I have Mrs Beeton gauntlets!

I finished the 4th heat in these Ravelympics last night while watching Superman in Bryant Park. I'm thrilled! I ended up knitting both bottom and top layers with Debbie Bliss Cathay and just added Ironstone Pizzazz (no link available) as the cast for the bottom layer. I don't generally like novelty yarns, but I had this left over and I think it makes the armwarmers more whimsical. According to several HGTV shows, that's a good thing.
I CO this morning for so you think you can hat by insanknitty. It should be a quick knit easily finishable by Closing Ceremonies on Saturday. Now that I've jinxed myself...I may be calling for Spiderman...or Catwoman...or Dr. Bombay if I run into problems...

Hungry Eyes

The Chinese have attempted to thwart my Ravelympics efforts!

This morning I naively CO for Mrs Beeton. Tallulah was sitting beside me with her innocent eyes and angelic demeanor. I was happily trucking along on my 4th entry for Ravelympics when my yarn appeared to snag. I tugged on it a bit to no avail so I looked down to adjust the skein. It was then that I saw the yarn was definitely snagged...IN TALLULAH'S MOUTH. She was merrily chewing on my project gear. I'm relieved to report that I caught her before any real damage was done. Still, my little puglet of Chinese descent has been eyeing my yarn since the incident. I must admit she has good taste....it's 15% silk.

Another One Bites the Dust

During these Ravelympics, there's been almost as much knitting as swimming. I've just turned in my 3rd project - this one to the Baby Dressage Event.
The Quickie Baby Sweater was indeed quick. I only made one [unintentional] change to the pattern - the sleeve cuffs are seed stitch instead of ribbed...that's what happens when you knit during the Women's All-Around final. I was a tad concerned that the pattern & yarn combo was resulting in a cheap looking garment. I had visions of those knitted sweaters you sometimes see on tv which were obviously made with love cuz who would knit something that ugly just for fun. Like Nastia Liukin's father during the floor exercises, I was holding my breath during the dismount...I mean cast off. It turns out I was worried about nothing. I'm more than pleased with the results.
I've heard several commentators talk about how the structure of the pool in the Water Cube has contributed to the many World Records the swimmer's have broken during these Olympics. I may have somehow created a similar knitting environment. I'm flying thru my Ravelympics rotations. Tomorrow I'll start my next heat: Mrs Beeton.

Who's That Girl?

If you saw someone on the Manhattan bound Q train covered in red wool this morning, that was me. I'm having a little problem with my current WIP. I'll get back to you after I get untangled.

I'm So Excited!

As I watch Michael Phelps during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, I too am inspired to overachieve. I mean, 10 Olympic Gold Medals - come on!!! Now, how can I reach a similar goal in knitting??..... If I'd been more creative, I would have attempted to finish 10 project with 10 skeins in 10 days or something....I'll have to settle for 5 projects with 11 skeins in 17 days. I've already medaled in 2 Ravelympics events:

Hat Dash

Although I finished it in a day, I endured 3 false starts.
1 I ran out of yarn with a couple of rows to go, so I frogged the whole thing.
2 I only CO 69 sts & cut 2 rows from the band. At the end, it was too short and I had lots of leftover yarn. So, I ribbed it out to the last straight row.
3 I added a couple more straight rows, but ran out of yarn again, so I ribbed back a couple of rows and
4 I K2tog for 2 rows before finishing and had just enough yarn to finish the hat.

Free-For-All FreestyleAn adjustment had to be made to this pattern…due to gauge problems. I ended up CO 40 sts instead of the 28 recommended. Also, I hate knitting with this yarn. I actually tossed the rest after I finished this project.
I'm well into my Baby Dressage entry. It's the Quickie Baby Sweater and it's going ridiculously well.