Olympic Progress

Here is my Olympic Progress so far:

I wish I had a better camera and better light to capture the colors. This yarn is SO beautiful, and each color change makes me happy! So far, I've done 3 repeats. The pattern calls for 7 repeats, but it also calls for fingering weight yarn. I'm using lace weight. Based on similar projects on Ravelry, I'll be doing between 10 and 12 repeats. I'm not at all confident that I'll finish before Closing Ceremonies, but I'm going to try!

DH and I have been watching the games every night. He's on vacation this week, so we've been able to catch up on lost sleep with naps during the day. Depending on which event is on, I'm either working on Gail or on my sweater sleeves. Last night, during Pairs Figure Skating, I totally only did stockinette work!

Speaking of the skating - I was a little disappointed. Overall, I found the skating less than inspiring. Thankfully, the snowboarders, cross-country skiers, and downhill skiers are helping me keep that Olympic spirit alive!

Olympic Review

1. I knit 23 rows of Gail during the opening ceremony last night.

2. The ceremony was AMAZING! I loved all the performances and special effects.

3. I have already saved a copy of the pattern for the US Team's Moose Hat.

4. I have also saved a copy of Team Canada's mittens. But, I think I want the real thing. I'm bummed because I'll be 20 minutes away from Niagara Falls, Canada during the Olympics, but lack a passport. GRRRR! I've spent a lot of time in Canada, and those Maple Leaf mittens just speak to me!

5. Baby Girl is fussing, because she's the only person not sitting on the couch right now.

Let The Games Begin!

Casting on for the Knitting Olympics/Ravelympics in a little over an hour.

Go Team USA in Vancouver!!!!

Random Wednesday

1. I've been working on a test knit of mittens.

2. I've really been working on my cabled sweater. I need to have it done so when I visit my parents in a week and a half, my mom can sew the pieces together.

3. The Knitting Olympics and Ravelympics start on Friday. I want to knit a Gail (aka Nightsongs) with the yarn that Jane (the designer!) gave to me.

4. Laundry will still need to be done between now and the end of the Olympics.

5. I ate REALLY well last week.

6. I've gained some weight because of it.

7. Boston was supposed to have a snowstorm. It hasn't shown up.

8. I took a really great nap this afternoon.

Happy Knitting!

Bad Decisions

One of my knitting goals this year is to a little bit of Christmas knitting every month. I even belong to a Christmas Knitting Group on Ravelry. This month's project was ornaments. I wanted to make several ornaments featuring the Norwegian Star, and give them to my mom and cousins. Unfortunately, every decision that I made ensured that the final result would be awful.

I used yarn in my stash - Bollicine Dolly. The yarn is terrible - it kept splitting, and I'd have to cut it and start further down the strand. I also didn't swatch, and just guessed at using size 4 needles. The ornament turned out the size of a softball - not exactly the size you want on a tree. Furthermore, I decided to knit the ornament in the round and stuff it with polyfil, rather than knit it flat and sew it around a styrofoam ball. (I actually started to knit it flat, but the yarn was really annoying with the splitting and I just got sick of it. Too bad too - I've never done colorwork flat, and a small project like this is a good way to try it out.) The result is rather lumpy, and not at all attractive.

See what I mean?

The kids have asked if they can use it as a ball. I think I'll let them.