We Are(n't) The Champions, My Friends

But we'llllll keep on fighting, 'til the end.

Nerm nerm nerm (my lousy guitar impression).



Air Guitar.  This baby rocks!

We are the champions!  We were (sorta) the champions!

We could have been the champions, except we changed out our knitting, and by "we" I mean "me" 'cause WE ARE THE CHAMPIONSSSSSSS.....

Of the world.

I double dog dare you to sing it out, because I especially wrote that last bit to flow with the actual melody from Queen, in a freestyle sort of way.  Freddie Mercury would have liked that.  I bet he was a knitter.  Or wore some knits.  Something. 

Anyhoo.....

Yeah.  I didn't make it.  And I wasn't even close.  Oops.

Also, I took pictures with my camera, which I love, but I have misplaced a very important cord and and can't upload the nice, crisp pictures of my Tomten Jacket, taken at dusk, because the freakin' cord is missing and possibly about five states away.  However, my husband's cell phone camera works wonders in a pinch. 



You apparently have to stand preternaturally still in order to take a picture with an iPhone. 

I knit the body.  I knit the hood, and had to make obnoxious sounds about how cute it was, how it had a iddy biddy widdle hoodie with a point on top and all that.  I started the sleeve, and then that was all she wrote.  The Olympics ended, I obviously wasn't finished, but I'm cool with that.  I feel like that Irish fellow who made it to the Olympics--the first Irish gymnast in either a bajillion years or the first Irish gymnast ever--he did his floor routine, tumbled around a bit, lost his balance here and there, and knew he wasn't going to make it to actually compete for a medal, but hey, he was AT the Olympics.  I participated, just like the Irish guy.  I showed up in good faith and I did my best.  I didn't medal, and neither did he, but I don't think it's always about that sort of thing, do you?  Yes it's meant to be a challenge, but I'm not the kind of knitter that is going to go skeins-to-the-wall and stay up until two in the morning each night until she's done.  Not at this point in my life, the two-small-children point in my life.  

I am going to take the next couple of weeks and do my best to finish up my knits that are still at the top of the heap:  my Tomten, my Twenty Ten Cardigan, and of course, the brown sweater.  I'm beginning to think about what is coming after that, though, and the promise of the next fun project, in time for the next blog post.  What did you knit or crochet on during the Olympics?  Did you finish?  Please email me pictures (ellarine23ATyahooDOTcom) and I'll put them up on the blog.  See you next time!

Road Trip!!

Wowee, it's been a year since I first started blogging on here.  Do you know how I know that?  Because this time last year, I  blogged about our family trip to Cincinnati.  And here we are again.  Ah tradition! 

Tradition!  Tradition!!  Traditioooooooon!!!  Oops.  "Fiddler on the Roof".  Sorry, Topol. 

I also have to tell you that I came to a drastic decision regarding my Tomten.  I just wasn't feeling it.  Wasn't feeling the love.  People told me it was...ok.  Not great.  I wasn't feeling like it was the nice little unisex Tomten I had hoped for.  A little too masculine, which is ok, but not what I was wanting.  Especially when I want my cute-as-a-button daughter wearing it.  So...

I took it over to Yarns Etc.  DJ, Mary and I looked at it.  You know it's not a good sign when people are trying to find something nice to say about your handknit.

"It's....fine.  You know, it's...um...nice."

"Maybe just a different....color?"

I didn't have enough gray yarn to do the sleeves and the hood, and the magic just wasn't there between us anymore.  So....

YOU'RE FIRED!  (My best Donald Trump impersonation)

This close to the end of the Olympics Ravellenic Games, I didn't have time to mess around.  I went to the yarn that I had been hankering for in the first place, wound it up, and....

Reunited and it feels so good.....

This is Cascade Eco + yarn.  I've mislaid the yarn lables (one of the joys of a road trip) but the blue is a lovely heathered one, and the purple is smashing with it.  I cast on for this Tomten last week (was it on Wednesday maybe?) and already am knitting up the hood.  The triangular openings are for the armholes/sleeves, and I feel confident that I'll be doing the sleeves soon, followed by a fetching I-corded border, toggle buttons, and all that jazz. 

Also, I'm excited to say that there is a (drumroll!) YARN SALE!!!! at Yarns Etc this week.  Starting Thursday and continuing through the weekend.  Big lovely yarny sale-y goodness, and you know you want to be a part of it.  I'm going to definitely be a part of it.  See you there, right? 

Stunner

I can't believe it.

I just...


I mean....

It's almost too much to comprehend.

I finished Vlad.    First off, whoa holy cow, whodathunk?  I knit lace!  Someone throw me a parade right there, ok?


Seventy Six Trombones led the big parade....


When I was binding off my stitches, it sort of looked a little....blah.

Vaguely reminiscent of what a human pancreas might look like, actually.



Erin, why is your pancreas laying on the ground? 



Or if a jellyfish were to go skydiving.

Annnnnnnnnnd........splat.



Aw, bummer.  The chute failed.

But then the miraculous process of blocking happened.  I love this part.

The straight pins were administered, the white fluffy towels did their best, my queen sized bed had a cameo and the Ella Rae Lace Merino really got to shine.



Can I tell you how much I love the scalloped edges? 



I employed a good idea during blocking with my straight pins.  Always count them out as you're using them, so you know how many you need to pick up afterwards, and you (or your husband) do not roll onto one in the night, since you're (read: me) blocking on the bed.  I quickly got a second good idea when I was picking pins up:  learn how to count properly.  46 pins down does not equal the actual 43 pins I picked up.  Blocking while talking to your children is not a good idea.  So far no one has found any stray pins, though, so I think we're in the clear.

So...I knit lace!  Yay for me!!!  Another part of the world of knitting has opened up to me.  I no longer have to look at lace shawls with wistful sadness because I think I can't knit lace.  I have done it!  Swallowtail Shawl, you better watch out!  I will conquer you one day very soon.  Now that I know about lifelines and how helpful they are, I can't recommend them strongly enough. 

More pictures!!

Whew, ok ok ok, I'll simmer down now.  What's next on the knitting horizon?  Well, Ravelry has a name for the games:  The Ravellenic Games.  Good for them!  Are you going to participate?  If so, what will you be knitting? 

I've already cast on two more projects, and pictures of them will be forthcoming for next week.  I think I'm going to figure out what my Ravelympic Ravellenic Project is going to be.  See you next week!