Girl on the Rocks » Knitting Olympics 2006 | Girl on the Rocks

I went for the gold.

karrie — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 16:25:07 +0000

And failed. My current olympic status (two days
after the closing ceremonies) can be illustrated with this
photo:

That’s right. i didn’t pick up my knitting since friday. I couldn’t help it – I was busy with more important things, and i
decided that I wouldn’t be upset if it took me a few extra days to finish the mittens.
So, keep in mind that i did for a very brief time have two mittens finished. and they were both wearable –
even though i had to force my hand into one of them. I could have left it at
that. But I went for it. I ripped them out with dreams of finished mittens….
I just didn’t finish. What do you think… Do i deserve at least a
bronze?

Olympic update

karrie — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 20:22:57 +0000

I finished the second mitten (and it fits perfectly), and ripped out most of the first…. I think I can finish everything tonight…

I don’t feel like an olympian

karrie — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 18:08:54 +0000

I feel like I want to give up. Quitting is in the Olympic Spirit, right. Here’s the
story: I cast on during the opening ceremonies. That in itself was a challenge because i was constantly yelling at
the television trying to figure out what was going on. That was some weird shit. I just kept telling myself that it was art, and these were professional dancers, and I didn’t appreciate it because i am all about science. but really, it was weird, right? i sped through the
first part of my first pirate mitten and made it to the thumb placement. then i picked up the pattern and noticed something. My skulls were black on a white background. halfway through the project I realized i reversed the MC and the CC. who cares, really? this project was speeding by so quickly that I will certainly have to make the hat too, and i don;t want them to match exactly.
Crisis averted. At the end of the weekend, I am a mere 4 stitches from finishing the first mitten. Here she
is.

Then I have a revolutionary idea. I will try the mitten on. Guess what. it is WAY too small. and i have small
hands. See how my hand totally covers up the mitten….

t is just way too tight. True, I didn’t do a gauge swatch, but I seem to be at the 6 stitches/inch… I guess
because i knit so tightly I probably don’t have the required elasticity so there isn’t much stretch. I am going to have to RIP IT OUT. First, I am going to do a gauge swatch on larger needles. ugh.

It’s on.

karrie — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 04:31:50 +0000

Why, what is this? Something coyly peeks out of
the hood of my zipperless rogue hoody (note the pretty darn good hood grafting
job)…

Why it is the Dale of Norway Hauk that
i ordered from Yarnzilla for the KNITTING OLYMPICS. oh yeah.
Pirate mittens here I come!

This is my
first foray into competitive knitting, and i am in it to win. oh wait… it is
not my first craft competition… It was just this summer that my friends and I
carded, spun, and knit like madwomen in the lambtown, USA sheep-to-shawl competition. I guess our
less-than-first place finish there has me all pumped up. I mean, we were beat
by a team of children for christ’s sake. We didn’t have enough wool to finish
our shawl and the judge told me to go inside to the fiber fair and BUY some. So
we were left to beg and borrow from the children’s team working next to us. We
suffered from unfair judging, but in the judge’s defense I don’t think anyone
ever briefed her on the scoring guidelines (our educational display alone was
enough to blow away all the others teams). and ask anyone on the team, i don’t
work well with others. I am bossy and too competitive. See, look at me winding
up to boss someone. Clearly I disapprove of
something.

I think the above rant displays that I
am a poor loser. Luckily, this time my teammates on
Team Fair
Isle will not have to suffer my coaching in
person, only through the web. And really the only person I am competing against
is myself.

But watch out …other
teams! go team fair isle. YEAARGH!