On the podium

I have to say that participating in the Knitting Olympics was a real honor. 4,000 knitters all working toward one goal. WOW! That is something. I enjoyed my event. It challenged me. It made me knit at times when I would have rather been sleeping, shopping, eating, enjoying my lunch hour. But I think it was really good for me! I am so happy to be done with my legwarmers. I love them, but I was ready to be done.

Now I can get back to some projects that have been stashed away for a while. Remember this? Well, I embroidered the face last night and tonight I started on the arms. I am not so good with the DPNs. I don't know how you all do it! So, it'll probably take me forever to complete this little guy. But I am working on it!

Cue the National Anthem

Representing Team Michigan, the gold medal winner in the Legwarmer Event goes to ... KristinKnits. She struggled early on in the race, with a late start and a few falls. Throughout the race she worried that she might not finish. She was able to come back strong and complete the event with time to spare.

14 days & a cute FO

Equipment: Denise US 8 16" circular needle and 2.25 skeins of Peruvian Collection Highland Wool in black

Pattern: CO 72 stitches. Knit in the round. 2x2 ribbing. Approximately 15 inches long.

Almost there ...

I have 9 more rows to knit on the 2nd legwarmer. I can't believe it, but it looks like I am going to reach the finish line!!!! More to come soon ...

Oh yes it's ladies night

Friday Night Fun: Ruby, Mel, Barb & I went to see The Good Body starring Eve Ensler at the Music Hall in Detroit. It was great! I would say that I enjoyed it slightly less than The Vagina Monologues, but it was totally awesome to see Eve perform. She is an amazing woman - I really admire her! If it comes through your town .... check it out.

After the show, we went out for sangria & Cuban food at a new Detroit restaurant. Everything was delicious! I love hanging out with the girls ... acting ridiculous is the best medicine after a long work week. Thanks y'all!

Knit Night: Mel created a fabulous meal straight outta Rachel Ray's new magazine. Turkey & spinach meatballs with egg noodles and a creamy sauce (that is not the actual name) and a mocha souffle thingy with whipped cream and hot fudge sauce. Yum. Got some knitting done, too.

Knitting Olympics Progress Report: I have finished the first legwarmer! I finished it during Monday's Knit Night. The second legwarmer is on the needles and I have about 1.5 inches knit so far. I am honestly concerned about reaching the finish line.

WIP it good!

It is so nice to receive flowers at work! : ) Thanks Patty!

I have been knitting away at the legwarmers. They are growing ... slowly but surely. I would say that I am (maybe) 50% done with the first one. How many more days do I have? Ahhhh!


Project Runway was on last night. I love that show! Daniel V. is my pick for winner ... he is young, talented, cute and super nice! I will die if Santino wins. He is talented, but he just grosses me out and he is a meany. It will be interesting to see the designs that they all come up with for Fashion Week.

The Legwarmer Event

Thank you to everyone who offered advice and kind words on the cable knit scarf. I will probably attempt to block it at some point. But in the meantime, I have been wearing it ... 'cuz who is looking at the ends besides me???

On Friday, I made a last minute decision to enter the Knitting Olympics. It wasn't really well thought out, but it sounded like fun. I chose legwarmers for my event. I had a late start (around 10:30pm Friday), which resulted in frustration and frogging. The pattern in LMKG called for 12" circular 8s. But I could not get that to work for a multitude of reasons. Now, I am not following a specific pattern, just kind of making it up as I go. So, my start was delayed even further by working all day Saturday and having plans Saturday night. Didn't get started on these babies until Sunday at 4pm. I am such a slow knitter ... I don't know if I will make it to the finish line.

It was a big help that Mel planned a "knit night" for Monday evening. I did make some progress, but I am SO slow!

Hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day!

FOs & Questions for you

Hooray! I finished my seed stitch and cable scarf. Well, at least I think I am finished, but I will get to that in a moment. This scarf was fun for me because I followed a pattern and made something pretty, but it was also an easy enough pattern that I could memorize it and still watch tv or chat with friends while I knit. (Rather than having my head buried in a pattern the whole time.) She was made with 2 skeins of Reynolds Blizzard yarn on size 13 needles. Anyway, here it is!

I need to think of a cute name for it!

Okay, here's the part where I discuss whether I am actually finished with this FO. If you look closely at the ends of my scarf ... they do not look alike.

The left side (cast off) has a straight edge and the right side (cast on) is more curvy looking. So, my question for you expert knitters out there is: am I casting on or off too tightly or too loosely? (I dunno) Also, do you think blocking would help to remedy this issue? Thanks in advance for any and all advice! : )

Detroit XL

You may have heard about a little event going on in Detroit this weekend ... the Super Bowl.

This is a really BIG deal for Detroit and I think we have shown our best side! : ) We went downtown yesterday to enjoy some of the festivities. Sledding, Model T rides, marshmallow roasting, ice skating, music, food, beer, etc.

It was snow-raining, so we got soaked, but it was great to see so many people in the city having a good time. Unforunately, we didn't have any celebrity sightings (except for some dudes from ESPN that I (obviously) had no clue who they were).

I have made progress on my mission to see Oscar-nominated movies. On Friday night, Mel, Nancy & I went to see Brokeback Mountain. It was beautifully filmed and groundbreaking - no doubt. Maybe my expectations were too high, based on all the hype and recommendations from trusted sources, but I am not sure if it was the Best Picture of the year.