See what I mean?

Untitled, originally uploaded by fudh4x0r.

Here you can see the nugget of yarn leftover on top of the baktus. There is quite a contrast in the brightness of the yarn vs the product that apparently CAN'T EVER GET WET! I didn't even impulsively wear it before blocking so this never got out and about before it turned to muddy pale green crap. BOO.

Disappointment and Improvisation

Once the baktus was finished, I put it in the sink to soak and the colors ran into a muddled horrible mess. I pulled it out and squeezed it before too much ran out and blocked it on the ironing board, folded in half. I tried resoaking it with a color catching sheet and it didn't help.  I tried putting it in the washer on delicate with the color catching sheet and it looks WORSE. The colors ran more and the yarn fuzzed out like a 14 yr old boy.  All that work and the yarn just looks like total shit.  I am considering an overdye of blue to make it a blue and green affair, but I am still pissed off that the dyer didn't set the dye properly and the washing instructions were a wicked lie.

I cast on the Bold and Bulky Mini Cardi using the recommended yarn in dark gray.  I started it intending only to modify it by making it longer, and giving it long sleeves instead of 3/4 length. That plan has gone quite out the window.  I've gone up from a 13 to a 17 in needle size.  I've twisted the yarn overs when knitting them to eliminate the holes.  I added 2 short rows to the back since it was riding up a bit.  I have 5 skeins of the dark gray, and 2 skeins of light gray for the contrast trim.  I'm an overbuyer of yarn.  I believe I will make the entire sweater in the dark gray and use the light gray for some easy Christmas gifts or something.  I am pretty sureI will have at least 1 extra skein of the dark gray as well.  The pattern is easy-peasy to follow.  It would be an excellent sweater for a first time sweater knitter.  The only sweaters I've made before are the cruelly misnamed Five Hour Baby Sweater and the incredibly clever Baby Surprise Jacket. 

Baktus Variation

IMAG0719, originally uploaded by fudh4x0r.

I knitted this baktus with a lattice edging. I put it aside for the Ravellenic games. I need to block it yet and I think I will string block it. I'd like to get a little more depth out of it. There was a lot of pooling in the yarn, Knit It Up: Squishy. Hey, that is the price you pay with hand paint. I will say that I found the base yarn a bit splitty. Blue shoes and happiness is the color name. I may not keep this one. I have a couple of aunts who want shawls and this seems like a good one to give up.

My Ravellenic Medal Podium

IMAG0718.jpg, originally uploaded by fudh4x0r.

The Cowl is a simple seed stitch border, some stripes with slipped stitches, and then another seed stitch border. I made it for Chas. The yarn is Red Heart Soft.

The WIP Wrestling is Byron the Clubfoot Sheep. He was knitted in fourteen pieces that then had to be sewn up together. Did I mention I hate sewing up? I knitted 7 feet in order to produce 2 pairs that matched. There was no way I could have knitted 4 that matched. The yarns are Hobby Lobby's Bamboo Spun for the wooly parts and Bernat Cotton Tots for his head and extremities.

The Scarf Hockey has a 6 stitch cast on, twisted loop bottom in lieu of fringe, knit all the even rows, expand to 20 stitches by adding 1 stitch on each side on every odd row. Then GARTER GARTER GARTER until it's time to reduce down to 6, do the twisted loops, and cast off. The yarn is the remainder of the bamboo spun from Byron plus another skein I bought at the same time because I thought I might want to make a bunch of sheep. HAR.

All in all, I am quite pleased with the amount of knitting I did during Those Games That Don't Want Us To Associate With Them. I am having some neck pain on the left and elbow pain on the right. We won't even start on how sore my eyes are.

I think my favorite part of the Olympics is seeing countries recently or not so recently liberated, where the athletes may now truly sing their own anthems.

Seeing the moms hug their winners gets me every time as well.

In Mom News at my house, my baby turned EIGHT today. My mind, she is blown. The day he was born, he turned at the last minute, to an unfavorable position, leading to an emergency c-section. There was a hurricane Charley on the news. Life has been like that since then. This kid, my Charlie, continues to amaze me with his curiosity, his humor, his volcanic temper, his foul feet, his amazing energy and his big, loving heart.