Friday, February 12, 2010

It's Time For Olympics!

I am not a fan of the cold, cold weather. But I love to watch winter sports. I used to cross-country ski-the skis are out in the shed-but I could never accomplish what these athletes do. I found myself in a training session for master rowers in Boston one summer a long while ago. The coaches were Olympic rowers and trainers. So it was tough on me. I am a lazy person, and I do not do well with pushing myself hard to do something that is going to cause pain. I survived it, and I learned a lot about the sport and the people who are serious athletes.

The Olympic athletes I have met, and the master athletes in other sports, are SERIOUS! They train very hard, they work very hard, and they get used to a lot of pain. It is still sad to learn that already one person has died on the luge course today.

I will be there watching the opening ceremonies tonight. I thought the Beijing stuff was a little over the top, but what can one say about a country that is number one in most everything except people skills?

I thought about the different events for knitters starting tonight. I did not join in any group. The Yarn Harlot has gathered a mighty group, as has Ravelry. I decided that it was best for me just to continue chugging along with my projects as I watch the events.

I have swatched for a sweater that I want to make with my Jacob handspun fleece. I have gauge, and I did a cable to see how it looked with the yarn. I have not made a sweater in years that requires it to be sewn together in the end. It will be more fitted, and I am trying to deal with that issue as it occurs.

The other night I decided to cast on one of the sleeves to see how it would go. I like to start with sleeves. They are smaller, and more manageable. I did a provisional cast on with a crochet chain. It is the way I learned years ago, and I am changing the pattern to knit the hem in with the live stitch. I like that finish better than a sewn hem. After the picot edge, I tried to see the yarn live stitch, and it was so hard to find and pick up. So I ripped out everything and decided to start over.

Today Knitting Daily has a tutorial with Eunny Jang showing different provisional cast on stitches. So I am trying the one where you use the cable on a circular needle. It was a little futzy at first, and it was difficult to do the first row. Hopefully it will be easier to add the live stitch when I get to that point of the hem.

Tomorrow is our weaving guild meeting. CJE is coming to my house and we will go together. She is a little frazzled, and needs some down time. She needs to be with her "people" that talk the same language.

Last night I had a dream about weaving stuff. I am now more motivated to finish up what I have on the loom. I have a purpose for it now. I like it when I get an idea and it stays in my head and it just percolates and pops and jumps around.

So have a safe weekend. We missed the latest snow mess. It stayed south and dumped on the Ouachita Mountains instead of us. Whew! Hopefully that is it for a good while. One weatherman reported the other night that El Nino patterns can stay around a few years. I don't think I can take this kind of winter every year for a while. I had to explain to my brother about what global warming has done to the weather patterns. And why we are getting such wild fluctuations due to global ocean changes and air flows.

So on with the Games! If you are on a knitting Olympic team-good luck! I hope you win a medal. I am going to just compete with myself. May the Games begin!

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