Bagatell

Ooooh, look at it...

Things I learned during the (knitting) Olympics...

Evgeni Plushenko never gets boring to watch.
Facings for hiding the armhole steeks are supposed to be in reverse stockingette. That's what "glattstrikk med vrangen frem til belegget" means.
I knit loosely. I knit from the 0-3 month instructions and I've got a sweater that has the 6-9 month measurements. Not a problem, but something to be aware of - better to use the 6-9 month instructions for sleeves so they don't wind up stubby.
Stephan Lambiel can spin really amazingly fast.
When adding a new ball of yarn, do it at the steek point and you'll be able to hide the ends inside the hemmed steek facing rather than weaving them in. In fact, most of the ends can be hidden in one facing or another.
Bjørnar Håkensmoen is a very nice man.
How much Norwegian I've learned since the last Olympics, when I couldn't understand anything the announcers said - I got all of it now and that is pretty darn cool.
I have a finishing problem - the biggest challenge came in the last couple of days of the Olympics when I got bored bored bored with the fiddly bits - button and neck bands, sewing up and sewing down.
Yet I can finish something... something complicated... start to finish in 16 days. And I am so entirely proud of that.

Posted at 10:27 pm |

Sunday February 26, 2006

Gold!

Thursday

Steeks are sewn.

Albeit crookedly.

The arm stitches were left on stitch holders for later armhole steeking and a three needle bind-off from the inside.

The front is cut.

And arms are frantically knitted.

Friday

Button bands are finished, with a couple of slight setbacks and forgotten button holes and reknitting. One arm sewn in. Most of 2nd arm knit.

Saturday

Enthusiasm waning, but second arm finished. Second armhole steeked.

Neckband picked up, knit and sewn down.

Second arm sewn in.

Wait. Was that all?

Sunday

Yes!*

And the obligatory cat shot.

Sighs happily.

Thanks to everyone who have left encouraging comments. Thanks to the Knittyboard chatters who cracked the whip and kept me going. Thanks to my husband for nodding approvingly and ordering pizza. Thank you to Stephanie for helping us all realize our potential. We're all standing on the sidelines pulling for you.

Congratulations to all the other gold medalists!

Oh my gourds, look at the state of this house.

* Well, the buttons aren't sewn in, but I'm not sure I'll use these buttons after all. They're a bit too big.

Posted at 4:27 pm |

Saturday February 25, 2006

28 hours, 56 minutes remaining

To do:

steeking of one arm hole
sewing in of one (1) arm
picking up and knitting neckband
sewing on of buttons

Posted at 3:03 pm |

Can't talk, knitting.

43 hours and change remaining and here's what I have left:

2 inches of one arm
steeking of one arm hole
sewing in of arms
picking up and knitting neckband
sewing on of buttons

Maybe I ought to have waited with the haircut...

Posted at 12:20 am |

Monday February 20, 2006

Meh.

Stewart is not impressed with the Norwegian So you think you can dance

Although he finds it hard to look away, Stewart is wholly unimpressed by the Norwegian version of So You Think You Can Dance.

Posted at 10:06 pm |

Sunday February 19, 2006

Happy Happy

Reason 1

34 years old! 4th career gold! Kjetil Andre Aamodt!

Reason 2
Body is done, even though it meant color-stranded purling after binding off for the neck. Which is evil.

Reason 3
Waking up and finding out I had the winning bid for my first ever Coach bag. I ~~blame~~ have Amy* and my husband** to thank for this.

* for the desire
** for the means

Posted at 3:33 pm |

Saturday February 18, 2006

Question from a reader

If you are knitting with 2 balls of yarn how do you keep them from tangling and twisting up while your knitting the body of a sweater for a little one?

First of all, be sure you're knitting from the center of your ball of yarn. If you have a skein, pull the yarn out from the center, rather than using the yarn that comes from the outside. If you're winding your own ball, there's a small tutorial on using a empty toilet paper roll as a nøstepinne to make a center-pull ball here. That cuts considerably down on the tangle factor since the balls aren't rolling around.

I usually strand with one color in each hand, ala Elizabeth Zimmerman. If you can do that, you can put one color on each side of you and very effectively keep the yarns from tangling. And while we're on the subject of stranding, keep one color consistently in one hand and the other color consistently in the other hand - even if that means several stitches with your weak hand. It really makes a difference. Trust me. And Elizabeth Zimmerman.

Another way to keep yarn separate and untangled is putting each ball in its own zip-lock bag. I loves me Zip-lock bags.

Stewart and the Snow

Stewart's reaction to the snow never fails to amuse me. However much he intially hesitates to go, he eventually goes completely wild out there, running back and forth and up and down and ... well, it's probably from being cooped up for days on end when I wouldn't let him go out. (Anything less than -12C/10F and I'm afraid he'll freeze solid.)

Fortunately, it's a bit milder now (though well below freezing, round the clock). But still snowing.

Anybody want to come over and shovel for me?

Posted at 6:51 pm |

Thursday February 16, 2006

More random thoughts cause I'm feeling random.

It's snowing again.

Marit Bjørgen (who I recognize from my milk carton) took silver and Hilde Pedersen took bronze (with Kristen Steira coming in 4th) in the 10 km cross-country event today. Bringing the Norwegian medal count up to 13.

My idle comment about curling got me more comments than usual, so maybe I ought to write more potentially offensive things? I was all set to apologize until Great Britian beat Norway last night in men's curling and now I would just like to say pffft. To be honest, I can't stop watching the curling, cause it's so darn entertaining - especially with the drunk Norwegian fans in viking hats, singing and waving their giant cups of beer around. But also, it's silly. And if I could I would download a curling game for my phone.

Dear Celia, Nicole, Gail, Liz, Shelagh and my best-SP-in-the-whole-wide-world Secret Pal, Thank you so much for the lovely comments about my baby-Setesdal. I appreciate it beyond words. Unfortunately I deserve no praise, for look!

I've reversed the colors. Tell me this is okay, cause I'm not ripping this out. Not a chance.

Posted at 1:54 pm |

Tuesday February 14, 2006

Random thoughts, mostly about the Olympics

Norway (naturally) has the most medals of anybody... 11 as of this moment.

Women's freestyle: Kari Traa, Silver.
Ski Jumping: Lars Bystøl, Gold, Roar Ljøkelsøy, Bronze.
15 km Nordic-combined: Magnus Moan, Bronze
Men's cross-country, team sprint: Jens Arne Svartedal, Tor Arne Hetland, Silver
Men's cross-country, 30 km pursuit: Frode Estil, Silver
Men's biathalon, 20 km: Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Silver, Halvard Hanevold, Bronze
Men's biathalon, 10 km: Halvard Hanevold, Silver, Frode Andresen, Bronze
Women's half-pipe snowboard: Kjersti Buaas, Bronze

But they're dropping like flies.

Joey Cheek is a cutie. So is Tatyana Totmiyanina. And Kari Traa? Cute, and alas, I can't watch her, because she does scary things on the skiis.

The pairs figure skating skaters must stop with the falling.

Curling is the silliest thing ever. And completely captivating. Especially with the shouting and the insane sweeping. I seriously doubt any of these balding, middle-aged guys sweep at home. And what about the guy who owns the company that produces curling brooms? What does his business card look like? And what if the wife uses the curling broom to sweep the porch? I can totally imagine the freaking out.

And my own Olympic progress:

Posted at 6:48 pm |

Monday February 13, 2006

Secret Pal madness!

I totally heart my secret pal!

Posted at 4: 38 pm |

Friday February 10, 2006

Ah, til helvete with the laundry

I am now up to July 2004 and have been spectacularly unsuccessful in my attempt to finish the Must Have before the Olympics start. Phooey.

Oh, and by the way... reading + no coffee + cabling =

One seriously miscrossed cable.

And now I'm off to work - evening tonight and tomorrow, morning Sunday. Bah. I'll try to weasle my way into sitting down for a half-hour during the opening ceremonies to cast on 134 sts on 2.5 mm needles with the baby ull. My goal for at-work-knitting is 4 cm of 2x2 ribbing.

Optimist.

Posted at 2: 18 pm |

Thursday February 9, 2006

Is it still snowing or is it just blowing off the roof?

You would think that all this snow would be an excellent reason for dusting off the ol' skis, but the news is saying right now that the risk of meeting a moose on a ski trail is higher than usual at the moment, cause the snow is deep and they're out looking for food. They also recommend that if you meet a moose, and it either a) lowers its head or b) looks at you interestedly or (especially) c) lowers its head and looks at you interestedly, that you should, like, go elsewhere. Well, YEAH.

And it is getting deep out there.

I opened the living room curtains this morning to find Stewart perched on a box that normally isn't up to window-level, but this morning? Totally was.* Oh, and he'd only been out for a few hours. Not all night. I promise.

I barely got the door to the porch open enough to slip out of it and shovel off a cat-path.

But thankfully the downstairs neighbor had shovelled off the steps... something that has been a twice-a-day necessity since Saturday.

I know I know I secretly wished for snow, but dang. Enough already!

Oh! And knitting! I'm this close to finishing the Must Have Cardigan. Start date: December 2003. I'm determined to get the knitting finished today, since the Olympics start tomorrow! Details about my project at the Team Knitty blog.

* Writing style heavily influenced by hours spent reading Amalah archives. I've worked my way from the beginning up to May 2004. Much more entertaining than laundry.

Posted at 5:48 pm |

Wednesday February 1, 2006