Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Ravelympics: another one bites the dust

It's Wednesday, which means that this post would normally be another " What's On Your...?"
but, needless to say, I'm still obsessing about the Ravelympics [ and the Olympic figure skating ... how good were the men in the short program today?!!] so I'm going to 'cheat' a bit.
This week's WOY...?challenge is

What's on your needle[s]?
Now it could be knitting needles, it could be the needle in your sewing machine. I don't know... Maybe one of you is a tattoo artist!

and crochet hooks or tatting shuttles are close enough so they count too.

Anyway my Ravelympic campaign continues.
We were told to challenge ourselves, and for some that means a new technique or a specific large project started and finished within the 17 days, but for me - at least for this first week - it is all about finishing the UFOs.

Ms Tara [ of Mayhem and Chaos fame ] came over yesterday afternoon for a few hours worth of needle action and some belated big birthday celebration [ hers, not mine - more about that later*]
so she was able to bear witness to the newly completed, and still-damp, state of those Gracenote socks from yesterday's post.
I spent most of her visit working on Riley's footy jumper - and that's what's on my needles at the moment - but a quick inspection of the boxes under the coffee table while T was here unearthed a nearly finished Presto Chango that I'd started for him in 2008. It was abandoned when I made the mistake of showing it to #1 son and DIL unfinished and they decided that it was a bit too feminine for their young man.

Cut to me stuffing the remains down the bottom of the basket and doing a major, albeit private, dummy-spit.

Okay back to Tara's visit:
We had a very relaxed, coffee-fueled and woolly few hours.
Once Tara wended her way homewards, I decided to just get on with finishing that Presto Chango, and by about 11pm it was all done, buttons and all.


and so another one bites the dust!!
and someone will need it eventually

* Tara's pressie was a crocheted then felted [ or fulled if we're being technical ] yarntainer and some beige cashmere for her spinning fibre stash.
Last week I didn't really want to document making the felted thingy in case I blew the surprise.
So here 't'is:
Crocheted to my own pattern in vintage 12ply Aztec [ pure wool singles ] which was originally a very saturated bright orange/ red, overdyed with Sarsarilla and Wild Rasberry. 6mm hook.
This is what it looked like before its date with the washing machine

[ yes you can felt in a front loader ]

and later at a fraction of the original size:

and being christened with Tara's Ravelympics project... which she would tell you about except her internet access is kafluey at the moment.

and now I'm going back to watch the replay of the Men's Singles Figure Skating courtesy of the satellite.

6 comments:

Donna Lee said...

On my needles right now are a pair of socks (well, to be honest, 3 pairs of socks) and a sweater for my husband made out of my own handspun alpaca. I should have a circular shawl otn and will soon if only I can get past the circular cast on.....

Anonymous said...

On my needles are several projects; but my latest kerfuffle can be seen on my blog here.
http://rellsramblings.blogspot.com/

Thanks to some lovely Rav peeps on Tangled Yarns I think I have this sorted.

Anonymous said...

oops forgot to say, me being me, I really love Miss Tara's Bag. Also the colours are lovely on the Chango.

Lynne said...

The yarntainer is lovely - the colours are so Tara!

On my needles - a pair of pilchers, a baby blanket (Little Ben came nine days too early) and a bib that started life as a scarf! The first and third of these are on my projects page on Ravelry, the second is a surprise and since Little Ben's mother is on Ravelry - no postings yet!

I have seen no figure skating - I only have f2a TV and I seem to miss it every time I turn the thing on!

catsmum said...

Lynne I have to have the AUSTAR satellite because the F2A reception is appallingly non- existent. I must be in a black spot - even with the expensive new aerial that I was talked into buying, all I get is snow... with Austar I can get ABC and SBS but not 7 and 9.

Monika said...

I didn't know that crochet items full so well. There's not a stitch to be seen. I like the colors too.