Injury

As requested by Lene, my injury.

Sleeve Update

Getting there, slowly but surely. Good news being that the swelling in my hand is mostly gone (as is the cat!) and I am left with a doozy of a bruise.

DNF

Or at least not yet. I will soon. Honest. Made some progress yesterday. But the defeat was energy-sucking.

Friday evening, there was still hope of finishing on time. Until Friday night.

After work I drove myself to the emergency room of the local hospital. My hand was swelling at an alarming rate. They told me: "...yeah, those cat bites are pretty terrible..." No, really?? A tetanus shot and 3 hours in the waiting room. I was starting to fall asleep. My hand was throbbing. I was getting hungry. And cranky... I'm not good at that hurry up and wait thing. They told me when I first got there I just needed a prescription... Yeah? And? Why was I still there 3 hours later? I rang the little bell and told the nurse I wanted my hospital card back because I was going home. Funny how fast that got a doctor to my site. 'Is it getting worse?' Yes. "Gee, that looks bad..." Really?? I couldn't tell! The first dose of drugs in my system, a prescription in my hand, I was out of there in less than 15 minutes. Had I known....

But there was this Saturday morning:

Resembles a puked-up hairball in technicolour, wouldn't you say?

It started as the first sleeve, about 20cm long, give or take.

Knitting with a swollen hand Friday night must have addled my brain, because where there was supposed to be a zigzag, I had diamonds. Now don't get me wrong, I like diamonds as much as the next woman, but not on my Olympic sweater. So there was that and the freaky-looking increases in a couple spots. Hubby said it looked fine. That's what convinced me to frog the damned thing. Can't trust a man!

As of last night, I have progress on two sleeves, maybe the length of pre-frogged one. I watched Grey's Anatomy and I knit. Grey's has a way of taking the blues away after the disappointment of not finishing.

Now I am off to taking my drugs and knit. This sweater will be worn to Ontario in a week!

Injured Knitter

@$&^&*%!!! I should have left the !#@*^% cat alone. I believed it was starting to settle down, get accustomed to us humans. Yeah, right. It bit me!!! It @#$!* bit me! (It certainly doesn't deserve a cute name like Truffles anymore. More like Demon from Hades!) Broke skin in four places with its needle-sharp little teeth. With knitting time quickly dwindling away, it feels like the proverbial sand through the hour glass, with the last grains within sight. Note that I finally finished the body, although I do not wish to discuss all the ends I have to weave in at this time. Make that EVER. Two sleeves in less than three days. Do-able. Sure. And I'm the Queen of this fairy land. I'm not giving up. As soon as the throbbing subsides in my hand (or not) I will cast on the sleeves. Both. At the same time. Delusional, that's me.

Don't Panic

Progress after last night:

I stopped knitting around 12:30am. I had only half a row to finish of the blasted snowflakes. I couldn't do it. Things were getting blurry. I was tinking pattern repeats. I cut my loses and went to bed. I am almost done the body. So close. The colour change will be a nice break. But the ticker is starting to get to me. I had hoped to have started a sleeve by now. And I have to work this afternoon/evening. A knittin' I will go, a knittin' I will go, high ho, a knittin'.... I am gone!

Knitting Olympics - Day 9

By this time next week it will all be over except for the crying. Not everyone will be crying though. Some people will be in possession of a gold medal because some people are already blocking their Olympic knitting. Obviously I am Not one of those people.

Day 5 didn't see a single stitch.

Day 6 ended with only a half dozen rows knit.

Day 7. I don't remember too much of day 7. Maybe finished a full row after work? Kind of a blur. I didn't get home until after 10pm sometime. And driving in a wind storm slowed the drive home that much more. I did work (I am a seamstress extraordinaire) and did some major kick-ass sewing. Doing alterations for 6 hours when everything goes right is really empowering. Who knew!

Day 8 (yesterday) was full to the brim with little progress made on the knitting front. On the other hand, I did manage to buy a new (-to-me) truck for my journey to Kitchener, ON scheduled over the March break. Now I just have to sweet-talk a neighbour into babysitting the farm for a week. Boy, this is gonne cost me! I then spent a few hours at work that I didn't expect. And to top it all off, I took possession of another SPCA kitten. Removed from a home where 40 other cats were in residence. The old man only said that "things kind of got out of hand and the neighbours were complaining". At least the cats weren't abused. Huh.

So this is my progress at the end of day 9 of these Knitting Olympics. Notice I am not counting the opening ceremonies as knitting time. I was at work. My excuse.

I am starting to worry (slightly) that I might not finish in time. Over half way through the Olympics (according to the Harlot's ticker clock) but less than half in my knitting. I am hoping the sleeves will fly off my needles, when I get to them!

Knitting Olympics - Day 4

Update:

Pace isn't too bad. Today, I am feeling confident that I will be able to finish before the flame goes out. Soon I will be starting on the chart which will hopefully hold my attention better. Not only did I crochet a lap blanket within the past couple days with a 9mm hook, you know, to loosen up the cramping in my hands, this afternoon I cast on a sock. Focus. Must focus...

Progress after Day 2

The Olympic Flame is Lit

After a faulty start, which consisted of frogging and beginning at stitch one, due to inadequate equipment (have you ever tried to knit some 265 stitches on 6 dps?? So not fun!) and my inability to count said 200+ stitches (I was off by more than a dozen! huh?), here is the progress report in pictures:
There was an upside to my horrible start: I discovered that I would be able to knit the smaller size (KNOCK ON WOOD!). Ok, a swatch would have told me that with less time wasted. But a lesson I did learn from the first swatch: see the cute stitch marker? Works wonders, I tell you!

Knitting madness

Knitting is an obsession. Can you tell? Visit Steph's brain child and bare witness. Over 2600 Olympians!! I kid you NOT!

My Knitting Olympics Event:

Snow Crystal Sweater from SandnesGarn Nr. 7: some assembly required!

I refuse to swatch with the official Olympic yarn (Peer Gynt). I am sure the gauge will be fine (she said before disaster struck with lethal precision). I swatched once. That's more than I ever do.

I have been training like a woman possessed. Less to do with my dedication and more to do with loss of mind. Remember a (long) while back, I started knitting that borrrrring sweater for a husband whom I love dearly? Well. I got as far as the shoulder shaping on the back piece. Then frogged the whole @%$^#&! thing. Yup. It was such slow going.... So in a moment of (in)sanity, I cast it back on, with my Olympic circular needle, ensuring, I said to myself, that not only would it knit up faster, and therefore present the perfect training opportunity, but also get finished before 2pm on Feb 10th, the official opening of the Knitting Olympics. That was a week ago. I am up to the armpits and about 7 (or was that 8) balls of yarn into it. Now I have to track down some dps and a shorter circular for the sleeves. Who's that Goddess of Knitting again? May she watch over me and save me from myself, should it comes to that.

Did I mention that tonight I kind of, sort of cast on a Lopi sweater? You know, just to train on the fair isle technique... Duh.