Just Call Me "Bode"...

I decided over lunch on Friday that I was probably going to be the "Bode Miller" of the US Knitting Olympic Team - you know, lots of hype, great potential, didn't come through in the clutch... Case in point:


Here is the status of my project at noon on Sunday (aka - Closing Day!). Yes, that's my FIRST sock and no, it's not done. I don't know if it was the partying in the Olympic Village, the sprained ankle from the pick-up basketball game or perhaps ALL the interviews that I had to do, but I was not able to get any further...

And I have some major mistake going on - for some reason the bottom of the sock is now knitting a garter pattern, rather than stockinette, despite my best efforts to correct it. Also, the ribbing pattern is all off and it doesn't fit this size 8 foot.

What have I learned from little experience? Not much really, other than I have a lot going on and not enough time to dedicate to knitting. And when I do knit, I have to concentrate more on the project at hand and not so much on speed. Perhaps this being my first attempt to compete at the "senior" level (Only been knitting since Aug05) has something to do with it too.

At any rate, the sock is going to be completely frogged soon and the yarn put to something else - perhaps a less challenging pattern for socks. I did just order the Knitting Vintage Socks book by Nancy Bush and I understand there are some great patterns in there. Which is good, because I just ordered some Socks That Rock yarn and would like to know what I am doing before starting those!

Anywhoo...On the dating front, I have dinner tonight with one of my "matches" from eHarmony tonight. I kind of told him that I had a blog the other day, which I will probably regret someday. (And if that's you and you are reading this...DO NOT look at any other posts and forget that you have seen anything...trust me, it's NOT that exciting!) I was telling him about the Olympic Socks debacle and it kind of slipped out. So we'll see how that goes... I have learned though that you can learn a whole lot about someone by how they present their personal profile and what they list as their "Must Have's/Can't Stands" - if they require someone who is "more attractive than average", they are cocky jerks and need to be axed right away!

So, I'm going to go back to my sheep and Irish Walking Scarf projects for now...I will work on the socks once I recover from the shock of failing at the Knitting Olympics...At least this next time I will have 4 years to train for it...

Why We Miss You At Family Dinners...

Got this letter from my brother Matt today after asking about the dates for his graduation:

Dear Family,

As you should want to know by now I am not planning on graduating at all. I have dropped out of school and am planning to move to Huntington Beach, California and write sitcoms for UPN. The first one is a highly anticipated teen romp entitled "The Deep End". It involves six sexy and unique lifeguards who work at the local public pool and their hardcased ex-coast guard boss. The series is just in its initial stages right now but looks pretty promising. And the people at UPN are really behind me. I think we might even get that kid from the movie Problem Child.

Just kidding.

Matt


So I guess he's figured out what do to with that Art Major....

PS - yes, sock 1.2 is still in process...finally finished the heel flap, but it's been a crazy/busy week...more pictures tomorrow...when I actually get some more done!

Oh, and I think I have a date with one of the guys from eHarmony this weekend...

KO In TIME Magazine!

Hey look! The Knitting Olympics made it into TIME Magazine....


Thanks Joe!
Still doesn't make my socks go any faster though...

And I Even Got Flowers Today!

Happy Valentine's Day! And for all of you keeping score at home, yes, I am having a good day!!

My day started with a page to the front office for these:

Note the sentiment on the card: "Love Dad". Apparently he sent them to us girls, though when I talked to Mom this afternoon, she hadn't gotten any....I hope for his sake he picks some up for her on the way home!

Then at lunch I picked up these that I bought for myself:

They are from the Gift Emporium in Sullivan and are hand-dipped and delicious! I just had to splurge a little for myself today!

And finally I got this from the group in Special Packaging at work. They had put these together a month ago and I kept joking with them that I wanted one, if it worked! (The soda is Love Potion #6!) So I guess I have to let them know if it does...


So on the eHarmony front...I have gotten to "open conversation" with one guy from St. Louis. He seems nice, though I haven't talked to him on the phone or in person yet, still through e-mail. Turns out his sister graduated from my high school 2 years before me...small world! We'll see how it goes. There is another guy that I am "talking" to also, but haven't heard from him for a couple of days, so we'll see. Anna called and yelled at me today, because I was talking to a guy who's occupation was "Federal Law Enforcement" - she told me to RUN, FAST and don't look back...too many issues could be there. So I ended conversation with him today...he was a bit odd anyway... I'll keep you posted on how it goes...it's actually kind of fun...I feel like "I'm passing notes in Study Hall."

Alright, the Knitting Olympics have begun and I made a fair effort at starting. See:

Seriously, I actually was working on sock 1.0 during the opening ceremonies and the lighting of the torch. Soon after though, I was frogging it, as I had too many stitches... somehow I had screwed up the twist part! (You can see that I used the yarn and wound it back up, right? That counts, right??)As of now I don't have anything going on, so I'm going to make another attempt...I mean there are mulitiple heats and average scores in the events, so I figure I'll be ok...just 10 days to go...many others have done more work with less time.

Oh, and I joined an olympic team - the Midwest Knitters. Seems like a good group, as most Midwesterners are, so I am in good company. And from the looks of it, many of them are off to a slow start as well....

But I did get a little work done on Sheep 2.0:


He has legs now, and I'm working up the body. The 25th will be pushing it, but definitely by the first rodeo on April 21!

Just going to add a picture of Brodie enjoying the 68 degree weather today....Come On Spring!

TAKE OUT THE COMMA!

This statement is in regards to the statement that I have been hearing a lot lately:

"Don't worry, you'll meet somebody" in regards to dating.

As I have been informed by several people (namely Wayne, Anna & Alison, among others) is that the statment should ACTUALLY read:

"Don't worry. (Period....LONG PAUSE...New Sentence...) You'll meet somebody"

See the difference? Apparently there is one and I kept missing it. Seems my problem with dating is that I'm worrying too much about finding Mr. Right and not enjoying the process of meeting Mr. Right Now. Makes sense to me... Explains why I go from Ok to tears in 3 seconds flat! I'm worrying too much....snap out of it!

So in regards to that whole situation, I decided to be a doer, as I usually am, and join eHarmony.com. There, I said it, it's out in the open. I'm a little apprehensive about saying that in public, but there it is. Turns out I have met a couple of nice (and REALLY CUTE) guys through there and I only joined on Monday. I have figured out that I'm still searching for where I fit in and I needed a change in perspective....So here I am enjoying the process and hopefully getting to have some nice dinners and conversation to go along with it...

Back to the knitting....I got this e-mail today from Anna that apparently I'm a celebrity, as my name & Blog site was listed at Crazy Aunt Purl today. Turns out I responded to her blog question about the Knifty Knitter that was sent in from another adoring fan. (Ok, so Anna sometimes thinks that Purl is the CA version of me...just substitute dogs for cats and we are the same!) So, for all of you that have stumbled on this site from hers...the pix from the Knifty Knitter are here. I love those rings man...and I actually got the bar one too. Been working on a scarf on it for a while (the yarn is a Carron Soft ply in a tan...just something to try it out on...):

It's sooooo easy to use and I'll never make a hat without it again!

REVISED: For additional Knifty Knitter patterns look here and here. There is also a book out there that's here.

I have started Sheep 2.0:

This is the Tooshi end of the sheep - the pin is where the tail goes. I'm getting ready to bind off for the legs and yes, there are short rows involved. Information about it and pictures of Sheep 1.0 are listed here. This one will be in Cascade 220 in Natural, as I don't want them to be the same...I think the Princess will get the white one with a pink bandana, of course and Chaser X will get the beige one with a blue bandana...I was hoping to get them done by the PBR (yes, that's the Professional Bull Riding...insert comments here...)on the 25th, but the Olympics start Friday....

I got the yarn for my Olympic socks last week. It's Essential from Knit Picks in Burgundy. Isn't it so pretty!

And of course I had to buy $40 worth to get the free shipping , so that meant that I had to get new stash storage:


Not bad for only knitting for 6.5 months...

Don't forget....TAKE OUT THE COMMA!

How To Get Out Of Work Early On A Friday....Without Really Trying!

1. Get excited and want to watch when the new engineer is getting ready to clean out a product supply pipe using a new method. (We're talking about sending a rubbery tube called a PIG that is 3" in diameter by about 6" long through a 3" diameter stainless steel pipe using 100 psi of air pressure - that's a whole lot of freakin' air pressure for you non-techy types!)

2. Get a little too close to said engineer (12' away!) and the 30 gallon waste bucket while he is releasing the air pressure on the pipe during cleaning and subsequently get SPRAYED head to toe with product when he opened the valve just a wee bit too much and the hose got away from him!

Enter Exhibit A:



This picture was taken AFTER I had wiped off my face and spit everything out of my mouth. (Thank God for Safety Glasses!) I was hit with a mixture of shaving cream, stainless steel cleaner and spray-on plaster - YUMMY! Of course the best part was that it was right before the operators went to break, so there was an audience. All I could do was laugh - why bother getting mad! And news travelled pretty quick, so everyone knew about it by the time I left. I have no clue if it will come out of my clothes...guess I'll start them soaking here pretty soon! It all came off my skin and out of my hair, so I don't have to worry about that...

Don't worry Cory, I won't forget about this for a very long time!