Olympic Update VII -- Gold Medal Winner!!

I was determined to finish my blanket yesterday. So I made a pot of coffee - not a half pot, I made a full pot. I knit away for a couple hours while watching the Today show and re-runs of Judging Amy. I finished the blanket with little flourish. But it was definitely beautiful and I said to myself, "Ohh Kaitie it's gorgeous! What baby wouldn't want to be swaddled up in it?!"

Because it was still early in the day, (I hadn't spent the entire day knitting...yet), I decided to go ahead and weave in the ends with the plan of also blocking it. There were a million (okay, maybe not quite a million) ends because I knit the blanket with a double strand of yarn. I wove in all the ends and laid it out to take a look. There was one spot where I must have twisted the yarn or something because it looked goofy. All right, I'll just loosen those ends and re-weave right? No problem. Then all of a sudden, I had a HOLE in my blanket.


I wasn't panicking because it only makes sense that I just need to weave the end through the stitches to reattach the sides of my hole. I started on this around 1:30. At 3:30, I still didn't have it repaired. I decided it would be best to set it down for a while and come back to it with a fresh mind.

When I returned to my holey blanket, I took out my knitting books hoping to find a picture of how I was supposed to weave the yarn to repair the hole. I didn't find anything of use. Then I turned to my trusty laptop and ran a Blingo search for knit repair. I came across this site. With the pictures I found, I was able to make the proper brain-knitting connection. I repaired the hole and ended up with this:



Pattern: Big Bad Baby Blanket from Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'n Bitch: the Knitter's Handbook

Needles: Size 9 circular Boye needles

Yarn: Knit Picks Shine in Blush (8 skeins) and Cherry (4 1/2 skeins)

Modifications: I worked eighteen rows of seed stitch on the top and bottom borders. If I made this blanket again, I would only do sixteen rows of seed stitch.


I made this blanket for Law's best friend’s baby, which should be arriving any minute now. They're going to induce labor on Monday if she doesn't arrive this weekend. I'm so excited to visit next month! Can't wait to see the little girl all cozied up in my creation!

Olympic Update VI

I feel guilty for not having posted since Monday. Truthfully, there hasn't been that much to say. I am still plugging away at my BBBB. I'm not going to complain about all the miles of stockinette... Of course, the dogs just HAVE to sit in this precise spot for the two minutes it takes me to shoot a pic. They're such attention hounds.








Some non-knitting news

Today was a pretty exciting day at the law school. U.S. Senator Ken Salazar dropped in for a quick talk over the lunch hour. One of my good friends was responsible for recruiting his presence.

Some of Salazar's comments made me think about some issues we've been talking about in my Election Law class. Just this week we were debating the usefulness of strong parties. The thought behind having a party platform and representatives that can be punished for not following the platform, is that voters may ask for accountability based on that platform. (OK you're getting bored, I know...bear with me.)

People who believe in the idea behind a strong party likely voted for Salazar based on his association with the Democratic party, more so than on his own personal convictions. For example, when Salazar goes against the party and votes for the bankruptcy reform bill, people who voted based on his party association are likely upset and may feel betrayed. On the other hand, people who voted for him based on his personal views regarding all issues likely will not feel betrayed. But, this also means that unless you knew his position on all issues before you voted, your ability to hold him accountable for voting a certain way is greatly diminished.

Is this a good thing? I don't know. Would Congress work more efficiently if parties were weak and we voted based on individual candidates and their own platforms/views? Or does Congress serve the needs of the people better if the parties act as a cohesive unit? Of course, this is assuming that Congress aims to serve the people (and not just corporations) in the first place!

Olympic Update V

Ohh it was a Monday wasn't it? I'm beat. I don't know what my deal was today but everything annoyed me - especially the people who get on the elevator just to go down one floor. Give me a break people, I think you can handle taking the stairs. I have rule that I will only take the elevator from one to four - anything less and I walk.

I made some progress on my blanket today. Just a few rows but that still counts. I ordered extra red yarn from Knit Picks because I'm afraid I'm going to run out. I paid extra for quick shipping so I should be safe. I really want Olympic gold ya know!

Olympic Update IV

Where have I been and what have I been up to?

I'm so glad you asked!


It's cold here! Below zero cold. I thought I left this behind in Minnesota or South Dakota, but now it's crept into Colorado. We didn't even go to the mountains this weekend because it's so cold and windy up there. We're sitting in front of the fireplace instead this weekend.


I've been working on my blanket just a bit. Here's another progress photo:





I've also been looking at knitting books for babies. No, I'm not having a baby. But my brother and his wife are! So Aunt Kaitie Tee has about six months to come up with some fabulous baby knitting. Luckily my library has a great selection of knitting books. I've paged through all of these books. There are so many great patterns. My only problem is that my brother doesn't think he wants to know the sex of the baby. Hmm...but how will I know what color to use? How will I know if I can make a baby dress or just pants? SIL wants to know the sex, but brother is trying to convince her otherwise. Now if it were me, I'd want to know because I wouldn't want to be worrying about getting a nursery ready after the baby's been born. I would want everything ready to go. I would want to be.in.control. This is why I'm not having a baby. I know this baby stuff would upset my need for predictability and order. I'm not ready for that yet.

SP7 Update

As you know, I'm participating in Secret Pal Seven. This is my first secret pal exchange and it's been loads of fun so far. Truthfully, I've had just as much fun giving my secret pal things as I've had receiving things. If you read the comments from my last post, you know that my secret pal accidentally revealed herself. That's ok though! The funny thing is that I already read her blog and I had no idea that she was my secret pal.

Olympic Update III

Happy Valentine's Day!!


DH brought me these flowers last week. They're so cheery! Maybe I'll get more this evening. :-)

I'm making excellent time on my BBBB. This is mainly because I know that I'm likely to become bored with the blanket very soon. I've convinced myself that it's best just to knit it as quickly as possible. I know I'm going to be happy with the finished product but it's not the most fun to knit. It turns out that the Yarn Harlot shares my view of baby blanket knitting (or should I say that I share her view? She is the knitting guru.).



I should also let you know that I didn't need to skip class yesterday in order to watch the Olympic snowboarding. My class was cancelled because the professor was out of town. I was so thrilled to be able to watch the ladies ride. In all honesty, I think Kelly Clark had the most daring run. But then I also get chills watching Gretchen do her signature "Crippler." Yea U.S. lady snowboarders!!

P.S. If you don't like the Olympics, or for some reason think snowboarding should not be an Olympic sport, or think the Olympics are boring, just keep quiet about it. I really don't want to hear anymore negative nellies yammering about any of these issues. Some of us appreciate all the hard work that goes into participating in the Olympics. We even get a little jazzed up about it and our patriotism peeks out. Don't rain on our parade!

Olympic Update II

Things are going well with the BBBB. This is a basic pattern so there's not much to say about it. I can tell you that I don't really like knitting with cotton. It makes my hands hurt and it sticks to the needles. Maybe for my next cotton foray I'll splurge for some of those Addi Turbos I'm always hearing people rave about. But for now, my trusty Boye Needlemaster will have to do. That's okay, push through the pain - that's what real athletes do! Plus, I don't want to be the Bode Miller of knitting by changing equipment midstream and then coming up short of my Olympic goal!

As far as the games in Torino go, I have my "Gretchen Rocks" shirt on today. I cannot wait to watch her ride tonight. The hype is high and I'm sure she'll live up to it. I'm a little worried though because I have class tonight from 6-7:15. This means I won't be home until close to 8. I'm going to look at the TV schedule to see if I'll be able to catch the snowboarding. Would it be terrible to skip class?

I have a favor to ask of you dear readers (dear few of you!). I'm a member of the Yarn Coop and we're currently ordering from Interlacements. I'm at a loss as to what I should order. This happens anytime I need to pick out a yarn. I get completely overwhelmed by my choices and end up paralyzed by indecision. In addition, I've never knit with any Interlacements yarn before so there's some guesswork involved on my part. I'd love to hear your thoughts / suggestions. Here's what I have in mind:

1. Sleeveless t-shirt from Yarn Girls' Guide to Beyond the Basics
- Made with Alabama, a cotton yarn
- Color? I'm torn. Maybe carbon dioxide or fireplace.
2. Socks - I've never knit one but I keep saying I'm going to
- Toasty Toes or Tiny Toes I can't decide
- Color? I have no clue.
3. Clapotis - Yes, I know I'm behind the times on this one, but it really is a classic
- Made with Yin, a merino silk blend, or Hawaii maybe?
- Color? Again, I just can't decide.

Olympic Update I

The games have begun! I am knitting a Big Bad Baby Blanket from Debbie Stoller's "Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook." The yarn for these 2006 Knitting Olympic Games was purchased from Knit Picks. Because baby items should be machine washable, I selected Shine, a blend of cotton and modal, in Cherry and Blush. Let's take a look at my progress shall we?







I made one modification to the pattern so far. Instead of knitting twenty rows of seed stitch for the bottom border, I only knit eighteen rows. Now I wish I had done only sixteen because the side border isn't quite as wide as the bottom. But it's do or die in these Olympics so I'm not going to worry about it.

Ribbed for my pleasure

I've made quite a bit of progress on my ribby. I finished both front panels and even knit a few inches of the first sleeve.







I am a knitter with a mission. My goal is to finish three projects before St. Patrick's Day: 1. Ribby Cardi; 2. Big Bad Baby Blanket; 3. Green hoodie (which I started last August).

I'm going to cast on my baby blanket this evening while I watch the opening ceremony. Toby says to wake him up when it's time to watch, but not a minute before then. He buried himself under the blanket. He's so peculiar.

A spring preview

I picked up the sweetest little mini daffodil plant at the grocery store last night. I thought I'd share my blooms with you. Living in Colorado, we get plenty of sunshine year round. But I remember being so depressed during this time of year when I lived in Minnesota. It just seemed like the gray would never end.

Thanks Secret Pal!

I love SP7! My secret pal is so with it! Look what I got in the mail…

Beautifully packaged even!



Inside the pretty tissue was a long sleeve t-shirt and two coupons for Krispy Kreme donuts. Let me explain the shirt, just in case you’re wondering who Gretchen is. Gretchen Bleiler is a U.S. Olympic Snowboarder. She’s got many great things going for her including the fact that she rocks the ride, lives in Colorado, and is a totally saucy lady. So yeah, it’s true, she rocks! I am already planning to wear my new shirt next week on the first day she rides. I’ll even wear it while I’m knitting my Big Bad Baby Blanket for the Knitting Olympics. Gretchen and I will both go for the gold.




Apparently though Toby thought that DH didn’t really need to eat another donut because he ate DH’s coupon while I was at class this morning. When I asked him about it, he apologized profusely.



I’m such a sucker. I still gave him a bone tonight. Both the dogs say, “Yum!”




Thanks again Secret Pal! You rule!

Seriously, I have pics this time

Now I admit that I fell victim to the snowboard gods again yesterday. But I also managed to get some knitting done on the drive there and back. My Ribby Cardi is starting to take shape. I'm hoping this will push me to finish it. I haven't blocked the back yet but my plan is to block all the pieces before I assemble the sweater. The only modification I've made is on the length. I've increased it 1.5 inches because I'm tall and I hate a sweater that rides up on me.

Here is the back panel:


Here is the back panel along with the left front panel:


Not too shabby, huh?

Here's a pic of us at the top of the lift yesterday. We're really enjoying this season of riding.


But the dogs are glad I stayed home today so we can all relax.

A Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading

I heard from Yarn Harlot yesterday that there was a silent poetry reading going on, which was started by Reya at Grace's Poppies. So I went to Grace's Poppies today and posted a comment in which I promised to post a poem today, even though I'm a little late. Then I spent the rest of the day wondering where in the heck I put the poem I wanted to post. I knew it was around here somewhere. Yep, it was in storage in the basement. Without further ado:

We were the uncountable stars at first
Who glimmered and shined so long
In I jumped headfirst

Of which I had thirst
Hearing only his evensong
We were the uncountable stars at first

This part being previously unversed
He said he loved you all along
In I jumped headfirst

It never quite reaches its worst
Seeing that I was wrong
We were the uncountable stars at first

He had once hoped to make me coerced
Knowing full well I am headstrong
In I jumped headfirst

I try not to seem rehearsed
As I sing my song
We were the uncountable stars at first
In I jumped headfirst

Sew? I knit!

I thought I'd fill you in on my newest button --> See it over there?!
I've joined a sew along. I got a sewing machine for Christmas and so far all I've sewn is a needle holder, which I wasn't too crazy about. So I thought this seemed like a good way to push me into improving my sewing skills. I'm going to make one of these skirts. I just hope they get the pattern back in stock soon.

Oh Natalie Dee, how you amuse me

Check out Natalie's drawing for today. It's cute, although I'm not sure I would have made it brown. I just love her drawings and her husband's cartoons.

How I pretend to be studying

I figured out a new way to procrastinate while knitting and while still maintaining that I'm participating in a learning exercise. Curious, aren't you? Okay, maybe you're not, but I will tell you anyway. My Con Law class is currently covering privacy rights. It occurred to me that it might be worthwhile to listen to the oral arguments in some of these pivotal cases, esp. Roe v. Wade. DH has a set of tapes called, "May It Please the Court," which contains 23 of the most important cases the Court has decided. The only problem is that I only have a tape player in my car, not in my living room where I like to knit. I can't very well knit and drive and listen to these tapes. I know some of you do this, but it's just not my style. Then I remembered the Oyez Project. You can hear the audio of thousands of cases.

Overall it's a good listen, really. It struck me that so many of the attorneys plead the emotional aspects of their cases. Meanwhile, the Court is constantly reminding the attorneys that it is the Constitution that determines the outcome and could they please point out the part of the Constitutional which applies. Some of the justices even crack the occasional sarcastic joke. It's good stuff.

I realize I promised pictures of my Ribby Cardi progress. But things have gotten in my way. Things like going to the Breckenridge Brewery to watch the State of the Union with friends and the fact that I have class until 7:30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. Tomorrow, I promise!