Kat with a K

Socks are for feet.

So I had one of those moments today. Those moments when you think to yourself, "Those socks sitting on my shelf are very nice, but hey! Socks are made to go on feet! I could wear them!" Um, yeah. My Olympic socks. I've been admiring them plenty, but I realized that I hadn't actually worn them yet. But I was seeing a long-distance knitting friend today so I decided it was the perfect day to try them out.

Before I went out, I asked my roommate to take a few pictures, so here you go! See? I told you they weren't as ugly as the last picture made them look!

Tonight I am determined to finish Branching Out and start Clapotis. Wish me luck!

Oh hey, it's Wednesday!

I finally went to work today, after being out sick, so it felt like Monday, so I'm totally confused. Anyway, it's Wednesday, so that means randomness!

1. FIRST of all, do you like the new layout? It's March 1 (Happy March!) so I decided something bright and springlike was in order. It's a very slightly tweaked version of a template that the lovely and generous Becky made for us Pretty Posies members. Let me know if anything seems to be working incorrectly.

2. Based on the comments I got yesterday and what I've seen at other blogs, I think Post-Olympic Startitis should be declared an official disease. I've managed to stick to my ten, though. Aren't you proud of me? (Birch was added to the ten when I finished the Olympic socks. The first ten were in basically random order, but I'll be adding new items to the bottom as I finish things.)

3. I decided to add my LibraryThing widget to the sidebar even though only a fraction of my books have been entered so far. (All the cool kids are doing it.) I'm going to try to add a few each day.

4. I was on Morning Edition on NHPR yesterday, talking about the Knitting Olympics. Want to hear me?

5. It has been brought to my attention (thanks Chris!) that an all-cotton sweater, as I was discussing last entry, might not work so well. So that project is on the back burner for the moment, and I'm open to yarn suggestions for a DK cotton blend.

6. I am SO ready for spring. So why is it in the twenties out? Not fair.

7. I'm still sick. Sleeping plenty but exhausted all the time. What's with this?

8. Okay, enough complaining. Let's end with something positive. Umm... oh yeah! Have you seen The Daily Kitten? Say it with me... Awwwwww.

GOLD!!!

It was a bit close, but I finished! Here's a rather awful picture - my apartment is the darkest in the world, I think. I promise they're not so ugly in real life.

Yes, they're posed on my pillowcase, but at least it's appropriately winter-themed. I'll get a photo of them on my feet ASAP - I think they'll look less deformed then.

I am now celebrating by watching the Closing Ceremonies, eating ice cream, and casting on for Salina. She's going to be a feisty one, I can tell: her yarn kept jumping onto my lap this evening while I was finishing the sock.

Congratulations to all the Olympians! We did it!

Time for a Plan

As I mentioned last night, my Olympic knitting has sort of... stalled. It went along wonderfully while I was on vacation, but since I've been back home I've barely managed to knit a few rounds. This is Very Bad. And as the Closing Ceremonies are sneaking up on us rather soon, I think it calls for a Plan. With a capital P. (And maybe it will be in list form! We all know how I feel about Plans and Lists!)

(I must mention that I was forced to face up to the extent of the Very Bad-ness by Steph's similar post today. I wonder how S.Kate, Emma, and Ken are doing? Wouldn't it be, um, funny if none of us organizer/helper people finished? Hah. Funny. Yeah, that's the word.)

Unfortunately, in trying to create a Plan, I've realized that I... can't really think of one. This may be a side effect of the lack of sleep I've had recently, or maybe the "almost end of first work week after vacation" thing. But... hmm. I have done the ribbing (30 rows) and part of the first of six 8-row cable repeats for the leg of the sock. So let's say I have left, um, two hours of the leg, two hours for the heel/gusset, three hours for the foot, two hours for the toe. Nine hours. And let's throw an extra hour in there just in case. Okay. Ten hours of knitting. Where can we fit in ten hours of knitting between now and Sunday?

Thursday: 1/2 hour during my dinner break at work, and... that's about it.
Friday: 1/2 hour during lunch break. 1 hour at the laundromat after work. 3 hours when I get home, while watching Olympics and doing homework.
Saturday: 1/2 hour during lunch break. 1.5 hours fit in through the course of the evening. (It would be more, but I might be going to a movie with a friend, and while I knit plain socks in movies all the time, I'm not going to try it with cables. I think it would do more harm than good.)
Sunday: Hopefully three hours in the morning before going out. And there will be a buffer: I'm planning to go to a SnB-NH meeting in the afternoon, and to watch the Closing Ceremonies in the evening. So if I don't knit as quickly as I think I do, it should all be okay. I hope.

Now matching the schedule up with the hours per sock part above, I have the following goals:

Thursday: Get through at least the second repeat

Friday: Finish gusset, start on foot

Saturday: Finish foot

Sunday: Toe and finishing

Huh. That's actually not that bad, now that I look at it. Whether I'll be able to stick to it is another question. But at least I feel better now that I have a Plan.

Random Wednesday

1. This is really the first down time I've had since my trip, and... I'm tired. Really tired. Even the combination of caffeine and Franz Ferdinand was barely keeping me awake at work this afternoon. But tonight I did not have work or class. So I came home, took a quick nap, went to a nice dinner with friends, and am now home, in my pajamas, watching the Olympics and drinking chai. Yay.

2. Meet my cute little avatar:

3. Have you seen BlogShares yet? I haven't had time to totally figure it out, but it seems to be a fantasy stock market game - with blogs as the companies! Don't you want to know how much your blog is worth, and even who "owns" shares of your blog? Yeah, I thought you did. Click on the link and get sucked in like I have. :-)

4. Olympic knitting is... going, I guess. I'm a bit stalled, still on the cuff of the second sock. I just haven't had any time. But I'm determined to finish.

5. Speaking of which, I have a few media links to add to the KO links list. I'll get them on there soon. I promise.

6. I used to laugh at my mother and her "power naps." I insisted that the idea of just closing your eyes for 5 or 15 minutes was preposterous. Couldn't actually help. Um, apparently I just wasn't tired enough then. Because now I get it. Totally. It's a lifesaver. And man, does the "not quite asleep" state produce some funky dreams. (Including those involving kissing people about whom I generally do not think in that manner. Weird.) But yeah, I'm totally behind this concept now. Thanks Mom!

7. Like many knitters, I'm often torn between knitting/starting whatever I want and trying to actually finish things. I recognize that I'm a process knitter, and that knitting is supposed to be fun and there are enough deadlines and stressors in the rest of my life. But on the other hand, finishing is kind of fun. And my unfinished projects are numbering, well, in the dozens by now. And just knowing that they're there adds to my general guilt level.

So I'm going to try a compromise. A new system, of a sort. It's pretty simple: ten projects are allowed to be on the "actively knitting" list at a time. If I want to knit something not on the list - either something new or an unfinished item - then I have to finish one of the list items first. I think this actually has a chance of working. Ten is a reasonable number, I think, to keep track of, but it is large enough to allow for plenty of variation. And maybe by the end of the year, all my projects will fit on that list of ten. (But don't hold your breath.)

Halfway there!

And even a bit ahead of schedule! (My goal was to have sock 1 done by Saturday night.)

I am loving the yarn, and the cables, but I'm not so sure about the actual pattern. The heel was kind of weird, and the toe was really strange. I'm reserving judgment until they're both done and I'm wearing them.

This accomplishment did not come without a casualty, however:

It was a good needle, and it served well. I'm sure I won't be able to throw it away (I'm weird like that), so it will go into a happy retirement. And yes, I brought extras.

And around the first bend!

We successfully got through the weird heel while watching Shaun White win his gold, and finally finished picking up stitches for the gusset yesterday. Thanks to some TV watching last night, the gusset decreases are now done and we're off and running for the foot, which means I don't have to carry the pattern around anymore for a while, thank goodness.

(I am aware of the spam comments, by the way, and deleting them as I can. If anyone knows of a more permanent solution, let me know.)

Another quick update

My trip is proceeding as planned - I'm now in Texas, and on the foot of the sock. Pictures soon. There are rumors of yarn shopping tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have a full report for you.

Quick Note

I'm about to leave for Texas. Just wanted to mention that I have some teams that have not been added yet, but they'll be up there soon. (Tomorrow at the latest.) So if you've e-mailed me but not gotten a response, don't worry; I've been busy with family stuff in Florida, and now with panicking about having 43 minutes to get my connection in Houston in a different terminal, but once I get to Texas things will be a bit more relaxed. I hope. Well, really, they'd have to be.

What a difference a day makes

I have to meet my family for breakfast in about fifteen minutes, but I thought you'd like a quick shot of the sock lounging on the lovely king size bed in our hotel room in Florida:

The sock and I are both feeling much more relaxed after a fun party (well, for me; the sock was not invited), a full night's sleep, and a change of climate. Alas, the rest of the family is not so relaxed, as they're all supposed to be flying back north today, and there's some sort of blizzard thing going on. I'm so glad I cleverly opted to fly to Texas instead.

More soon! Keep knitting!

Passion lives here.

Oh boy, does it. That's the motto of the other Olympics, but it certainly fits the Knitting Olympics too. We're hovering around 4000 athletes, and new teams are being added just about as quickly as I can keep up. Recent additions include Team Iceland, Team Florida, Team Rainbow, and, get this, Team NYPD. I have added all the teams I currently have, so if your team isn't on there, let me know. I also finally managed to add the buttons of the teams for which I am knitting on the sidebar. (Note: Those are just the teams I'm on. All the teams are listed here.)

I just watched the Opening Ceremonies while updating and knitting a bit, and a few comments:

What was with all the '80s music? How... Italian?
The Ferrari seemed to... not go. At least not very well. And that "pit stop"? Totally too long.
The Treemen! And the flaming rollerbladers! I loved it!
The Alpine dresses were pretty nifty too, in that "What on earth were they thinking?" way.
Why did the Italian national anthem not sound particularly familiar? (And I watch F1, so it's not like I never hear the Italian anthem.)
Yoko Ono. Blah.
Yay Bob Costas!

And how's my actual knitting, you ask? Well, last time you saw it there were three complete rounds. Now there are ten. But look! The links and teams page is all organized! With nested indents! I thought you'd all rather I spent my evening that way. Oh, and I packed. For this trip I've sort of vaguely mentioned. I'm flying to Florida in, um, about six hours, actually. (Eek! Maybe I should consider going to bed soon.) Then on Monday I'm flying to Texas. Back home a week from Sunday. My laptop is coming along, so keep sending me team updates. Internet access will be abundant in Texas, at least; Florida might be a bit trickier, but I'll do my best. If the teams page blows up or something, Steph and Erica know how to reach me.

I'll be bringing my sock on the plane, of course. Let's see how many strangers I can scare by babbling about the Knitting Olympics, shall we?

Knit on!

And we're off!

I started casting on right at two, and had a bit of a rocky start. The cast on seemed a bit wonky, but I decided to trust Nancy Bush and keep going. Here's the cast on and three rounds:

Unfortunately, any more progress will have to wait until after at least most of the things on my 15-item to do list are done. And after I nap, because the Opening Ceremonies are until midnight and then I need to be at the airport at 5:30 am.

And in a quick break from all-Olympics-all-the-time, here's the game of "One of These Things Is Not Like the Other" I mentioned:

Um. Huh? Those are my mother's Cool Little Mittlets (belated Christmas gift). They are indeed knit from the same skein of yarn. Does Noro Kureyon usually do this?

They're actually less similar in person than they are in the picture. The colors never repeat. None of them. Ever. I swear the last thing I knit with Kureyon didn't do this. Are some of the colorways just like this? What's going on?

P.S. To the person who found my site searching for "Evan Lysacek gay," if that's a question, I don't know the answer. But cheer for him either way, will ya?

Newsflash: Knitting Olympics Frappr!

Let's track where all our Olympians are located. Go here and add yourself!

Noun Deficiency

My current state of excitement/anxiety (a double-edged sword...) is manifesting itself in an inability to think of many nouns, especially proper nouns, other than those along the lines of knitting, yarn, Olympics, blog, harlot, airplane, Texas, socks, ticket, and babies. Luckily, my roommate and I tend to communicate in half-sentences anyway, and he's doing an admirable job of translating for me here at work. We'll see how I do at the bookstore tonight. As long as people are asking for books about knitting, Texas, or babies, we'll be all set.

Yes, this is basically just a filler entry. I'm trying to enter links, set up blogs, pack/plan for my trip, and, oh yeah, do my job. So. Witty blog content will have to wait. But coming tonight or tomorrow: a game of "One of these things is not like the other!" Complete with pictures! Of knitting! Try not to drop dead of shock.

Oh, is it Wednesday again?

The guy on the radio this morning said something like "It's Wednesday, February 8" and my response was "It is?" Yeah. That kind of week. But since it appears to be Wednesday, that means it's time for randoms! Although my randoms might be a little, um, focused this week.

1. I am caught up with all the teams that have been submitted thus far. We have teams from six continents, 22 countries, 23 US states. You guys are amazing. Keep them coming. Can we get to all 50 states?
2. Hey look! It's the Knitting Olympics Drinking Game!
3. Two teams I'm captaining now have (very basic) blogs. Check out Team NH and Team Chattylibrarians.
4. I even talked to someone from a radio wire service about the Knitting Olympics today. I'm telling you, this thing is big.
5. Packing for the trip is going decently. I'm still panicking, but it's manageable.
6. The Grammy Awards are rather underwhelming, but yay for U2 and Green Day.

And with that, I really should be off to bed...

Sucked into the vortex.

Whooooosh. (Yes, that's the sound of me being sucked into the vortex.)

What vortex, you ask? The Knitting Olympics vortex, of course. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by and e-mailed or commented with information about teams. I'm updating as fast as I can - I'm determined to catch up before I go to bed tonight. And really, there will be some real posts soon.

Things to which to look forward (or something) soon:

A better links page that's easier to navigate
January Reads
Superbowl sale report
Pictures of current projects
And maybe even a rant about the wives of Henry VIII!

Okay, back into the vortex with me.

Attention Team New Hampshire!

Hello! As your, er, self-appointed captain, or secretary, something, I have two brief requests:

1. Come out of the woodwork, will ya? There must be more than three of us.

2. Anyone willing to be interviewed for the Hippo? Let me know.

Thanks!

Team New Hampshire

A button, for anyone interested:

Come see our new group blog!

Other team members:
Erica (Stitch Witch)
Folkcat
Jo
Sara

Cheerleaders:
Cheryl

I know there must be more of you! Speak up!

Knitting Olympics Links

I'm home sick today, so I figured I might as well round up all the links I can find that have buttons or other fun stuff for the Knitting Olympics, because God knows Steph has enough to do what with entering knitters and constructing a house with her bare hands and all. And, well, I'm a librarian. I want things to be nicely organized in lists. Alphabetical lists.

I am quite sure that I have missed some, and that more will be added, etc. So please let me know!

NOTE: sign-ups are indeed closed for individuals, but I will continue adding teams, buttons, media links, etc. for as long as you send them to me. So keep them coming!

NOTE #2: If you see a team you'd like to join listed with no link yet, e-mail me and I can put you in contact with the team members.

NEW: Knitting Olympics Frappr Add yourself to the map!

Geographic regions:

Africa:

Team South Africa

Asia:

Team India

Australasia:

Teams Australia and New Zealand
Australia

Team Australia
Team Australia Buttons
Team Australia: The Heat Is On

New Zealand

Team Kiwi

Europe:

Team Belgium
British Isles

Team Cambridge (UK)
Team Great Britain
Team Scotland
Team Wales

Team Czechoslovakia
Team Denmark
Team Finland
Team France
Germany

Team Germany Blog
Team Germany Buttons
Team Germany Buttons (II)

Team Greece: e-mail yarn_diva
Iceland

Team Iceland
Team Iceland Button

Team Ireland
Team Italy
Team Luxemburg
Norway

Team Norway
Team Norway Olympic Village
Knitting Team Southern Norway

Team Poland
Sweden

Team Sweden
Team Sweden Blog

Latin America:

Team Cuba
Team El Salvador
Team Peru

North America:

Canada:

Knitanadian Kids: The Canadian Under-16 Team
Team Canada
Team Canada Frappr
Provinces

British Columbia: Team Knitopia
Team Manitoba
Ontario

Team Western

Team Saskatchewan

U.S.:

General

Team USA Blog
Team USA Button
Team USA Button (II)
Team USA Yahoo Group

Regional

Team Midwest
Team Northwest: e-mail Joan

States

Team Alaska
Arkansas

Team Hand Held

Arizona

Team Northern Arizona

California

Team Bay Area
Team California
Team California Button (Ah-nold's Kahl-i-fah-nia)
Team Sacramento

Colorado

Team Colorado
Team Colorado Closing Ceremonies Party

Team Connecticut
Team Florida
Team Hawai'i Nei
Illinois

Team Chicago

Team Iowa
Team Maine
Massachusetts

Team Boston
MIT Knitting Olympic Team

Team Michigan
Team Minnesota
Team Nebraska
Team New Hampshire
Team New Jersey
New York

Team Adirondack
Team Long Island
Team New York
Team NYC Button
Team NYPD
NYC: Team Booze and Yarn
Team Sit 'n Knit New York
Team Western New York
Team Woolgathering

Team NC
Ohio

Team Ohio
Team Ohio Blog
Team Lambikins

Oregon

Team Oregon
Team Abundant
Team Close Knit Portland

Pennsylvania

Team PGH
Team Philadelphia
Team Philly

Rhode Island

Team College Hill

Tennessee

Team Tennessee
Team Threaded Bliss

Texas

Team Texas Knits
Team Simpatico

Team Utah
Team Virginia
Washington

Team Evergreen

Team Wisconsin

Specific Projects

First Sweater
Hurry Hard Handwarmalong
Sock Team USA
Team Blue Knitters
Team Clapotis
Team DPN
Team En-Gauged
Team First Socks
Team Germany Schal/Shawl and Strickjacke/Sweater Buttons
Team Loom Knitters
Team Lopi
Team Odessa
Team Potter
Team Potter Icons
Team Rogue
Team Tempting II
Team TitBits
Team USA Sock Button
USA Team Cat Bed

Other Teams

Open to All

Curling Team
Drunken Pirate Knit-lympics
Injured Knitters
Off the Cuff Team
Team Angstylvania
Team Arrgh, Where's My Yarn
Team Deseret
Team Finish the Damn Thing!
Team Hooker: Crocheters Who Knit
Team Grad Students
Team I Hate My Project
Team Knitting in Public
Team Kvetch
Team Libra of the Undecided
Team Lion (Brand)
Team Procrastination
Team Rainbow
Team What the Hell Was I Thinking
Team WWSD?

Specific Groups

Dulaan Project Olympians
Team Briar Rose
Team Chattylibrarians
Team Crafts of the Wise
Team Elann
Team Knitting Chicks
Team Knitting Parents
Team Knittyboard
Team Pie (3WA)
Team Sybermoms Yarn Whores

Misc. and/or Multi-Category Buttons

Ancient Greek Button
Beadslut's Assorted Icons
Bob Costas Button
JenLa's Button Extravaganza
Paula's Button Collection

Alternate Challenges

Dual Olympiad: Knitting and Crocheting
Eddie Along - Enjoy the Process
Team Rather Bitch Than Knit
UFOlympics

Discussion

Knit_Olympics LiveJournal Community
Knitting Olympics Group Blog

Media Coverage

MAKE Blog, January 19, 2006: text
MSNBC.com's Clicked, January 19, 2006: text (scroll down)
SCAtoday.net, January 26, 2006: text
NPR's The World, February 3, 2006: text and audio
025.431: The Dewey Blog, February 6, 2006: "Knitting Pretty"
Blogging Baby, February 6, 2006: "Knitting Olympics: 423 Babes in Hand Knits by 2/26"
The Oregonian, February 8, 2006: "Knitting for the Gold"
SVT 1, February 8, 2006: video (in Swedish)
Stockholm Metro, February 12, 2006: text (pdf in Swedish)
Time, February 12, 2006: Gold-Medal Motives
icWales, February 13, 2006: "Knitters pick up stitches as they eye Olympic glory"
PembrokeshireTV.com, February 15, 2006: "Pembrokeshire Purler Knits for Victory"
News & Observer Notions Blog, February 16-26, 2006, "Knitter Olympics" Series
The Oregonian, February 18, 2006: "Who will get to the podium for purling?"
News & Observer, February 18, 2006: Top Drawer
Aftonbladet, February 19, 2006: "Stick och brinn - det OSar ju succe pa natet"
Providence Journal, February 23, 2006: Knitters Go for the Gold (registration required)
NHPR's Morning Edition, February 27, 2006: Knitters, Start Your Needles! - link to audio
Anchorage Daily News, February 28, 2006: "Knitters go for gold during Olympics"

Other Links and Resources

Knitting Olympics Drinking Game
Knitting Olympics in Wikipedia History of Knitting Article
Olympic Speed Knitting Tips