JenLa

Pattern: Zetor Scarf by Jatta Soheltaa.

Yarn: handpaintedyarn.com merino lace in black, a gift from Hockeymom.

Needles: Addi Lace size US 2

Other: Knit for the Team Rubberneckers and Team Mission:Possible Ravelympics

Notes/Mods: This project started off as the Veil of Isis, but I couldn’t for the life of me follow the complexities of the chart morphs for the corner section and halfway through the Olympics decided that a change in pattern was required if I was to finish. My bind off (the K2 Tog type) was too tight to get the scallops in the edge, but I’m okay with it. This “scarf” is shawl-sized, though I will probably wear it as a scarf, actually. I did finish this project in time to cross the finish for a gold medal.

In other and far more exciting news, I have been given a 99% verbal approval for my leave request scheduled for the third weekend in October. You know what happens on that weekend, right? Yes, I’m going to Rhinebeck! I will be staying with my husband’s family and some of them may attend the festival with us, but husband and I plan to go both days. It’s putting a cramp on SAFF, but I might still make a day trip there on Sunday.

The festival of fibers type news doesn’t stop there, either. Next April 23-25 will be Stitches South. Stitches is FINALLY getting us an event down here and the best news for me is that it’s in Atlanta. If you’re in the south and you’ve never been to a fiber convention, you won’t want to miss this one. Stitches has loads of classes. No animals, though. It differs greatly from say SAFF or Rhinebeck in that it’s a much more commercially themed event, but it’s HUGE. I’m planning to take time off for this as well.

All the rest of the news in a nutshell? Jared has been up to Stonehedge Fibers in Michigan to begin the fiber mill building process and has also started working on the actual business of setting it up. We hope to have an operational mill by next spring. My brother is moving back in with us for awhile to save up money and help with the setup. We got between 10 and 12 inches of rain this week from the remains of tropical storm Fay, and boy did we need it. We made 9 round bales of hay the first cut and only got 4 a few weeks ago because the drought has been so bad. Up the road from us, a bridge was washed out, a huge low-lying pasture looks like a rice paddy and a road has been closed. Perhaps this next hurricane will be easy on New Orleans but still bring us another few inches. I’d love to get the barn filled to bursting with good quality hay before winter. As for me, I’ve been working non-stop and since the Ravelympics have been trying to spin up some romney/mohair with which to knit Cassidy in time for Rhinebeck. Romney is, after all, the sheep of the year for 2008. I don’t know if I can actually pull this off in time. I’ll keep you posted!

OMG OMG OMG, I can’t believe I fixed the blog. I broke it by upgrading WP, btw. And I just blew an evening of ravelympic knitting trying to figure it out, but yay for comments working again.

: victory dance :

We now go live to Wool E. Sheepleton at Ravelympic Village…

It’s a lovely day here at Ravelympic Village, and the games are in full-swing! Our story today is focused on one our two favorite plucky Ravtheletes. In the Ravelry circles, she’s known as KnottyLa, but here, where we know her best, she’s just plain La, and man, does she have a story.

Two years ago, La, suffered a crushing defeat, being unable to finish her baby sweater in the time allotted. But she persevered, and even after everyone else went home, she remained until that sweater was done. Was too inexperiences? Too ambitious? Not focussed enough? Who knows? All I know is that I hope she learned from her mistakes. Now, it’s two years later, La’s been knitting like the lean, mean knitting machine she is, and is hoping to take home the gold, for not one, but 2 teams! But she’s off to a rocky start.

In the beginning La suffered a self-imposed but not anticipated set-back. As you all know, La opened up the doors of her yarn store for the very first time on the same day as the start of the Ravelympics. Will this effect her outcome, or is it just a temporary set back? Are we in for the rally of the games, or yet another crushing defeat? We’ll find out.

The unanticipated part of the set-back occurred when she sold all her inventory and then had to process the orders in a timely manner. But all her packages are shipped so she can now focus 100% on her events.

Let’s check in now with the voice behind the scenes…Lana Lamberg, Lana?

Hello Wool! And I must say, it’s like a zoo here! Knitters everywhere, bits of yarn flying, ball-bands being flung around like panties at an 80s rock concert…and the click-click-clackity-click of the needles is deafening. But you know what? I’m in heaven! I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I was finally able to catch up with La for a few minutes last night between the dinner relay and synchronized showering, where she was able to share her progress:

That, my friends, is an almost completed sock. I was able to talk with her very briefly this morning and she said she had made some progress since the last time we talked, she’s casted on for the second sock of this pair, and has worked all the increases, and now it’s just a matter of working her way up the foot. Oh! And I was supposed to remind her to print out the Cat Face Lace Sock pattern for her second pair, which she hopes to start some time this early next week, if all goes according to plan.

Back to you Wool!

Thank you Lana! That just about wraps things up for today, and I leave you with a replay of the hanging of the official Team Rubbernecker’s Banner. What a thing of beauty!

I am Wool E. Sheepleton and this has been a Ravelympics 2008 update!