The Doctor is in.

This was a Christmas gift I made for my husband's niece, a Whovian of massive proportions. Meet the Eleventh Doctor, complete with fez (Fezzes are cool!) and his most constant companion, the TARDIS.

This was Utilitarian crochet at its finest and they were a blast to make. I used patterns exclusively, but did have to spend a little time making revisions to get the coat to fit the doll properly. Other than that, you reads the pattern, you gets the Doctor. Nice. Oh, the hair was a little different. But the instructions are actually quite good and if you just do what they say, you will get good hair. Peasy!

Matt Smith Big and Cuddly Doctor Who by Nyss Parkes
Various acrylic scraps, size US D hook

The TARDIS was ultimately just a box, but it really benefitted from plastic canvas reinforcement to keep the edges sharp when stuffed. I cut four pieces, tacked them together at the corners so they wouldn't bulge, then affixed them to the top of the sides before I attached the roof. The roof was a simple square, which naturally peaked (with a little tug of the top "light") once the stuffing was complete.

TARDIS amigurumi by Army of Owls
Red Heart Super Saver and a size US G hook

We were out of town at my sister's on Christmas Day and didn't get to see our niece open it. A phone call and her post about it to Facebook were all the evidence we needed to know that it was a huge hit and that I apparently still have the fangirl touch. :)

And speaking of being a fangirl, she inspired me to give Doctor Who a try last fall and I have totally succumbed. I've watched all of the "new" Who (2005 - present) via Netflix and Amazon streaming at least twice per episode and some of them I think I've seen four or five times. Such good handwork watching. And I don't have any indication yet that The X-files are getting jealous.

Yes, it's a sickness.

Oh my, I just might need a Doctor...

Hehe.

Starting in again

Hello! I’ve missed you!

I’ve been knitting a crocheting a lot lately and I’ve been thinking about knitting and crocheting a lot lately. Like, why I select the projects I do, what I get out of the process as a whole, and how any of this is fulfilling to me. I’ve decided that, for me, there are basically four kinds of knitting/crochet and any given project falls into one or more of these categories.

• Pure Process. For me, this means mindless knitting but YMMV. I want to move my hands in the comforting way of pulling one loop through another with the help of an implement. Almost, but now always, this happens for me in the form of dishcloths. K1 forever. Okay, a YO once a row and some K2togs on the way back down. Watch a movie (or Misfits or Downton Abbey, lately), pull some loops without really thinking about it, and I end up with some dishcloths. Don’t really need the dishcloths, but then I’ve got them and I can send some to a friend at a moment’s notice.
  
  
• Utilitarian. I want thing. I can make thing. I do make thing. Maybe is an awesome experience and I have a blast *and* I get thing. Or, maybe does not get my creative juices flowing. Maybe is boring and tedious but not in a nice, mindless (see #1) way that comforts. Maybe is fiddly and difficult and not fun at all. But I want thing! Enough to put up with the crap. Oh thing, I hope I still love you when I am done.
  
  
• Knitting Class. Other than my Grandma Black teaching me to chain and perform a single and double crochet when I was about 6, I am a completely self-taught handcrafter. Most everything I’ve learned about crochet and knitting is from working other people’s patterns and seeing how things were done. Usually this is a great deal of fun. Sometimes it becomes Utilitarian crafting. But, sometimes Utilitarian crafting becomes a Knitting class. It almost always works out in the end. The most important thing about Knitting Class crafting is that it often ends up leading to the next category…
  
  
• Dripping With Creativity. Well, *dripping* may be a bit much. What I really wish for is that this was some sort of process that I just couldn’t help. As if I would just explode if I weren’t creating things from scratch and my own head and soul and my whole life was just about vomiting up some awesome. But it’s not like that. I’m sure it’s not like that, really, for *anyone* but there are some artsy types out there that make you believe that they’re actually that way. I’m really, really not. In fact, even when I do get creative and make things from scratch, I’m *very* systematic about it. And, usually I’m not doing it nearly so much because I will explode if I don’t, but because I had an idea and I want to be the one who does it and puts it out there. I don’t want to get scooped. I want it to be *me*. Me, me, ego, ego, blah blah blah. Sheesh, aren’t you bored of me yet, because I am.

I’m hoping to start talking about some of the projects I’ve been working on in terms of these categories. It will almost certainly be more interesting than straight-up show-and-tell and it just might start some conversations about why we do what we do as crafters. And maybe I’ll learn something about myself.

Oh self, I hope I still love you when I’m done.

Olympic snowflake Monday

I'll probably be a little quiet for the next couple of weeks while I watch a lot of skating and skiing. It's not personal, I promise. You should probably just go enjoy some skating a skiing too. It's pretty fun.

It is Monday, howver, and snowflakes are appropriate to the Winter Olympics, so I'll show off the latest - #3. Riveting, I'm sure, but that's what you get around here. If you haven't figured that out yet. :)


Ooh! Skiing! Bye!

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Can I go to sleep yet?

Don't be at all surprised if this post is completely unintelligible. I've been up all night working in the lab again and I'm 29 hours into a 30 hour experiment. I feel like many parts of me are made of rubber. Like neurons, for instance. And they're about to snap back at any moment. But I must remain alert for another hour and a half before I can walk home (in the bracing cold, which I'm sure will wake me right up and then I won't be able to sleep -- argh), so I decided to write a little something.

I finished my second Seraphina shawl, which is a good thing because it gets cold in my apartment! It's the only thing about living in a tall building with lots and lots of windows that I don't like. I have afghans to wrap up in, but they're just so bulky. This will be much nicer when I'm curling up with a knitting project or thesis reference. I love this colorway so much -- I wish I could find more of it. I took dozens of pictures of it in all kinds of light (that were available) and I just can't get a good representation. It's such a rich chocolate brown and bright, cheery sky blue (Carolina blue!) but the picture is a little dull. And you can't really see the poofiness of the boucle yarn, either. It's very, very yummy.

Seraphina's Shawl by Doni
Joann Sensations Rainbow Boucle in blue/brown
Size US I hook

So now I have only one project that I'm seriously working on, but I'm getting ready to start another. Both are for Gator, so I'm not showing anything until he gets them. I may have to start something else too, just so I have something to blog about!

Although I wouldn't be surprised if I need to rant sometimes about my new TA assaignment...

_____

The twelfth day

It's Epiphany, which means the tree should come down tomorrow. :( It's not that I'm so sad for Christmas to end, it's just that I really really like the fairy lights in the dark evenings. Maybe I should just string some up for the rest of winter. I should be able to find some super cheap. (The tree is pre-lit, so it's not like I can just [easily] take the lights off the tree and string them up alone.)

It's been a fun twelve days, though, full of get-togethers and much food and drink -- all of which I have no pictures of because I SUCK, but rest assured a marvelous time was had by all. :)

Now that the holiday is over, though, I can show you the gifts I made for Gator and his mom. Teena got the waterlilies drop-stitch scarf, which I think turned out lovely. She says it will match her new coat quite well.

Drop Stitch Scarf by Christine
Red Heart Super Saver Ombres in colorway Monet
Size US 8 straight aluminum needles

Gator's present this year was pure fun. I've made him hats and a scarf and socks and I was running out of ideas of things to make for him that he'd actually appreciate. It came up during a phone call that he would like a stuffed animal ('cause he's totally secure in his masculinity and super cool like that), so I tried to find something that was big enough to be cuddly. I found the Animal Pillows pattern on Ravelry, modified the nose so that it's more of a muzzle, and totally winged it for the eyes (the googly eyes alone were much too small!). It's purple because that's his favorite. I call him Pudgy, but he calls him something else that I can never remember. I think he's pretty awesome and good for hugging, though.

Animal Pillow by Jennifer Down Under
Red Heart Super Saver solids in lavender
Hook size US I (5.5mm)

As for me, I got some really cool and awesome gifts this year, but the one I want to really show off, the one that makes me go "Squee!!", is my new microwave!!! It's full-sized but not too big, and has a moisture sensor so it will automatically determine how long something needs to cook based on its steam production! Science!!! It works really well and it's pretty, to boot!


This is what it looks like inside (this picture is mostly for Gator, who hasn't seen it yet -- sorry it's so boring, but be glad I didn't take close-ups of all the buttons and stuff):


While I was at the store picking out my wonderful new microwave, I also hit the 75% off Christmas decorations aisle. I controlled myself pretty well, I think:


This is all-metal and is pretty heavy. It's bright-colored and super cute. A fun addition for $3.75! Bargain!


This one, I admit, I have no idea what I'm going to do with. But I think it's incredibly neat-o. It has an eye at the end of each ray, so I can hang it quite easily, but it's pretty big and I'm not sure where a good place would be. Since we'll be living someplace new next Christmas, I'll worry about it then. In the meantime, it's quite festive on my floor.

I've also been working steadily on my latest Seraphina shawl and Gator's new socks, but photos of them will have to wait until next time. Oooh! Anticipation!

I've also been having non-stop lab frustrations, and I had better go face some of those right now. Thanks for attending my Christmas show-and-tell! Have a great one!

_____

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

First of all, I'd just like to point out that this is a real card that you can buy. Why did I not know this months ago??? (Click to embiggen)


It's been a nice and quiet Christmas Eve here in Beer Town. I mostly listened to the radio while I knit and crochet, made some more shortbread, had nice visits with a couple of people who live in my building, and surfed the innernets without guilt of any kind. Wonderful.

Now that the gift-related handwork is done for another year, I started right in on a couple of projects I'd been itching to get at. Gator gets a new pair of socks. I've started the heel flap:


I've also started another Seraphina shawl, this time made with Joann Sensations Rainbow Boucle in an awesome chocolate brown/robin egg's blue stripe. So squishy and yummy! I wish I'd found this yarn a long time ago!! I also wish this colorway was not apparently discontinued. I think I'd make about four dozen things with it!


Aside from the card I featured above, the other TOTALLY AWESOME thing I discovered today on the 'net was the Droidel. Oh yes, kids, your eyes do not deceive you -- that's "dreidle" spelled like "'droid". As in 'droids. As in R2D2. It's things like this that make me almost not hate George Lucas anymore. Almost. I had to print it, cut it out, and glue it together POST HASTE!!!


Then I had to spin him and scamper about my apartment singing,

"Droidel, Droidel, Droidel!
I made you out of paper!
And when I'm good and ready,
with Droidel I will caper!"

(apologies to the real dreidel song and anyone who thinks I'm making light of a significant tradition. I'm not, I swear. I genuinely think dreidels are cool. I just happen to think that just about anything can be improved by the addition of R2D2. And it makes me ridiculously happy. Happy's good, right?)

Another happy Web-related Christmas bonus: Amazon has a bunch of free MP3 downloads and right now that includes a bunch of really great Christmas music. Another thing I wish I'd know about a lot sooner. But better late than never!

Tomorrow I'm going to my friend Rachel's home for the day to eat, play Wii with her kids, eat, watch movies, eat, and possibly pass out in mid-crochet. And I'll probably call Gator every fifteen minutes or so. I love you and miss you, honey. Merry Christmas, my darling. :)

I wish you all a wonderful holiday full of peace, love and laughter. Merriest of Christmases.

_____

Ways in which I'm stupid

Well, I'm sure there are many, but let's focus on how this stupidity translates into bad knit blogging, the most potent stupidity known to knitters with connections to the innernets everywhere!

Last Sunday, I finished Inga's Haekelbeutel and was so excited to felt it. I'd never felted anything before! So I looked up instructions for machine felting on this here innernets (I'd read it all before, I just wanted a refresher before taking the plunge), gathered up my stuff, and headed up to the laundry room. I pinned it up in a pillowcase, selected a few pair of jeans to keep it company (and help with agitation in the front-loader) and set it going. Yay! Now all I had to do was pray that it felted well and shrunk up a lot, because it was SO very large and in charge, you guys were just going to laugh when you saw --

Oh.

No.

Hmmm. Yep, that's what I forgot to do. Take a picture of it before I put it into the machine so I could show before and after felting pics and you could see the dramatic difference. If there was one, you know. And, as it turns out, there was one. A big difference. Not that you'll truly appreciate the difference what with not being able to see it and all!! D'oh!!!

Well, anyway, here it is after two rounds in the washer and dryer and some shaping with the trusty steam iron (which you may notice I would use on everything if I could). I'd still like it to be a little more even, but it's terribly difficult to work with. Suggestions?


It's all thick and squishy and yummy and the stitch definition is nowhere to be seen. I still intend to line it, but I couldn't wait to start carrying it anyway!

Inga's Haekelbeutel by Inga Joana Mertens
Patons Soy Wool Stripes in Natural Navy
US size I hook

I've already purchased yarn to make a spring/summer version...

...that I will photograph before felting!!!

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Recovery

I've mostly recovered from my sickness -- just a little bit of coughing and sniffling left. But much better!! I no longer have that hit-by-a-truck feeling! This is a vast improvement!

So, since Anne and Andy have gotten hitched (and Anne successfully defended her dissertation on Tuesday -- Yay, Dr. Anne!!!), I can show finished pictures of their wedding gift. I had showed some of the in-progress photos because I wasn't sure it was actually going to be their gift for a while there. Here is the funky fresh ripple afghan in all its glory:


I made it as long as my sofa so it would be nice and big for cuddling up under. I also tried to photograph it with an artful drape like they do in the pattern books, but I think I ended up with more of a "here's what it looks like wadded up on the couch" vibe:


I attended Anne and Andy's gift opening brunch, so I got to see them open it:


I hope they cuddle under it to many a rousing football game this winter!

Pattern: Easy Ripple Afghan by Susan B
Yarn: worsted weight stash acrylic of many types
Hook: size US H

I also started on a Christmas gift for my MIL, that I'm calling the Waterlilies Scarf. The Easy Dropped Stitch Scarf pattern looks really nice in the Monet colorway of Red Heart and really does remind me of his waterlilies paintings. If the sun ever shines here again, I'll get a nicer photo that shows off the color. But for now, this will have to do:



Much catching up to do in the lab -- hope you're all having a fun and productive week!

_____

In which I try to distract myself from sickness

I'm home quite sick today, but as the medicine hasn't kicked in yet and I can't sleep for the coughing, I thought I'd make a quick post. I'll mostly let the pictures do the talking today.

Nov. 1 was my friend Anne's wedding. It was a total blast.


Aren't they adorable? It was an autumn-themed wedding with different rich shades of brown as the main colors. The (cheese)cake was stupendous:


I was a posing fool. I posed with Rachel:


I posed with Veronica:


And I posed with the bride herself:


I wore the Maui shrug that I crocheted (mostly) during the Olympics. I liked it. It made my little black dress more festive. You can kind of get a sense of it, but the photos that really featured it didn't come out. I'll have to just play dress up one day and have a photo shoot. Someday.

The wedding was awesome and I had a great time. Congrats Anne and Andy!!

Then Tuesday night, while I watched election returns, I finished all the blocks for my Inga's Haekelbeutel:


Yesterday I pieced them, but I'll save photos of that for later. Can't blow all my news at once -- you never know when I'll have news again!

Okay, I think maybe I can try sleeping now. ::cough, cough:: Well, maybe not.

_____

Yes, I said "doody"

There are two amazing things about this post:

1. I'm posting two days in a row. This hasn't happened since sometime in July. I even think I have something to blog about tomorrow. It's like I'm on fire or something!
   
2. I have a snowflake for Snowflake Mondays. (Judy! Lookie!) This hasn't happened this year. It's horrifying. Or, rather, it's going to be horrifying when the holidays come and I realize I have no snowflakes because I was a doody-butt slacker all year and didn't make any flakes. ::sigh::

But today -- today -- I am victorious! I have one cute little snowflake!

#15 from 99 Snowflakes by Leisure Arts
Design by Helen Milinkovich Milton
Made with size 10 Knit Cro-Sheen by J.P. Coats in White
and a #6 steel hook

Yesterday I also started a new fall purse. It's also the first time I've worked with Patons Soy Wool Stripes and can I just tell you how much I love using this yarn? It's all slick (though not in a bad way) and cooshy (another technical term) and doesn't ever split. Awesome! So, I'm making Inga's Haekelbeutel with SWS in Natural Navy and I'm gong to felt it when I'm done. I've never felted before but I have a friend who has and she said she would help me. So I'm very excited! I've only got two squares done (I'll need sixteen), but I like the way the yarn is pooling so far. I don't think any of the squares will be alike, which is just fine by me.


So I'm just flitting along up here and all is well. And now I'm going to watch my beloved Broncos play on Monday Night Football, knit dishcloths and stop obsessing about my upcoming experiments. Maybe this posting every day thing will become a trend!!

For Pete's sake, don't hold your breath.

_____

Shawl we dance? (I should be shot for that one)

Yesterday I finished the Seraphina Shawl and it was a lumpy, stiff mess. I had really hoped that the weight of it would cause it to smooth out and drape better, but those were pipe dreams at best, I now realize. Here, I'll demonstrate:


Ew. (And yes, it was a hat day, what of it??) It didn't even look much better when I smooshed it out (technical term) on the floor:


See? Even smooshing couldn't make it lay flat.

So I blocked it.

"Now, wait a minute," you're thinking, "you said you were making this from acrylic! Acrylic doesn't block!"

Okay, so let me rephrase. I steam ironed it.

ACK!! Ironing acrylic???? I know, right? But I have this method, and it works pretty well, and I haven't started a fire or died of fume inhalation yet, so I'm going to continue to use it in certain circumstances.

Here's what I did:

• Lay the shawl out on the floor, as smooth as it will get.
  
• Fill the iron with water and set to "wool" (so it will steam).
  
• Very Important: Lay a pressing cloth over the portion of the shawl you are going to start with! I use a clean flour sack dishtowel.
  
• Make sure the steam is roiling out of that sucker.
  
• Run the iron lightly! over the section of the shawl covered by the cloth, hitting the steam button for all you're worth the whole time. Do not put any pressure on the iron; just let it do a bit more than make contact with the pressing cloth. And steam. Really go for it. Your thumb should kinda hurt from pressing the button so much.
  
• Set down the iron and remove the pressing cloth quickly. Pull and shape the fabric while it's still hot. You'll be surprised how much more supple it is now. Of course, that's because you just melted it a little bit, but we're not going to worry about that. Concentrate on the suppleness!!
  
• Continue moving the pressing cloth to other areas and repeating the ironing and shaping.
  
• Thrill to the sight and feel of your much less lumpy project!

It's ever so much nicer now! It drapes much better (and it's bigger now, too!):


And it lays out nice and flat:


And it drapes nicely on the sofa, too:

Seraphina's Shawl by Doni

TLC Heathers yarn in Blue Moon

Size K hook

So, yes! I am completely unrepentant that I ironed my acrylic project. I'll do it again, too! So there! Ppbbfftt!

:)

_____

Rolling scientists gather no moss

Things have been busy here in Beer Town. I've been reorganizing the lab since late summer in between running experiments and TAing cell biology. But, never fear, I found plenty of time to play and frolic in the waning late-summer days!

I walk a lot here in the city, but a couple of weeks ago was the first time I walked in an organized fashion -- my first 5K! Al's Run is a major event up here -- there were over 15,000 people running, walking, and racing wheelchairs this year. It was a beautiful day for a 5K, but for a walk, it wasn't much of a challenge. Not only is it not very far, but there were so many people, strollers, wagons, etc. that I never got beyond what I would call a leisurely pace. It was a little frustrating, frankly. But I was walking with friends and once I was able to let go of my frustrations, I had a great time. The shirts were cute, too:


You can see that I was proud of the fact that I'd become a number:


Yes, that's the reaction for the hydrolysis of ATP on the back of my shirt. The Biological Sciences department had a team. That was our artwork. We are complete dorks.

More fun was had last Friday night when several of my classmates went to Caffrey's a local pub for happy hour. We weren't very good at darts, but we had a lot of fun trying. Here, my friends Xi, Priyanka, Radhika, and Mae give it a go:


And while I do truly, truly suck at darts, it turns out I'm not half bad at bar shuffleboard. Who knew? I think I'll be playing that more often!

Last night I went to the rally to send off the Brewers to their first playoff series against the Phillies (sorry, Mr. Yarnthrower, but I really hope your boys lose!!). The turnout was enormous and I couldn't see a thing. I could barely hear a thing, either, but it was fun to be there nonetheless. Also, I have no pictures, but they would have just been of the backs of the heads of the 14,000 people standing in front of me, so just close your eyes and picture that for a moment. Wow, it's like you were there!!! We didn't hang around for the party after the players left the stage, so as we were walking back to the bus stop, we were pleased and surprised to see the players buses come to a stoplight right beside us! We waved, they waved -- it was the best part of the afternoon! Turns out I'm a science dork and a sports dork!! Tomorrow I'm watching the first playoff game with my friend Anne, even though I kinda have to sneak out of work to manage it (it's an afternoon game). It will be worth it! Plus, I figure, watched cells never mate, so I'm really helping my experiment by leaving and ignoring them! It's actually a scientific strategy! I'm a genius! Just give me my degree now, please!

Well, since that's probably not going to happen, I'll just plug along in the lab and spend most of my evenings doing handwork. The last couple of nights it's been the Seraphina shawl. I love this pattern, but I wish I had softer yarn to work with. This is one of those times in life when one cannot justify yarn expenditures when there are four Rubbermaid totes of yarn in the front closet and one's stipend just went down. So, it's stash acrylic and it's a little stiff. It's a very pretty color, though -- TLC Heathers in Blue Moon -- and much prettier in person than in the pic. I think the weight of the finished product will help with the drape.


So that's what's been keeping me so busy. Which is good, because moss is so hard to get out from between my toes.

_____

Bad news football; good news baseball

So maybe I just shouldn't watch football this season.

I hadn't watched any Broncos games until today and they were undefeated until today. Maybe I'm bad mojo. This is, of course, ridiculous -- my presence or absence in front of a television screen has nothing to do with how the players perform miles away from me. But as far as sports superstitions go, it's completely reasonable. I will ponder this possibility and decide what to do before next week's game.

Since I have no television of my own, I had to go to the Union Sports Annex to watch the game -- they have Sunday Ticket -- and it just so happened that the screen showing the Brewers game was right next to the screen playing the Broncos game. It was maddening. It's bad enough watching two different football games at one time, but to watch two screens showing two games of altogether different sports, both of which I was heavily invested in, was really difficult. Plus, the football game was horrible, while the baseball game was terrific. An emotional roller coaster if ever I've been on one.

Anyway, the good news is that the Brewers won and the Mets lost, so the Brewers are going to the playoffs!! We're all very excited up here in Beer Town, to be sure. Go Brew Crew!!!

Oh, and I made one and a half dishcloths while watching all of this. True multi-tasking, I'm telling you. I had completely depleted my random dishcloth stash when I visited my family this summer, so I really needed to start stocking up again. I think I'm up to around four. Many more to go!

Okay, so I know I promised State Fair pictures a long time ago. But somehow this pressure has become too great and I've just not been blogging instead of doing all the photo manipulation required to present such a post. And, since Yarnthrower reminded me that I made a New Year's resolution to not feel guilty about my blog, I'm permanently throwing that to the back of the back burner for the sake of blogging in general. So there, guilt! Away with you! Ppbbfftt!!

On to a little progress report! The Maui Shrug is indeed finally finished (the one I tried to do for the Ravelympics and failed horribly) but I don't have pictures yet. It really needs to be modeled to be seen properly, and that will require enlisting the help of a second party to snap the pic and looking decent myself for the picture. This will require planning. So it may be a while. I can't help it. I'm vain yet lazy. It's a terrible burden, I assure you.

My friend Anne's bridal shower was a couple of weeks ago and I finished all her gifts in good time and went on to have a blast at the event itself. It was held at a wine bar and there was quite a spread. And I couldn't believe all the gifts she got -- what a haul!! And that was just the shower!!!

My addition to the haul included dishcloths,


potholders,


lid hats,


and a market bag.


I put it all together and made fiber content/washing instructions tags for everything.


She loved it! Here's Veronica, Anne, Me, and Rachel at the shower. It was great!


I have also finished the wedding gift for Anne and her finace, but finished pics will wait until after the giving. Just in case.

Tonight I started the Seraphina shawl. I've never felt the shawl love, but this pattern is calling to me for some reason. I've only got a tiny bit done, so I'll save pics for next time. But I'm really enjoying it so far. In fact, I think I'll get back to it right now!

_____

Promises, promises

There's a lot to tell you about, but I'm in a flurry-of-activity place right now, so I'm going to post a little bit and make promises that I will post more really soon. And then we'll just see how that goes. :)

I tagged a project for the Ravelympics, though I didn't join any teams or anything. It'll just be between me, myself, and my blog readers. So, about five of us. It's the Maui Shrug, and I started it during the Opening Ceremonies at my friend Rachel's house while drinking wine and eating cheese and grapes. She knows how to throw my kind of party, that Rachel. I'm using sport weight yarn instead of worsted, so I went up a hook size and the result is that the pattern has less definition than the example in the pattern and considerably more drape. It will be close-fitting, so I think it will work out fine. I've made some progress, but I'm going to have to crank it up if I want to get it finished and blocked (such that acrylic will, but it will a bit) before the Closing Ceremonies. Here's my progress so far:


That's about 18 inches and it needs to be at least 42 inches. Here's a closeup of the stitch pattern:


I would have more done if I could work on it while I actually watch the Olympics. Why can't I, you ask? Well, because I tried crocheting while riding the exercise bike, but it just doesn't work very well.

Don't even ask, I'll just tell you.

I don't have a TV in my cute little abode, so to watch the Games, barring a party at the home of someone with a TV, I have to watch in the exercise room of my building (or I could go to a bar, but then I'd have to buy something, and I've become such a miser lately). If I watch in the exercise room then, ostensibly, I have to exercise. Most especially if someone else is there. Often there isn't and I can take nice, long breaks. But during my 2 1/2 hours of watching last night, I rode for 1 1/2 hours total. And during my breaks I was all sweaty. So, no crocheting. But I'll get the shrug done -- I still have plenty of time to sit around on my backside and listen to All Things Considered. Never fear.

Along with my increase in bike riding, I've also started a new little fitness regime. Last week I started the One Hundred Pushups program, wherein one trains to do, oddly enough, one hundred pushups.


Yes, I know. One hundred pushups. Every time I say that in my head, it sounds like Dr. Evil saying "One million dollars". And it sounds like a ludicrous thing that I, the queen of sloth and no-upper-body-strength, could never ever do. I'm doing "girl", or knee pushups, obviously, and for my initial test I could only do three. Three. And they were some of the crappiest pushups you've ever seen, too.

So I'm a week and a half into it, and I'm happy to announce my humble little progress -- in my max-out for the last two days I've achieved seven very respectable-looking pushups. Yes, I'm pleased as punch with seven. It is, after all, a 133% improvement in a week's time. And they're no longer crappy! My high school gym teacher wouldn't even yell at me to keep my butt down!

It's a "six week" (LOL!!) program, but it will likely take me the rest of the year. But I don't mind. As long as I stay reasonably motivated, I think I can really do this. I'll keep you posted.

That's all for this morning, but watch for coming posts about the Wisconsin State Fair (including Elvis impersonators!!) and my dream about The Apocalypse! Yes, it's all excitement, all the time, here in Beer Town! Have a great day, and don't get too wild out there!

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