Olympian Crocheting

As Olympians challenge themselves every 4 years; whether making the Olympic team, a new personal best, World Record, Olympic Record or most medals won by a single Olympian, I found myself on a crochet journey over 16 days of being glued to my TV screen.  A journey that I am sad to say is not yet complete.

I started crocheting THIS blanket about a week prior to the opening ceremonies.  The night of the Opening Ceremonies, I sat crocheting with excitement for the upcoming two weeks of sporting events that are rarely televised other than once every 4 years.  I really loved how the stitch looked, and true to my overachieving, day-dreamer tendencies I found myself thinking of ALLLLLLLLLLL the amazing things I was going to crochet, finish and blog about during the Olympics.  I mean, I was going to be sitting here there every night for 16 days – the possibilities seemed endless.  Just 12 hours later - the morning of July 28^th, after a good 3 hours of crocheting during the Men’s Road Race in Cycling, reality set in.  In all honestly, reality banged on my front door and all but bitch-slapped me because I was OUT OF MY MIND to think that this “simple baby blanket” of single crochets and skips was going to be easy……

Here was my progress around July 25^th or 26^th.  “Isn’t this going to be the most amazing baby blanket ever”, I kept saying to Jonathan while I lovingly ran my hand over the unique, blush texture”

Here we are after the first weekend of the Olympics - somewhere around July 29^th, and a solid, additional 5-6 hours of crocheting.  That Monday morning I felt horribly defeated.  I’m a fast crocheter.  With the number of hours I’d already put in by now – I’ve had other blankets DONE, or at least close to done (not looking like I just started).

The following week I started to lose steam.  We also spent the weekend of August 4^th celebrating our 1 year Wedding Anniversary, so I had slightly less time to crochet that a usual weekend

I still plugged along though whenever possible - here’s where I was on August 4^th. 

For those who are wondering, the blanket is being crocheted with a Caron One Pound in Cream and my favorite K hook.  I did make my base chain 34” vs. the finished product of 30” listed on the pattern – this meant I was aiming to crocheting “up” 34-inches…..somewhere around a completed 20-25” things really started to feel like I was crocheting backwards.  I’d crochet and crochet and crochet, chain-1, turn, and crochet and crochet and crochet for HOURS, daily and I STILL hadn’t made it to 34”.  By the second full week of the Olympics it became obvious that not only was this blanket going to be the only thing I crocheted during the 30^th Olympiad, but it finishing it by the Closing Ceremonies was worthy of a Gold Medal!

Funny side note:  One night after work while we were watching the Olympics that I announced to Jonathan that I would NEVER make this baby blanket again!  Jonathan immediately sounded  offended and hurt that I wouldn’t want our child to have the nicest, warmest, snuggliest blanket that I could make him/her.  I promptly reminded him that there are other patterns out there – our future children will not be without.  Since then I have given some thought to the possibility of being a more patient woman when I’m pregnant (probably not likely), or having 9 months to work on it vs. 1 month, or as my Mom reassured me, my baby blanket that she crocheted me is hopefully still safe in her craft room and I could use that ;-)

Here was my progress by 8/12 – I took this photo the morning of the 13^th to show “ALL” that I did during the London Olympics.  I also had to purchase a 2^nd pound of yarn the morning of the 12^th – I believe that all but about 2” of what you’re looking at above is a full pound of yarn!

I’m still working on it.  I finished the 34” – I’ve fully crocheted the first two rounds of the border – I’m less than ¼ of the way through the final scalloped round of the border – I’m exhausted.  I’d planned to finished crocheting on Saturday so that I could block it on Sunday.  Then I just wanted to finish before it was dark on Sunday to block.  By Sunday evening I was going to be happy with blocking it by Tuesday evening.  I’m leaving tomorrow night around 10 p.m. to go to Syracuse for the weekend, (I’ll be leaving straight from downtown after work to have dinner with Jonathan and then be dropped off at the airport) I’m not touching this cream monster until I return next week. 

Yes, it’s beautiful – I still love how it looks but I’M.SO.OVER.IT

Oh, and it has to be ready to be gifted on Wednesday the 29^th.  I know.  I’m a bit of an idiot for refusing to touch this blanket until I return next week – I will no doubt be up until after midnight on the 28^th finishing the border, weaving in ends and blocking, and then up long before I should be to weave in my ribbon, photograph and wrap….but you know what?  I just don’t care anymore.  I’m sick of staring at Cream

I currently have a couple of scarves that I’m working on – as something easy and mindless.  I’m about half way through the first one, thinking about making them both cowls – will post photos when they are finished – they are my travel projects for the plane tomorrow night and the hotel over the weekend!

On a happier, silly note – note only did Jonathan and I celebrate our 1 year wedding Anniversary back on the 6^th, but today is our “8 year datin' bananaversary"!  

Here is the “oldest” photo of us that I can quickly find – New Year’s Eve 2004 – just 4 months after we started dating

Our Wedding Day – August 6, 2011

I believe this is the most recent photo of us to date – May 20, 2012 – spending this much time with the same person really is the fastest way to look back and say “wow!  We were babies!!” 

That’s okay though – here’s to more years and Disney trips together than one could possibly count!

2009

2010

2011

And that concludes today's photo tour

Happy Saturday!

Did anyone watch the Opening Ceremonies last night? If so, what did you think? I could barely stay awake till the end and definitely took a bit of a "nap" during the parade of ceremonies. Glad I saw the end cause the cauldron torch being lit and the fireworks were my favorite part!

Here a quick shot of my Saturday morning as I watch the men's cycling. This blanket is officially the slowest thing I've ever worked on!

Have a great weekend all!

I feel like I missed out!

Ever heard of the Knitting Olympics? Well I hadn't until after the opening weekend of the Olympics. I read about it on a family members blog during my lunch break one day! Who knew such things existed, and why didn't I know before!

I can't figure out to insert the links to this post (if someone knows how to do this and is willing to share, I'd love to know!), but if you go to Yarn Harlot's Blog, or Every Day Crochet you will be able to read all about these communities that have been challenging themselves in the craft that they love over the 17 days that we all sat glued to our TVs. If you were anything like me, you probably sat down as soon as you got home from work and watched until 12-12:30 every morning. that's what I did. And I was miserable every morning at 6 a.m. when my alarm went off, and I was usually fairly miserable by 2 p.m. at work each day. But I would get home and do it all over again.
I could have started to work on a project once I heard about this "Crafty Olympics" as I like to call it since I spent more time crocheting that I do knitting, but would certainly find myself challenged to pull out my knitting needles and finish a project in 17 days. The problem is I really didn't get motivated into it. I did work on projects. Like I finished an adorable St. Patty's Day door hanger for Grannie that I designed in my head and worked very hard on last weekend to get it to look right and just mailed it off to her this morning. The problem with that is, a 12"x3" piece of plastic canvas is not challenge to me! I have a pile of Granny squares that one day will be a blanket that I am working on, and I actually started to knit a scarf after learning a new stitch from a friend, but each night the projects sat there staring at me like a puppy who wants attention. I just had no desire to sit up and actually concentrate on them. Weird for me right?

I'm sitting here now, I just finished reading about the finish projects and pride felt by some Knitting Olympians and I find myself angry that I didn't try harder because I now have to wait until London 2012 to partake. Even worse, it'll probably be more likely that I have to wait until Soshi 2014 because I don't spend much time knitting/crocheting in the summer months of DC. No amount of air conditioning alleviates the sweaty hands I get holding onto yarn in August!

The only way I feel slightly better is thinking of Mom's purple blanket that I did finish, but long before the Opening Ceremonies. I finished that early on in Blizzard #1 of February, I believe even before Snow Day #1 (of 4) hit because I no longer wanted to have to keep working on it! That blanket was certainly a challenge. It is to date the biggest project I've ever started AND completed, and while it's not perfect I am very proud that I finished it. It's just beautiful. You're going to have to take my word for now as I still haven't gotten my pictures on a thumb drive to bring with me! Maybe tonight :-)

My only hope now is to get my motivation back and finish the blanket I'm currently working on! I have 3 or 4 more already at the start gate (have the yarn and everything). Unlike how I am with plastic canvas and scarves/hats/pillow though, I've really gotta work one blanket at a time, it's just too much yarn sitting around for just one project.

I'm planning to come home the end of April and I have a few things that I do need to make by then as well as gifts, wow I think I need to make a list and get some things in order so I'm not racing till the last minute! I always do that too. I said at Christmas time that I had decided on some gifts for family for next Christmas and that I was going to have them made and put away for December by Jan 31st.......then I started the famous purple blanket and needless to say, I have many things I need to make still!