A Little Yarn On The Side

Bob:  We're here at the end of the 2012 Ravellenic Games with Ms. Sutton, who finished her third knitting games with 9 medals--certainly a personal best.  Ms. Sutton, how are you feeling after such a performance? Toni:  Well, I'm certainly pleased to have gained 9 medals--that's exciting.  I was, of course, trying to finish a few more WIPs and would have liked to have reached 10 medals, but with work and the garden and having company for several days during the games, I'm pleased with what I did get done.   Ron:  Now during the last part of the games, you did branch out into some other hobbies as well--finishing your 13th thread for the year on the never-ending cross-stitch and some new embroidered Christmas ornaments and towels.  Was that a strategic move or were you having trouble concentrating? Toni:  I think I was starting to lose a bit of steam in my knitting, and nothing is more motivating to me as a knitter than to remind myself that...

Bob:  With just 15 minutes to spare, Ms. Sutton has squeaked out a 9th medal in WIPs Wrestling: Ron:  She falls short of the 10-medal goal, but what an astounding last-minute effort.  Two medals earned on the final day of the games--that's some dedication.   Bob:  It really is, Ron.  There were some tense moments when the extra row of garter stitch Ms. Sutton added so the cast-off edge would roll to the inside instead of the outside caused some problems with the direction of the first row of the neckband, but her perseverance has paid off.  The problems did cost her the opportunity to go for that 10th medal, but three finished WIPs is still an outstanding effort.  Any word on what Ms. Sutton's next plans are? Ron:  No official word, but if this reporter had to guess.......   Bob:  Perhaps we'd better wait until tomorrow for the wrap-up interview...........

Bob:  With less than one day remaining in the 2012 Ravellenic Games, we're seeing what may well be the final burst of activity from Ms. Sutton with another completed WIP: which I believe is a balaclava, though it does bear a striking resemblance to the "Yip-Yips" of Sesame Street fame as well . Ron:  It does indeed, Bob, and Ms. Sutton is known to be rather a fan of the Muppets, though in this reporter's view, a silk-blend yarn is less appropriate for a Yip-Yip than that problematic stash of Fun Fur Ms. Sutton likes to ignore.   Bob:  She does indeed, Ron, though I think by now most knitters have generally chosen to try to hide or ignore any possible experimentation with Fun Fur and novelty yarns.  Not a proud moment in any knitter's life to admit to possessing any yarn that looks like it was spun from the hair of a shaved toy monkey.  It's a bit like the macrame vests of the 1960s and 1970s--we know of their certain existence, but no one has eve...

Bob:  We're here in the final days of Ravellenics, and it looks like the early burst of speed has definitely faded.  While the balaclava has seen some progress,    Ms. Sutton was seen in the sewing room today, and her dedication may be wavering.   Ron:  It certainly seems that way.  Will she fade entirely, or will she find enough dedication to finish the balaclava or the shrug before the closing ceremonies at 5:00 PM on Sunday?  Or are 6 medals Ms. Sutton's limit?  Keep it tuned here for all the latest updates?

Bob:  We're here at Day 11 of the 2012 Ravellenic Games.  It's been a fierce competition so far--but with 6 days left, it's impossible to predict the final outcome.  Will the WIPs get Wrestled?  Will the hats be dashed?  Ron:  I think we're all on the edges of our seats here, Bob.  Ms. Sutton is showing progress on the second sleeve of the purple shrug, and could be turning in another wrestled WIP any day.  With 4 projects completed or frogged and 5 remaining--with 6 medals already awarded--we could see Ms. Sutton buckle down surprise us with a record number of wrestled WIPs.  Bob:  Or we could see her run screaming from the room as we did with the Yoke-Collar Pullover incident.   I think even in a seasoned knitlete, things can go either way in the last days of the games.    Ron:  Very true , Bob.  In the 1990s we saw early knitlete Ivanna Pearl crack under the strain of the Cobweb Lace Luge and start knitt...

Ron:  We're here at the 2012 Ravellenics with a late-breaking update.  The recently sighted purple-blobby-tea cozy is beginning to look like it might be a sweater of some sort: Bob:  That's right, Ron.  Unless there is a bigger tea pot in need of cozy-ing than this reporter has ever seen, this is definitely looking sweater-ish.  I believe we can even see a finished sleeve of some sort, which may mean that this is more than 60-65% finished.  Could this turn out to be Ms. Sutton's fourth completed project for the games and seventh sweater for the year? Ron:  Keep it tuned here to the Wide World of Wool for all the latest Ravellenic updates.

Ron:  We're here at the 2012 Ravellenic Games, and it looks like Ms. Sutton has just broken her medals streak.  With 6 medals so far, unless there is some furious knitting tonight, her medal-a-day streak has come to an end.  Bob:  It's been an impressive run, but I think you're right, Ron.  There has been some knitting today, but nothing completed, and nothing nearing completion.  Ron:  With some big WIP contenders such as the Kauni cardigan, her streak was unlikely to continue throughout the games, but it was probably highly motivating.  6 medals is certainly a new record for Ms. Sutton, which could impact the rather impressive dedication we've seen so far.  Will she try for one more?  Three more?  No more?  It's too early to tell, of course, but we have heard rumors of company coming to visit this weekend, which could have a serious impact on Ms. Sutton's performance.  Will it slow her down, or even knock her out of...

Bob:  We're here at the Ravellenic Games on Day 4, and Ms. Sutton has just earned THREE medals with a single Gingerbread Hat: Ron:  That's right, Bob.  Not only does it earn medals in Cable Steeplechase and the Hat Dash, because this yarn has been in what is known as "deep stash," (owned for more than a year), it qualifies for Synchronized Stash Busting.  Bob:  This was definitely deep stash, Ron.  Ms. Sutton had actually believed that all of this particular yarn had been used up and had removed it from her Ravelry stash page, so we might call this "subterranean stash." Ron:  How right you are, Bob.  With the discovery of TWO balls of this yarn as well as the leftover balls from the ABC sweater, Ms. Sutton's stash has actually grown on Ravelry during these games.  This could lead to an inquiry into Ms. Sutton's standing as an effective "Cold Sheeper" for 2012. Bob:  It does at least raise questions about Ms. Sutton's organiza...

Bob:  We're here at day 3 of the Ravellenic games, and I don't mind telling you, today has stunned this reporter. Ron:   In completely unexpected show of knitterly dedication, Ms. Sutton finished her first WIP by 7:30 this morning: which gives her three medals in three days, and instead of being distracted by other projects, Ms. Sutton is more than halfway through a Gingerbread hat, which is cross-competing in no less than THREE events.  If Ms. Sutton finishes this tomorrow, she will have racked up six medals in the first FOUR days of the games--certainly a record for this knitlete and a strong showing for a knitter who has been known to take 4 years to finish just the seams and buttons on a sweater. Bob:  It is indeed, Ron.  If we continue to see this level of unexpected dedication, Ms. Sutton could possibly finish the 5 remaining WIPs she has entered for the games. Ron:  She could indeed, Bob, though that will be a stretch of both knitte...

Ron:  We're here at the first full day of the Ravellenic Games, and in a stunning display of knitterly discipline, Ms. Sutton has just earned her second medal by finishing a mitten ornament for the Holiday Hurdles.   Bob:  Two medals in two days--that is impressive, though could this mean that our contestant is getting distracted from WIP Wrestling even earlier than anticipated? Ron:  Shockingly, she seems to have retained her WIP finishing focus, and is down to just the seams and buttons: on the first WIP entry.  At 8:41 she's still seaming furiously, so we may see a finished item before the day has ended.   Bob:  Three medals in two days?  That would be a new record for Ms. Sutton as a knitlete--do you think the addition of a training camp has made the difference this year? Ron:  It's hard to say this early, but even finishing one WIP will be more dedication than Ms. Sutton has shown so far this year.  Still, she has five...

Bob:  We're here at the first day of the 2012 Ravellenic games.  Ms. Sutton has shown an early burst of speed with an early medal in the Frogging Trampoline. Ron:  That's right, Bob.  Not only has she frogged with great speed and agility, the icky blue acrylic yarn has been tossed into a donation bin.  We haven't seen Ms. Sutton part with yarn willingly very often--if ever--and that was a surprising early move.   Bob:  It certainly was.  Considering the bin full of Red Heart acrylic yarn she insists is for ornaments and other crafting items--not to mention the stash of Fun Fur recently uncovered--it's surprising to learn there is any yarn so icky that Ms Sutton might part with it.   Ron:  Too true, Bob!  Perhaps the recent sewing room shelf project has truly created a sense of moderation in our competitor. Bob:  That seems unlikely, Ron, as Ms. Sutton was seen to be briefly browsing lace shawl patterns shortly before ...

Bob:   With the 2012 Ravellenic Games less than 24 hours away, we're here with one of the contestants.  Ms. Sutton, as a previous knitlete, what can you tell us about this year's games? Toni:  Well, as you know, Bob, there's been some contention with the U.S. Olympic Committee that Americans knitting in something called the "Ravelympics" denigrates U.S. Olympic athletes, while having their uniforms made in China by underpaid workers does not.  In the end, it was decided that since the knitters had no unskilled workers to exploit for profit or sponsorships to sell to fast food and chemical companies , it would be best to rename the knitting games to preserve the purity of the Ravellenic spirit. Ron:  Has the controversy changed the games at all? Toni:  Yes--this year we have more than 11,000 knitters worldwide set to denigrate the U.S. athletes, and an event that normally gathers no press coverage has been covered by NPR, the Atlantic Monthly , Busi...

Bob:  We're here at the formerly-known-as-Ravelympics training camp, where the knitting world was stunned yesterday by an official Cease and Desist letter from the United States Olympic Committee, which asserted the term "Ravelympics" and knitting events such as scarf hockey "denigrates" the game's athletes.  Knitters worldwide surprisingly responded with something strongly resembling outrage. Ron:  They did indeed, Bob.  Rumor has it that the email inbox of the U.S. Olympic Committee was filled by evening.  I believe officials were slightly shocked by the fury of 2-million crafters wielding sharp, pointy objects whose passion had just been insulted.  I'm sure they believed that the grandmotherly-types who were clearly exploiting the Olympic fervor for their own nefarious means (fun) would assume "denigrate" was meant in its very nicest sense.  Bob:  In further developments today, the U.S. Olympic Committee has issued a statement :  ...

Bob:  We're here at Ravelympics Training camp with some very surprising developments. Ron:  Right you are, Bob.  In a sudden burst of activity, Ms. Sutton blocked FIVE scarves yesterday, without incident.....   Bob:  It looks like there might have been a little kitty subterfuge involved, but Ms. Sutton has completed her stretching exercises, and possibly even more surprisingly,  is on day 3 of what could become her endurance test. Ron:  Now this is earlier than you expected for the endurance test, isn't it Bob? Bob:  It is indeed, Ron.  We had expected to see a little more activity with the mohair sweater but some ongoing yarn thinning problems have landed it in the Project Protection Program, and we believe the sweater is currently in hiding somewhere in Montana and answering to the name "Beauford." Ron:  Certainly an unexpected turn of events, but with the new baby sweater already being on the third day, it's off to...

Ron:  We're here at day 3 of the Ravelympics training camp. Ms. Sutton is still going strong with the wind sprints, but it looks like she may also be moving on to another exercise as well: Bob:  Now this could be either the endurance test or the core training as it looks like the one-row scarf that Ms. Sutton has made so many, many, MANY times. Ron: It does certainly look like one of her "go-to" patterns, though it could be problematic for her "12 12s" challenge as there is no category for scarves. Bob:  She may be using it in her "catch-all" category of "12 gifts," provided that there is a single person Ms. Sutton knows who hasn't already received a one-row scarf.  Ron:  Good point, Bob.  We may be seeing some gift knitting.  As Ms. Sutton has just been spotted working on the mohair sweater, she can't yet be attempting the 10-day endurance test. Bob:  Could this sweater be a serious contender for the endurance tes...

Bob:  With the summer Ravelympics less than two months away, we're here at the Ravelympics training camp for Team Stashdown .  Knitletes are preparing for what could be the most grueling Ravelympics we've seen yet. Ron:  How right you are, Bob.  The winter Ravelympics follow closely on the heels of the most grueling knitting season:  the Christmas sweater smackdown.  Knitletes who managed to pound out a cabled men's sweater in the month leading up to Christmas are lean, mean, and hardened, so they're focused and ready for the winter games.  The summer games could be a different story. Bob:  That's right, Ron.  With summer vacations, hot weather making wool completely unappealing, and the general disgust often experienced by knitters who branch out into the cotton yarn family , summer is often a slow knitting time.  And aside from the isolated odd-ball knitter family, there is no general crafting mania building up to Easter or St. Pat...

Bob:  In a surprise move yesterday, Ms. Sutton abandoned the expected cornucopia-finishing and instead surprised us with a flurry of scarves. Ron:  How right you are, Bob!  We were predicting all 11 cornucopias to be necessary for Ms. Sutton to hit 100 projects for 2010, but seemingly out of nowhere came project 98: a pair of scarves that no one predicted.  Bob:  This certainly is getting interesting.  These scarves were a complete experiment for Ms. Sutton.  She was attempting to use a combination of threads on a rolled edge  and I think it would be fair to call the results only moderately successful as the edge doesn't have that nice finish that Woolly Nylon would have given it, but as Woolly Nylon has become almost impossible to find in Boise, I think she was a bit too desperate to finish the scarves to wait until she could mail-order the missing thread.  Ron:  We are certainly seeing a slight relaxing of project standards ...

Ron:  Here we are at Chateau Sutton-Goar and with cornucopia number nine being finished today, the question now is what will give out first:  cornucopias, quick knitting projects, or Ms. Sutton's sanity. Bob:   It's looking like an even race at this point. Ron:  It does indeed, Bob, though Ms. Sutton did manage to complete the Ravelympics sweater even after completely parting with her sanity, so anything could happen now. .........

Bob:  This just in:  with 42 days left in the year, Ms. Sutton has finished project 91  and has made astounding progress on the next 6 cornucopias.   All 6 are ready for the hand-stitching to close the opening and add the decorative cord. Ron:  That's  quite a bit more progress than we've seen from Ms. Sutton lately.  What prompted the recent burst of productivity? Bob:  Obviously realizing that Ms. Sutton was slacking off a bit, her newly self-appointed coach woke her up at 4:30 this morning to get cracking on Finishing Friday. Ron:  Theo's hard work has certainly had the desired effect.  Can we expect the same tenacity tomorrow morning. Bob:  Hard to say, Ron.  Rather than expressing gratitude for his help, Ms. Sutton has threatened to lock Theo in the garage for the night tonight.  Coaching certainly is a thankless job. Ron:  How right you are, Bob.  Poor Theo had to nap all day to recover from ...

Ron:  Things are still holding steady with 90 finished objects and only 10 to go.  Bob:  Frankly, Ron, we really haven't seen much crafting happening here at Chateau Sutton-Goar.  It seems Ms. Sutton has been temporarily derailed by Christmas decorating. Ron:  Christmas???  It isn't even Thanksgiving yet.  What on earth could she be thinking? Bob:  When I asked, I received a very stern look and no reply.   Ron:  This puts an entirely new angle on things.  We were expecting output to slow down over the Christmas season, but if Ms. Sutton begins the holiday season a full week and a half before the day-after-Thanksgiving kick-off, what will this do to the 100-project challenge? Bob:  It's hard to say, Ron.  With "Finishing Friday" coming up tomorrow and two half-decorated Christmas tree, anything could happen...........