A Little Yarn On The Side

Bob:  We're back at the 2010 Ravelympics.  It's been 12 grueling days of extreme knitting, and I think the strain on the competitors may be starting to show. Ron:  I think you're right, Bob.  With just one sleeve and the button bands left to go, I think Ms. Sutton is starting to lose some steam.  Bob: The pressure of knitting an entire sweater in 17 days is extremely high, and not many knitters can cope with that sort of project dedication.  Not normally an extremely monogamous knitter, I've been surprised that Ms. Sutton has shown the dedication that she has. Ron:  Good point, Bob.  She's surprised us all by getting this far, and I think we might just see the end of the 10th skein of yarn tonight. Bob:  That would definitely make up for the lack of knitting earlier today.  There was the early deciding-to-try-making-pad-thai-for-lunch distraction, and then this afternoon, I was afraid for a minute that we had lost her entirely. ...

Ron:  We're back, ladies and gentlemen, at the 2010 Ravelympics.  It's been a tense 24 hours here, but with some quality tubby rubbing time the hostage situation has been cleared up and Ms. Sutton is back on track for the Sweaterboard Cross. Bob:  She's certainly faced some challenges during the games, but she buckled down today with new determination and we have definitely seen some major progress today. Ron:  We certainly have, Bob.  One sleeve is completed, the second is cast on, and for the first time it looks possible that Ms. Sutton will not only finish her sweater, but possibly finish it early .  Bob:  Anything is possible at this stage, Ron.  She's definitely playing a smart game right now.  She's knitting the sleeves on double pointed needles to eliminate the need for seams, and it really seems to be paying off for her. Ron:  It certainly does, Bob.  She's a much faster knitter than purler, so switching to circular...

Bob:  Here we are, ladies and gentlemen, at Day 10 of the 2010 Ravelympic games.  Let's check in with Ms. Sutton to see how she's progressing... Ron:  THIS JUST IN!  It appears we have a potential hostage situation developing.  Ms. Sutton's project is being held by an unknown assailant.  Oh, the agony Ms. Sutton must be feeling!!!! Bob:  Can we get a visual of the sweater-napper? Ron:  I'd say he means business--just look at those eyes.  Any word on the wool-napper's demands? Bob:  It's a bit early, but it sounds like he is asking for two hours of playtime and some extended "tummy rubbing." Ron:  A heartbreaking development, truly.  Keep it tuned here for updates on this latest Ravelympics development...

Bob:  Well, here we are just past the half-way point of the 2010 Ravelympics.  With only 8 days remaining, we're now approaching "crunch time." Ron:  This is the time when we'll really discover what our competitors are truly made of.  Bob:  Right you are, Ron!  It's time to separate the Fun Fur from the merino--sink or swim time.  We now check in with Ms. Sutton's progress.  She's finished the 6th ball of yarn and is almost done with the seventh, but she's now using two balls at once, so progress is going to be much slower. Ron:  True.  Now I understand that when she split for the sleeves, she opted to knit the back separately before moving on to the two front pieces.  Any speculation as to why she might take such a step? Bob:  To be honest, Ron, it's often hard to imagine why Ms. Sutton does things, but in this case I might guess that she wanted to move things along more quickly by not messing with three skeins of yar...

Ron:  We're here at the 2010 Ravelympics on day 8 and we're fast approaching the half0way point of the 2010 games.  Will our contender finish her sweater in time? Bob:  It could go either way right now, Ron, but there are unconfirmed rumors of a sleeve opening sighting.  If that is the case, Ms. Sutton could well be on target for finishing her sweater before the games end.  When the games resume tomorrow morning, we will definitely be looking for confirmation.  Will it be down to the wire.......?

Bob:  Here we are on Day 7 of the 2010 Ravelympics.  With less than 10 days to go, the competition is heating up. Ron:  How right you are, Bob!  Between the sweat pouring off the furiously-knitting competitors and the ever-growing pile of woolly goodness, there's definitely a warming trend here at Ravelympic headquarters. Bob:  As some of the contestants finish their projects, many of them are entering new events, but others are already looking forward to some of the upcoming knitting events, aren't they?  Ron:  They are indeed.  Of course the first one coming up will be "The Bachelor," where 10 women compete to knit our bachelor a sweater to try to see if ANY of them can survive the dreaded Boyfriend Sweater Curse. Bob:  Then right after that, we move on to "Knitting With The Stars," featuring 5 B-list celebrities who, never having knit before, will have to produce ever-more challenging knitted items until only one celebrity remains ...

Bob:  We're here at the 2010 Ravelympics on Day Six, and the competitors are definitely starting to feel the pressure after almost one full week of knitting. Ron:  How right you are, Bob! With only 11 days to go, it's gut-check time.  Will the project really be finished and does the knitter have the stamina to go the distance? Bob:  Let's check in now with one of our competitors--Ms. Sutton, are you with us? Ron:  Looks like we might have been disconnected there, Bob.  I thought I heard her mutter something about a gym and "warding off knitter's ass."  I think perhaps Ms. Sutton's dedication has waned slightly. Bob:  Too bad--she was showing such strength.  Can we get a shot of her progress to date? Ron:  Yes--here we are: She's now on the 5th skein of yarn, and if our calculations are correct, she'll need a total of 12, so she might be one-third of the way there. Bob:  Let's hope so, Ron, as the 2010 Ravelympics are ju...