Let the Games Begin . . .

Originally, I planned on knitting this hat during the Olympics this year, but ToolMan put the kibosh on that idea. And frankly, after the last couple of stranded work hats, I wasn't all that enthusiastic about it anyway.

I needed something to work on during the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night; something I could pick up and put down, something that wouldn't take a great deal of concentration so I could watch the show; something like traveling socks. I've been working on a pair while MAX riding; I've turned the heels on both of them and have picked up the gusset on one. Perfect! Plain stockinette with only the gusset decreases to distract me.

ToolMan and I got the dog fed and walked, dinner made and eaten, drinks filled, snacks assembled, and settled in for the show. And, man, what a show it was! Both of us were glued to our seats. And the socks never left the basket beside my chair. As much as ToolMan and I love the Olympics, we've never felt compelled to buy videos or DVDs of the opening ceremonies or games. Until now. In fact, I've already been surfing the 'net to see if I can find out when they'll be available. I can hardly wait to see the opening ceremonies again.

We stayed up (mostly awake) until the end of the show on Friday night, so we slept late on Saturday. We actually stayed in bed until almost 8:00, and probably wouldn't have gotten up then if we didn't have to feed Andy Rooney and give him his insulin shot. I can't remember the last time we were up that late, or slept in that late! Then we went out to breakfast at our new favorite breakfast place, did some shopping, and hurried home in time for the Games.

I needed something to work on Saturday afternoon while we watched the first day of games. Thank goodness I had those singles to ply for Michelle! I set up my lazy kate with both bobbins of singles and a couple spools of Sulky opalescent that I picked up at Joann's, and started to work.



The color changes in StitchJones' roving are beautiful! This colorway is her "Midnight Meadow"; the colors are simply beautiful. The little bit of shimmer from the opalescent thread really plays up the blue and green. I finished up the plying on Saturday.



And let it rest until Sunday, when I wound it off onto the reel and tied the leases so I could set the twist and finish the yarn.



Here's a close up of the yarn before processing.



I finished it as I do with all my yarns: It's given a nice soaking in VERY hot water with a mild soap (my current favorite is ECOS All Natural, which I use for everything, now); then when it's cooled down to room temperature, it gets actively swished, the rinsed and wrung out repeatedly until the water is clear. Then I take it outside and whack it against the deck steps, rotating after every 5 or 6 whacks. I also put my arms inside the loop and snap it several times, rotate and repeat. Yes, this does make the yarn full slightly so it's less likely to lose its twist, which I want especially for a thin yarn like this, but it also starts the halo, evens out the twist, and relaxes any over twisted areas. By the time I'm done abusing the yarn, it's almost dry. Then I hang it on a plastic hanger in the guest bathroom. If it's twisting a slight amount, I usually let it go, but more than one twist, or if it start to kink up, and I weight it with just enough empty hangers to get it to straighten out. I don't want to take the elasticity out of the yarn, I just want to remove the active twist so it doesn't kink when dry.

Sunday was all Olympics, all day. ToolMan, Andy Rooney, and I spent the whole day in the recliners in front of the telly with the Games on. However, ToolMan and Andy Rooney did get in one rousing round of "The Biscuit Game"; however, I don't think it will ever be an Olympic sport.