Sunday, August 21, 2016

Revelling in my Ravellenics' Accomplishments...

Along with the ending of the Olympic games tonight in Rio, the Ravellenics will also come to an end.  Rather anti-climactic-ly, it feels at this point (evidently, Bobicus Maximus has been chasing his tail for two weeks and the "medal machine" has had glitches so most of us are still waiting to be called to our respective "podiums" to receive our electronic awards), but still...   though I'm ready to wrap it all up, I'm excited at what I accomplished.  And happy to show my latest makes.  

First is a Linen Stitch Scarf I made with Red Heart Unforgettable in the new colorway Tealberry (my prize yarn received from Red Heart last month).



Normally, I make these with two different colorways, but this yarn had enough different colors in one skein I thought it was unnecessary to use a second colorway.  Yay! I thought - over having fewer ends to weave in.  Well...  Of course, self-striping yarns don't always work out the way you hope.   Where particular colors lie, how long the color runs are, how large (or small) the piece is that one is making -- all conspire together to either make a beautifully striped, or oddly color-pooled finished object.  As I was making this scarf I concluded that I didn't want more than two rows of the same color laying side by side together.  And I couldn't have one color dominating one end of the scarf while another color dominated the other end.  Which, of course, kept wanting to happen.  Sigh.

So there I was...  with my self-striping yarn (that I thought would be a piece of cake to make one of these scarves with) clipping and re-rolling the yarn to get to just the right color in the skein (over and over again - many times needing to do this in the middle of the row) to keep any one color from dominating any one part of the scarf.  And of course, all those starts and stops meant ends to weave in.  I'm pretty sure, by the time I was finished, I had woven in far more ends than if I had simply started each new row afresh - alternating colors from different skeins, as I normally do when making one of these from two different colorways of yarn.

But I'm glad to say... for my tenacity and hard work, I will receive a gold medal (someday) for successfully completing the Scarf Hockey event.  Yay me!

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Next I finished a Coozie Disc for a medal in the Toy Toss event, and laurels in Colorwork and Stash busting:  



I see more of these in my crocheting future (like this upcoming week, I think).  They make great flyers and every one is unique.  Great gift ideas for kids and adults alike!

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Then, late in the games I was inspired by a post Casey wrote a few weeks ago titled "My Yarn Story".  In that post is a composite picture of a bunch of Casey's beautiful crocheted potholders and I decided I needed to start a cute collection.  So this week I did.  Here's my first potholder (for a medal in the Household Heptathalon event and laurels in stash busting):


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And then on Saturday, I decided to concentrate on finishing a doily I began last April.  It's called April Showers

Can you see the little umbrellas ringing the center?

I know April showers are long behind us, but last week it rained nearly every day, so it was a fitting project to work on.  This was my first attempt at making a doily, or crocheting with a tiny steel hook and a single strand of size 10 thread for that matter.  It's hard, let me tell you - especially if you've got middle aged eyes and fingers.  But once I got back to it, I actually found I enjoyed it  - in between sessions of rubbing the back of my neck as it got achy from holding this thing close and bending over it.    While it was challenging (for me) and tedious, it was also very interesting to watch the pattern emerge.  I think I'll be wanting to make some more.  Or, at least, another one.  Someday...

And that wraps up another YOP week and Ravelery's Ravellenics for me.   It was fun while it lasted, but I imagine next week to not be nearly so prolific.  To see what other Yoppers are up to visit our thread this week on Ravelry.



23 comments:

  1. Awesome job on all your projects!!! That is the cutest potholder!!! You did awesome for the games!!!!

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    1. Thanks, Dianna. I was surprised that I finished so many projects. And even more surprised at how many more other people completed.

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  2. That scarf is amazing. Your patience with it is top notch. The doily is precious and the umbrellas sure do pop once you see them. You have done well and surely will have many medals to show for your hard work.

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    1. Thanks, Marsha. This scarf is among my favorite things to make. It's different every single time.

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  3. Gorgeous projects, I really love the daily, and the umbrellas are delightful.

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  4. You are so productive! These are all great projects. I especially love your linen stitch scarf. That stitch pattern really brings out a yarn.

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    1. It is a fun pattern to experiment with how colors play together. :)

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  5. Wow! I love that scarf but after what you said you did I now know why it is gorgeous and why I probably won't make one! LOL! I do have a linen stitch scarf on my list but no yarn yet. You really did a lot! I don't get that much done in a year! LOL! Good for you! I love the doily too but not sure I would want to try it but you never know....never say never!
    I missed the olympics...first time in my life really. I love them but I canceled satellite and I had company so such is life. I loved the equestrian but they rarely show it anyway and I can go to You Tube and get my horse fix but I love watching all the sports. Glad you enjoyed them.

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    1. I ended up watching very little of the Olympics this year. I enjoyed the opening and closing ceremonies and taking in a few gymnastics and swimming competitions, but that was it. I think it's the least amount of time I've ever spent watching Olympic games. = ^/

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  6. All the snipping and planning of the colors paid off beautifully the scarf is stunning. You have really had some very nice finishes. I can't wait to see what projects you'll reveal next week.

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    1. Thanks, Lisa. Though I can already tell you... I don't think there will be much to show next Sunday. I'm knitting a simple dishcloth, but otherwise I'm feeling a tad lost after last week's marathon.

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  7. Awesome finishes! I love that you're starting a potholder collection, your first one is really cute!

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  8. Oh I love everything you made but especially that doily. I love the beads on it. It is stunning and a beautiful treasure for your home.

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  9. how nice!!! so beautiful, all your FOs! easy does it! God bless you!

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    1. Hi! thanks for your comment on my blog; your comments are a real and great encouragement to me, thank you! :)

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  10. Great projects! I love the linen stitch scarf - the colourway looks great. It also makes me feel guilty as I have one in my stitching basket that I have been working on forever...
    I tried crocheting with some thread and a tiny hook once: it is quite difficult, but a bit addicting in a way. I would love to make some pretty doilies in pinks and aquas to complement my Grammie's white ones. Keep going with the cute pot holders!
    Happy Days,
    Jenn

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    1. Thanks, Jenn. I'm looking forward to seeing you posting again. I hope you're getting settled into your new home!

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  11. Excellent projects! I love the doily and can see all the umbrellas :) You have a lot more patience than me to work on such a detailed piece, well done x

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    1. Well, it's a pretty small doily. I think if I do another I will go small again. The commitment is short and it doesn't take all that long to do (once I decide to finish ;^).

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