akabini

... still fun to think about.

Thanks for all the votes in the comments of my last entry, peeps!

And the surprise winner, by a good margin, was

TWEEDIE!

But here's the thing…
I kept thinking.

[Yeah, I know - Boy keeps warning me about that.]

I'm not getting around to my goal of finishing all my UFOs before the end of the year [that's UnFinished Objects, to you non-knitters], and a girl does like a sense of completion.

So now I'm thinking about working through my UFOs during the Olympics:
Gold medal if I finish all of them;
Silver if I finish all but one;
Bronze if I finish all but a few.

Time to go rustle them out from the boxes and knitting bags where they live to see what I'm up against.
But if it works, and I medal in this event, I'd get to knit Tweedie as a prize!

Win/Win?

Am I the only one out here who starts obsessing about completely irrelevant things when under the gun on a deadline?

I mean, frankly, there's nothing like giving your brain a break from the things that really matter (like getting 12 Unpatterns ready for launch in two months' time) (and designing a trade show booth) (and getting sexy marketing materials organized and printed) (and re-designing a workshop for trade show participants) by planning what you're going to knit in …

February.

But I got a little taste of Olympic fever when we were up north across the border (Victoria being deliciously close to Whistler, host of the Winter 2010 Olympics). So now, there's a part of my brain that's planning for the Winter Knitting Olympics, which probably starts when we're at Madrona.

For Torino 2006, I set myself the absurd challenge of whipping up Alice Starmore's "St. Brigid" in 17 days. And, to be honest, I got a bronze for effort: back and most of the front done in time. Had I not hit the speed bump of needing to add a full repeat for length (which meant ripping back the front neckline, a heinous bit of shaping - in pattern), I might have muscled through. As it was, I finished it before the … Summer Olympics were finished (yes, in 2008):

So this time around, I'm playing a bit more conservative with my goals.
Sweater? Sure. Charts? Perhaps. But no all-over cable craziness!

In the last 24 hours, I've settled on three top contenders, and decided to take it to the vote with you all (mainly so I can reclaim my prefrontal cortex for more important matters, like, um, work).

In the first corner: "Tweedie"
by Hanne Falkenberg.
Pros:
• size 4 needle or so (my fastest size … really!);
• no charts to speak of, just color wrangling every 3 rows;
• cachet of putting "Falkenberg" on my knitting C.V.;
• plus, I actually already own the kit!

Cons: well, none, really.
Bought this kit at Stitches West a few years ago after seeing one of the Madrona gals sporting it. Loved it, loved the shape, loved the colorway, and it would make a great addition to the wardrobe.
(Besides, I've been assured by others that if I knit this, my ass will indeed look that good in jeans.)

In the next corner: "Ivy League Vest"
by Eunny Jang.
Pros:
•Fair Isle a serious opportunity to show off chops;
•no sleeves to speak of (thereby vastly increasing chances of actually finishing);
•great color play opportunity before Olympics, and chance to use what I've learned from Feral Knitter in color workshops;
•plus a chance to use some of my Shetland stash!

Cons: well, none, really.

In the third corner: "Seneca"
by Jared Flood.
Pros:
• a chance to hop on the "I [heart] Jared" bandwagon;
• lots of stockinette makes up for the presence of sleeves;
• cool cablework, but only in a few select places;
• plus, I actually already own the yarn and the booklet!

Cons: well, none, really.

In the fourth and final corner:
One of the Official Vancouver 2010 designs
by Kristina Hjelde for Dale of Norway.
Pros:
• actually knitting an actual Olympic sweater less than 500 miles from the Games!
• lots of stockinette plus strategically-placed colorwork
• an official patch to put on the sleeve when you're done (we loves us our schwag).

Cons: don't own the yarn, don't own the pattern book – but Yarn Barn does let you choose a unique colorway! I'm thinking charcoal gray for the main color, plus natural and orange for the contrast colors.

So what say you, Gentle Knitters?
Vote in the comments.
The brain you save may be my own!

In our last episode, our fearless Sisterhood had taken Victoria by storm!

(By storm, not with storm, fortunately. We were quite lucky with the weather, considering it was late October!)

After landing off the Victoria Clipper and fortifying ourselves with an Irish Pub lunch, we scattered to the four winds for some shopping expeditions before reconnoitering in the luxurious corner suite of D&E to celebrate E's birthday a few days early.

[No snaps of the chocolate cake, as it was already being devourered by the time I got my camera out and ready. Chocolate waits for no woman! But reports came in that they had gotten E's name right - a point of contention and humor in previous years. Phew!]

The next day's highlight was - what else? Tea at the Empress.
The girls get dolled up for the occasion:

The Empress herself got dolled up for us, too! See the red ivy against the brick? Stunning.
High tea hit the four major food groups, too: Caffeine, Chocolate, Sugar, and Cream.

Watch your fingers and toes! We was hungry!

Some of us had worked up an appetite by getting in our roadwork of a morning... a gaggle of us went out for a 4-mile walk or run first thing. Virtue has its own rewards, in the form of lovely views:

And some man-made wonders, too:

Of course, there was yarn shopping - when would there not be yarn shopping? The Beehive took great care of us, as we swarmed in and swooned over all the Handmaiden and Fleece Artist in one place (yet another way it pays to be Canadian, eh?). E and C and Tropical Girl fell in love with some colorwork mittens, and the staff were kind enough to unpack a box of them that had just come off the truck. Tropical Girl even got some with her favorite shade of teal in it! Can't wait to see how those all come out.

I fell down just a wee bit... No skinned knees in the mohair department this time.

Left: 2 skeins Berocco "Sundae", a bulky, burly-yet-soft concoction at 2 sts/1" that will become something holiday-ish for Boy. (No spoilers!)

Right: 2 skeins Fleece Artist "WoolieSilk 3ply," in lovely browny-greeny shades. Destined for some sort of linen-stitch cowl, plus a beaded beanie from the new Churchmouse Classics pattern!

All that yarn fondling makes a girl kinda pooped. Time for a pick-me-up:

And then, in true akabini form, I found a great breakfast place on our last day.
Complete with knitted tea cozies!

And all too soon, it was time to head back home....
With the added bi† of drama of some weather out to sea. There were rumors that the boat might be cancelled, but our valiant steed forged on despite the wind and rain, and we made it home safe and sound late Friday night.

Thanks to the Clipper for our safe passage!

We are home a little lighter in the wallet, but also a little lighter in our hearts for all the great times and giggles. Anything worth doing is even more worthwhile with good friends – and I'd go to the ends of the earth bo†h for and with these ladies.

Knit on, Sisters!

A good adventure:

a) Starts at ungodly hours of the morning, with a view...

... and a new project.

b) Add a passel of great friends:

(Look at how they're sitting there, so well behaved.)
(Yeah, right.)

c) Whisk all of the above off to foreign climes:

(That's the boat we rode in on. Actual view from our hotel room balcony.)

d) Marinate.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Needles is taking Victoria by storm!
Lock up your yarn, books, shoes, and handbags!

[We're here for the rest of the week. Expect more hilarity.]

Who brought the gin?

[This is the fella who walked a half-marathon and then some to track me as I squirrelled my way around greater Chicago. Send him a shout out! I'm a lucky gal.]

Oh, and in one of those surreal, "The Universe Has A Sense of Humor That Rivals David Byrne" sort of moments, first-husband Stephen's baby boy George has a birthday today, too!
Shouts out to Georgie, who got this friendly birthday greeting on his momma's Facebook account today:

Dear Mister Big Man.
Clearly, you are not in receipt of our memo.
Further growing is not authorized, at least until you gain clearance
pending a house visit by the Unofficial Aunt & Uncle Squad.
Future violations will be penalized by withdrawal of car keys.
This is your first warning.

I mean, really. Two years old already? Sheesh.