Irish Hiking Scarf--Belated FO Posting

This post is certainly outdated, but wanted to include it here nonetheless. This is an FO picture of the Irish Hiking Scarf I made for my MIL for Christmas. I used malabrigo worsted in sealing wax. The 2 skeins were very different, which is not unusual for malabrigo, so I alternated skeins every other round. I am actually really happy with the result--I like the color variegation that alternating gave it, and it doesn't have the drastic color changes that some people find when working on a malabrigo project.

I also really enjoyed the pattern. Like any scarf, it felt like it would never end, but I love the end result. I have since found some double-sided patterns that are very similar, and may consider doing one of those if I decide to do this scarf again. I sometimes hate having a wrong side on something like a scarf. But, my MIL loves it, and that's what matters!

Ravelympics 2010

It's official: Ravelympics 2010 is here! For those of you who think I've gone crazy, let me explain. Ravelympics is a world-wide knitting event that coincides with the Olympics--both winter and summer. Knitters (and crocheters, spinners, designers) compete as teams and individuals on ravelry to complete various types of projects. There are events to cover just about any type of project you can imagine. Everyone casts on at the same time (6:00 pm PST TODAY!), and has until 11:59:59 on 2/28/2010 to complete their projects. The different events have olympic-esque names (such as "bag jump," "beading biathalon," and "hat halfpipe"), and the event really encourages people to embrace the Olympics, not just the Ravelympics. It gets everyone excited about watching the Olympics coverage and cheering on their favorite athletes.

I wasn't a knitter during the last summer Olympics, so this is a first for me. Here is my plan:

• First: Cashmere Cowl, using Plucky's Cashmere Lace

• Second: Crisp vest, using berrocco ultra alpaca light in a dark gray, with white coordinating color

• And, finally, if I still have time, I will either finish those ailbe mittens that have been hanging over my head, or do a shawl. Probably the aestlight shawl

Of course, I still have other projects that I'd like to finish. For example, my clapotis (I finally started on the decreases!) and a pair of socks that I casted on this week. Those don't qualify for Ravelypmics, however, because I have been working on them too recently. To qualify for the Work In Progress (WIP) event, they have to have been untouched since 1/12. So, we'll have to see what all I am able to get done in the next coupls of weeks!

Second Mitten Syndrome

I am having second mitten syndrome. I basically finished my first ailbe mitten, but I can't bring myself to finish it. I really don't know why. I kind of love it and actually need a pair of mittens. But, I just simply don't want to work on it anymore. Since it's for me and not a gift, I don't really feel the need to force myself to finish it yet. So, I am just letting it hang out in the UFO pileto be finished one day, I promise.

How do you all deal with second sock/second mitten syndrome?

Brad Paisley Never Disappoints!

I have been to 3 Brad Paisley concerts in the last 16 months or so, and I have to say that he never disappoints! I apparently saw Brad years ago at a StraitFest, but don't really remember it too well. DJ and I went in August 08 when we lived in Chicago, and had a fantastic time! I never knew he was such a great performer and a truly talented guitarist. He is just amazing. And, he seems like a genuinely nice person. DJ and I felt "at home" at the Brad Paisley concert, given our country roots and the fact that we were living in the middle of the city. We really had a great time!

Flash forward about 9 months or so. I realized that he was coming back to Chicago, and decided to join the fan club to get advanced, vip tickets to his August 09 show. Am I glad we did! We got 5th row seats, and had an even better time!! After we moved to KY , I found out he was extending his 09-10 tour and heading to Lexington. So, of course, I had to go. And what do you know? I got to meet him!! I won a meet and great pass, through the fan club. So, after the show, I joined the other lucky fans and waited in line to shake hands, say hi, and get a picture taken with Brad. He was just as nice in person as I thought he would be, and I am so grateful that he appreciates his fans the way he does. Thank you, Brad!!



The show, of course, was great. He started off singing a few lines from "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive," which happens to be one of my favorite songs. He's never done that song before at the shows we saw in Chicago, which makes sense, because more people in KY probably feel a connection to that song than in Chicago. I appreciate that he considers what will impress the crowds. I think what I love most about Brad, though, is the fact that he seems to get the bigger picture, so to say. For example, his most recent album, American Saturday Night, boasts "Welcome to the Future," a song that looks at where we have come, but also hints at where we still have room to grow. For example:

I had a friend in school,
Running-back on a football team,
They burned a cross in his front yard
For asking out the home-coming queen.

I thought about him today,
Everybody who's seen what he's seen,
From a woman on a bus
To a man with a dream.

He-e-ey...
Wake up Martin Luther.
Welcome to the future.
He-e-ey...
Glory glory hallelujah.
Welcome to the future.

When I read those lyrics, I can't help but think about President Obama's election. Regardless of what we think of his politics or what he has done since taking office, I am truly proud that we finally have a minority president. Don't get me wrong--I know that it is not as simple as electing a black president; I know we still have a lot of inequity to address and a lot of problems to solve. To remind us of that, Brad sends someone around the city in which he is performing to ask children what they want to be when they grow up. He plays their responses during his show, often during "Welcome to the Future." In Lexington's show, you of course had the typical "I'm going to play Wildcat Basketball," but what touched my heart was the little girl who said "I'm going to be president." I hope she is one day, too.