Team Romi

Team Romi of the Ravellenic 2012 Games are made up fans of Rosemary Romi Hill's designs. There are at least 85 pattern designs for team members to choose from. I chose the Live Oak Shawlette pattern that was printed in Knitscene Magazine, Fall 2011. If all goes well, it will be a triangular shawl with a wide lace edging that will drape across the shoulders (43" wide x 18" long). Although the sample was knit with Madeleine Tosh Sock yarn, I was committed to using up some of my stash and settled on a Malabrigo Sock yarn.

Daily Update: Up to Row 59 and the lace border is nary in sight.

Ravellenic Update

After waiting so long for the Games to begin, they started on Saturday and I was at spinning class! Thankfully we recorded the Opening Ceremony and I got to cast on and begin my Romi shawl pattern. Almost immediately I sensed something was wrong.

We were asked to challenge ourselves during the Ravellenic Games, but... well, I was almost out of the game before anything had really happened.  How did I stumble so badly during the qualifying trial? I met the challenge of knitting with US-5 interchangeable needles. (I never knit that small and had not enjoyed working with interchangeable needles once before, but this was challenge time.)

I got through the CO 3, turn, and pick-up stitches part okay. (Whew! Never managed that before either.) Smooth sailing? Oh no! I got to row 12 and the knitting was so tight on the needles that I couldn't work with it. Reading the pattern for the tenth time, I finally saw my mistake. Continue in pattern did not mean that I should continue to M1 Knit 1 as I had been doing. (What?!) No, it meant knit in stockinette for the following designated rows. Rip, rip, rip! 

Okay. It's looking more like a shawl a person might be able to wear instead of a doll. I made it up to row 39 by Day 2. Pacing myself now. This looks to be the easy section of increases and stockinette. Oh, wait! The lace border is coming up....

Let the Ravellenic Games begin!

It's not too late to join a team for the 2012 Ravellenic Games, but hurry....


Official Dates: 27 July-12 Aug 2012 
Official Start Time: 21:00/9pm BST London 
Mass Cast On coincides with start of Opening Ceremonies in London. 


I missed the Tour de Fleece, but I qualified for Team Romi. We are an international team that will win gold by completing individual projects designed by Romi (85 glorious pattern choices)! Of particular interest to this group are event categories: balance beads, lace longjump, shawl sailing and wips wrestling, but check out the complete list as it is (often) possible to enter in multiple categories.


You must join Ravelry to participate, and that is a good thing in and of itself.

Honeycomb Dish Cloths

Have moved from face cloths to dish cloths. Michael's has been discounting Lily's Scrubby yarn. It's a cotton tape with a fringed edge. I hope it works well as a dish cloth with tooth. I find it is a little irritating to the skin to work with. Anyway, for the following pattern, one ball of regular Sugar'n Cream 100% cotton will be just enough for 4 dish cloths, but one ball of Scrubby will only make two dish cloths. (Pattern courtesy of Lily.)

Honeycomb Dish Cloths
Finished size: 9x9" approx.
Gauge not critical
US 8 knitting needles
MC: Sugar'n Cream regular 100% cotton yarn
Scrubby: Sugar'n Cream Scrubby 100% cotton yarn

CO 33
R1 (WS) with MC: Knit row
R2 (RS) with Scrubby: K4, *Sl1P, K5, Rep from * to last 4, K4
R3 with Scrubby: K4, *yf, Sl1P, yb, K5, Rep from * to last 4, K4
R4 - 5: repeat R 2 - 3
R6 - 7 with MC: knit
R8 with Scrubby: K1, *Sl1P, K5, Rep from * to last 1, K1
R9 with Scrubby: K1, *yf, Sl1P, yb, K5, Rep from * to last 1, K1
R10 - 11: repeat R 8 -9
R12 with MC: knit
Repeat rows 1-12 five more times
BO with MC

Sl1P: Slip next stitch purlwise
yf: bring yarn forward
yb: bring yarn to back

Water

Can you see him ... or her? This lizard was so thirsty that s/he ran across half the yard to get a drink. It certainly couldn't see it dribbling out of a hose on the ground. Did it hear the sound of running water? Does water have a smell or alter the taste in the air? How did it know water was flowing?  The fact that I was there was immaterial until s/he had drunk it's fill. Then it took a moment to glance at me and consider its situation. And took another long drink.

Years ago, the little lawn in the front was the first victim to water conservation. It was replaced by blue shale gravel, which didn't offer quite the same luxurious effect. More and more, the front yard is reverting to its native state as we relocate thirsty plants to areas where we can water by drip line. The native oak trees on the fringe of the yard are happy. It seems to me that they have grown taller and spread out a little more since we moved in. But there are still a few patches here and there that need to be hand-watered. The little troupe of bearded irises will be relocated soon. By then, I hope the lizard finds a new home.