Ravelympics: Day 1 & 2

Yarno Ver: Hello, Bob CastOn. Here we are in a snowy North Carolina to catch up on inkle's performance in the Ravelympics.

Bob CastOn: Lovely day, Yarno. Let's hope the weather lasts. When we last checked in on inkle, she told us a little about her plans for the Ravelympics. Based on her past achievements, I'd say she's set herself some ambitious goals.

Yarno Ver: Let's recap her performance so far. She cast on for the Susie's Reading Mitts during the Opening Ceremonies while it snowed outside. Appropriate for a Winter Ravelympics.

Bob CastOn: There was a bit of a bad moment early on when she was confused by the turning row and noticed that her mitt didn't look like the picture. Luckily, the problem was quickly resolved by READING THE REST OF THE PATTERN!

Yarno Ver: Bob, it's a common problem in knitters of her experience. They forget that, despite several years of knitting, there are still plenty of techniques that are new to them.

Bob CastOn: It was a humbling moment early into the competition, but luckily for inkle, it only cause a momentary delay. The same can not be said her next mistake.

Yarno Ver: You're right, SSK. The first time she tried on the mitt, about twenty rows in, heartbreak happened. The mitt was too big. Much too big.

Bob CastOn: Really, inkle has no one but herself to blame for this mistake. She has prepeared for these events by knitting a swatch to check her gauge. There is no excuse for not doing the necessary math to check and make sure she was knitting the correct size. At least she caught the mistake early on and was able to frog the project and cast on for a smaller size without loosing too much time.

Yarno Ver: You're right. These are two mistakes early into competition that could have easily been prevented. It doesn't set a good precedent.

Bob CastOn: You're right, Yarno, but inkle finished the night with a decent start and made up for lost time in the early part of Day 2. She powered through a substantial amount of stockinette in the early part of Saturday afternoon. And then, disaster struck.

Yarno Ver: At 3:00 EST, inkle transferred her project to waste yarn to check the fit and see if it was time to start the thumb gusset. During the process, the ball of yarn got hopelessly tangled around her project. She struggled to correct the problem, but in the end, there was only one solution. The yarn had to be cut and a valuable hour was lost while she untangled her yarn.

Bob CastOn: A tangle at this point in the game is every knitters nightmare. It's discouraging and disheartening. You can see inkle struggling to keep up her spirits and not "throw in her needles" for the day.

Yarno Ver: If you'll remember, this is inkle's second Ravelympics attempt. Summer 2008 ended in disappointment - the project was finished weeks after the closing ceremony. For a moment, I thought 2010 was shaping up end the same way, but inkle pulled it together at the last minute and was able to continue knitting.

Bob CastOn: You're right, Yarno and for a few minutes, it was 2008 all over again, but that was the last setback of the day. In a test of endurance, inkle knit through the night and finished her first mitt just before midnight on Day 2 of the 2010 Winter Ravelympics.

Yarno Ver: It really was heartwarming to see inkle come back from that disastrous tangle and finish the mitt right on schedule. Hopefully she can pull out a medal in the Mittens Moguls. I look forwards to watching the rest of her performance in the Ravelympics.

Bob CastOn: Me too, Yarno. Now back to you, MakeOne Lauer at our headquarters in Vancouver.