Ravellenic Games--Endurance Knitting Made Fun

If you're a knitter, you've heard of the Ravellenic Games.  If you're not a knitter, you've probably heard of the brouhaha over knitters using the word "Olympics" and thought, "whatever Grandma."  This post is about knitting, and also about my being an idiot.  Fun for everyone.

So, last time we held a Knitting Competition Whose Name Was Changed was for the Winter Olympics of 2010.  I captained my team. I encouraged, I got them psyched.  And then a tragedy happened and I couldn't compete.  Well, I could have, but I was kind of preoccupied and didn't get any knitting done.  This time, Summer Olympics 2012, I was ready. I said, "I WILL complete my projects. I WILL lead my team to victory." Victory over what? I don't know. 

I cast on for some fingerless mitts and finished the first one in record time.  Mitt #2 took a little longer, but still pretty quickly considering my usual finish time.  Here's what they look like, unblocked.  I'm very happy with them. 

Yes, that time is correct.  By the time I was done weaving in the ends, it was 6:30am. I immediately cast on for my next project, as I was already behind schedule.  The next project just happened to be the Parseltongue Hat by Tiny Owl Knits.  I got a few rows in then decided I'd sleep a bit before heading over to Lauren's for a little Team WeHo Knit-a-thon.  I went to bed at 7:50am and set my alarm for Noon.  My sister called at 8:07am.  One thing led to another and I only got about an hour and 45 minutes of sleep before heading out to knit.  At Lauren's I made the statement that I "wasn't feeling the cables."  I should have listened to that feeling.  I came home, picked up my knitting and trudged on.  On about row 26, just before the snakes start, but after two rows of cables had already been done, I noticed something was off.  If the pattern says *P2, K12* and you repeat between * and *, shouldn't one end with a K12 and not a P2?  I started looking it over for mistakes and found this.  

Do you see that piece of yarn stretched across?  That's where I skipped an entire needle while working on the double points, or about 24 stitches.  It's about six rows down.  Balls!!  It's such a rookie mistake.  I started to unknit them, because no one wants to try to rip back and pick up stitches when cables are involved.  I unknit one round, which included cables and found that no only had I missed those 24 stitches, the cables I had just knit were completely wonky.  Some were twisted the wrong way, one was just slipped and not knit, one--well, I don't even know what I did wrong on that one, but it took me 20 minutes to figure it out.  In the end, I just ripped the whole thing out and started over, but AFTER I got a good night's sleep.  

Whoever said knitting was relaxing was full of crap.