Topping!

So. We're watching the Ravens game and I'm discovering what women all over the country should know. Knitting was made for football. Don't get me wrong, I love the Ravens (and the Orioles) but I found myself reading the mail, playing on the computer etc... until knitting. Knitting keeps me there by my husband's side, enjoying the game, commenting on the plays... you get it. But today I started a new project for Mr Mike, the owner of the shop where I knit on Thursdays. I have to turn the piece around and "knit backwards" so to speak every few stitches. It was intense for about 30 minutes 'till I got the hang of it. Suddenly Bobby starts yelling "TOPPING!", TOPPING!", "TOPPING!". I turned to look at him with eyes full of love, ready to care for him at the booby hatch. "What are you talking about?" sez I. "Touchdown!" he says gleefully, pointing at the screen. ::blink blink:: I was still clueless and clutched my knitting for comfort. "Pepperoni!" was next, and the light bulb began to flicker. There on the screen, the Ravens were celebrating a touchdown.

And so it went. A free topping on our pizza from Papa John's for every touchdown on Monday. Double if we win. We live in that in-between land between Baltimore and Washington. Thus, Papa John's offers their deal to both the Ravens and Redskins fans in our area. Ahhhhhh... life is good. And Monday? Pepperoni, Sausage, Mushroom and Olives.

Thanks Ravens.

::Back to our regularly scheduled blog::

I realized Thursday that I needed four coasters for our host on Thursdays. I had already felted one for him, and made another, but when I saw someone else's perfectly matched set . . . I needed to get busy. I may still decide to give him the mismatched assortment. After all, there will be lots (I hope) of different styles and colors from K1P2. I wanted to be unique. This pattern was on Dishcloth Boutique and I bookmarked it way back when we first decided on coasters for our gift. I was intimidated, but still hopeful. Since my recent triumphs in dpn, felting, Fair Isle and Cables (to name a few) I felt emboldened. I got out the cotton that my husband brought home to me one day when I was feeling low. I cast on 8 stitches.


I gotta admit, the pattern really frightened me when halfway across a row it said

turn (leaving 4 unworked stitches on left needle)

But I blindly followed the superior knowledge of Ms.Tejada and paying no heed to the roars and grunts on the screen, I had my first of 16 teardrop spokes. After sufficient praise from the husband (and the Pepperoni incident) I struggled to duplicate this feat. Something about starting on the wrong side threw me. But I am(Ahem!)a methodical knitter.




I tinked it back to the first teardrop and began the second again. Every time I finished a new spoke it . . .it . . . it looked just like the picture! I had to get the camera before I went any further.