Nerd Wars

For the past couple months, I've been in a competition on Ravelry, called Nerd Wars. It's tons of fun, but takes up a lot of my time. The competition basics: 3 month-long competitions with 5 projects each. You can knit, crochet, spin, or weave. While it's been challenging and time-consuming, I've discovered it is a great way to finish projects and meet new people. Here are some of the projects I've completed!

Tea Cozy for my Aunt

Baby Hat

Diamond Scarf

Jayne Cobb Hat Tea Cozy

My first ever Lace Shawl

Basket Weave Stitch Dishcloth

Waffle Stitch Scarf

The Wrong Side of the Scarf is Pretty

Success and Failure

My Ravellenic Games Team Ravatar

Official Ravthlete Ravatar

My official Scarf Hockey Medal!

The 2012 Ravellenic Games are over. I completed one project and received a lovely badge for it. Success!

 

 

 

 

Rose Tyler BoomTown Scarf

Unfortunately, I did not complete my other event(s). Most specifically, I did not finish Tinker Bell. She's still technically not finished. The pattern was just too confusing, leading me to have to frog a couple pieces, then start them over. Tinker Bell is still not finished, but I'm hoping to power through and get it done this weekend.

Tinker Bell's Current Condition. Boo.

So, I didn't get everything I intended to done for the Ravellenic Games, but I learned a lot about knitting. Specifically yarn overs, decreasing, and that ribbing in the throw(?) method is painful for a girl with tendinitis. Because of that, I'm thinking I may have to switch back to Continental. I'm almost a week out from the contest and my arms are still hurting.

Ravellenic Games - Day 5?

Rose Tyler's BoomTown Scarf - Progress

So, I'm not sure what day of the Ravellenics this is. I can't decide if Friday the 27th counts, or not. Regardless, this post is just to show the progress I'm making on the Rose Tyler scarf. It looks really pretty, though I'm not sure it looks enough like the original. The yarn coloring is finally getting to what I thought it would look like and not so pastel, so that's good. I'm just a little bit frustrated that it takes so much time to make. Knitting is slow. Plus, I'm not quite good enough to watch the Olympics while I'm knitting, so the events I actually want to see, I'm having to put it down. (Go Team USA Swimming/Gymnastics/Tennis/Beach Volleyball!)

I'm using a Yarn Bowl to hold my yarn. It was made by my friend Ariel's dad. And it is full of awesome. I've gotten so many compliments and tons of people want one. One person literally said to me: "Oh, when I start knitting, I will definitely use one of those." So, the actual crafting of scarves and sweaters and animals isn't enough to entice them to start, but a pretty bowl to hold yarn is. :)

Ravellenic Games 2012

Rose Tyler's BoomTown Scarf (modified)

TinkerBell's head

The Ravellenic Games have begun! Ravelry, a site for yarn-enthusiasts, hosts a competition every two years (during the two weeks of the Olympics). People all over the world join teams and get to crocheting, knitting, weaving, and other yarn-related events.

There are different sport-themed events. I'm participating in Scarf Hockey, Toy Toss, and Holiday Hurdles.

I'm on two teams, Team TARDIS and Team Disney.
For Scarf Hockey I'm making the Rose Tyler scarf from BoomTown (Doctor Who).
For Toy Toss I'm making an amigurumi TinkerBell.
And for Holiday Hurdles I'm making some TARDIS ornaments...if I can finish the other two projects first. :)

Scarves

Scarves and stuffed animals for the Not-Nieces-Because-They're-Cousins. I was actually pretty amazed how well they matched since I bought the yarn and the animals separately. The scarves are made of Lily Sugar & Cream variegated yarns.

This is the One-Hour-Scarf, a pattern I found on Ravelry. I probably shouldn't have used such bulky yarn (I used Softee Chunky) because it uses three strands held together. Its really pretty, but it is definitely warm. Probably just a little too warm for the San Diego climate.

I call this the Seahawk Peacock Scarf. I made it for the 2011 Pay-It-Forward gift exchange. It's one of my favorite scarves because it's simple and fast, but looks gorgeous.