I LOVE the Olympics. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. I also love knitting, so knitting while watching the Olympics is like the double whammy of happiness for a couple of weeks. To keep from feeling like too much of a lazy slug during the two weeks I will be spending my free time on the couch, I try to challenge myself during the games by participating in the Ravelry Ravellenic Games.
The premise is simple. Pick a category you want to compete in, pick a project that makes you stretch your skills a bit, and then complete the project during the games, starting with casting on during the opening ceremonies. I love participating in these kinds of events because otherwise I would just continue to work on projects that I find easy. Pushing myself to learn new things or get out of my comfort zone sometimes requires a nudge.
I haven’t picked my project, yet. I think I have it at least narrowed down to the cowl category known as the Cowl Jump. Opening ceremonies is on Friday. I should probably decided soon. So my tip for this week is to do a little planning, find a project that you want to do that will challenge you a bit, and then spend the next couple of days getting ready by winding your yarn, finding your needles, and printing your pattern.
Some front runners for my project are:
All four of these patterns have been in my queue for a bit, and I already have the yarn I want to use for each of them. I just need to decide and wind the yarn before Friday night!