Finally, I finished the yellow bathmat. Not quite before the Olympic flame went out, but soon after. And after consulting the IKOC (International Knitting Olympic Committee), aka the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, I decided I did qualify for one of these.
As Stephanie said:
I’m proud of everyone who gave it a shot and fell short, whether you finished or not you are now the sort of person who tries a challenge. I think (and I’m not just saying this because I’m that sort of person) that people who sign up for life have a way better ride.
And what’s more, as she also said, the “beautiful gold medal” designed by the “esteemed Mr Franklin Habit” …
has a vaguely naked man on it which was frankly, more than I had hoped for.
Over 4,000 knitters participated in the Knitting Olympics. Some, like Stephanie (well, actually, maybe only she), completed something mind-bogglingly complex. As befits a knitter of international fame, it was the phenomenally technical fair isle sweater she’s modelling below.
During the Oympics she managed to run the challenge, speak on radio about it, blog about it, do it and even steek into the bargain. Steeking is the arcane knitting procedure whereby neckholes and armholes are cut with scissors. Purely on her ability to do this without fainting, I’d award her a degree of difficulty of 9.999.
In comparison, my yellow bathmat had a degree of difficulty of about 0.85. Yet, I reckon it’s a 9.2 for usefulness and a round 10 for rusticity.
*****
I never thought a bathmat could be so interesting !
Congratulations on knitting the race and finishing .
ha ha, thanks :)
Even though you finished your bathmat only after the Olympics had ended, you still could have told the IKOC that you had finished before (I’m assuming the IKOC didn’t require you to install TV monitors in your home, electronically linked to IKOC headquarters).
The monitors will be next Olympics, along with truth testing (so thought I’d get in practice).