It's Been a Frenetic February

Hello everyone - I am sorry I have not posted in a while, but design life has been busy here at chez Voie de Vie.

Initially, I hope everyone has had a fantastic start to 2018. The Chinese Year of the Dog is shaping up to be another eventful year, yes?

So, in keeping with all the momentum, I present the bevvy of designs that have been released in February. First up, the Trefoils Pour Toi Shawl, published as part of the awesome Malabrigo Yarns' Quickies Program, designs published each month that celebrate indie designers using one or two skeins of Malabrigo to concoct something beautiful, yet quick for makers to work up. 

Malabrigo has written a very nice entry on its' blog today providing their take on the design, as well as inspiration background from me and some additional color combinations. I do love how the variegated arco iris colorway on their Lace base works with the frosted pink colorway on Silkpaca, but so many color combinations exist. Malabrigo, those color artists, provide a rich palette for makers to have a veritable color field day when deciding!

I want to thank them for providing the yarn support for this shawl design. I absolutely loved working this up, and I hope all of the crochet shawl makers out there do too.

However, that's not all I've published in February. No siree Bob, not by a long shot. As many of you know, it is all things Winter Olympics around here, and that includes a new mini-collection! S(e)oul for the Gold is my ode to all the athletes' feats during the almost three weeks the world gathers in one spot. Of course, you know I have a look book for the collection, which you'll find at the end of this entry. Some of the makers on my Ravelry Ravellenics team have or will be making a few of the designs from it, and there's still almost a week left of amazing competitive coverage, so if you're game, don't hesitate to come on over to Ravelry and join team Voie de Vie.

Woot - February frenetics continue!

All Things Sochi ...

 ... well, almost. Initially, happy Friday my fellow friendly fiberistas. I am excited that today is opening ceremonies for the Sochi games. I really do love the Olympics (especially the winter games), so I am looking forward to the next almost three weeks of competition. Since I am only watching the regular NBC broadcast, I have actually temporarily removed the U.S. Olympic Team from my Twitter feed. I want no spoilers - I just want to watch and arrive at my own conclusions about things without excess commentary or spoiler knowledge. Here are some things I've noted so far (and the games have only barely started in my time zone):

1. Shaun White goes conservative - He pulled out of the new slopestyle event just this past Wednesday in order to focus on a three-peat gold medal in the half-pipe. While I certainly respect his decision, as well as his right to make it, there's something a little off when one sees Shaun White, the person who put snowboarding in the Olympics on the map, say he's not willing to engage a new challenge. I guess we're all not young and immortal forever.

2. Ashley Wagner Redemption - I am so pleased that at least one competing athlete has been willing to stand up in Sochi and publicly speak for equality. Now, I want her to focus all of her energy on redeeming her lackluster performance at the U.S. Nationals and just nail.every.skate. I know you can do it, Ashley.

3. All hail the new NBC games sportscaster - and I would not be talking about Bob Costas (whose time has so come and gone), but Mary Carillo. What a stroke of broadcasting genius on the part of NBC to make her the gal about town for the London games. She was just fantastic - from snorkling in a muddy bog (I cannot believe she did that!) to interviewing daytime drama stars, she covered the London games with style and massive amounts of good humor. I am looking forward to seeing Mary continue to be one with the host country's people - I think she will put a humanizing face on Sochi, and will probably have a ton of fun in the process.

Here's my progress on my two Forged Joy shawls:

I have another 1 1/2 motifs to go on the Neighborhood Fiber Co.'s green sample, and I'm only two motifs into the Centolavaggi gray version for one of my models. I should definitely complete the green one this weekend, and then work on the other during the games as one of my WIPs to complete.
 
A final thought on Sochi: several Ravelry designers have been planning a drive to donate proceeds from pattern sales to various human rights non-profits to counteract the recent draconian legal measures taken in Russia (Mr. Putin, you are just so wrong on all of this). Spearheaded by Bristol Ivy Designs, there will be an amazing list of independent knit- and crochet-wear designers worldwide who will be donating various proceed amounts from certain pattern sales throughout the games. I would urge and encourage you to head on over to Bristol's blog, check out all of the wonderful designers participating, and then support not only worthy causes, but also some darn fine designers.

The pattern-a-bogo in my Ravelry shop ends at the end of the day today, Friday, February 7th PST. Buy one, get one of equal or lesser value for free with the code "Patternabogo."

Now, I am ready to settle in for the games, but not before I head on over to Wisdom Begins in Wonder to see what's going on with Andrea and the farm. I do hope you'll make it over there as well.

Until the next Sochi installment ...

Ravellenics Wrap-Up

Well, everyone, the games are over. I am in games withdrawal, since I am an absolute, official Olympic Games junkie. No more pool poetics or track terrifics or gymnastics dramaturgy. Oh, and let's not forget volleyball of all sorts.

Initially, my two completed Ravellenics projects are posted below. I'm really thrilled with the two shawls I completed.

My Counter Revolution Colour Revolt Shawl,
from What Would Madame DeFarge Knit?

I'm still working on my Chi-Chi cowl, and that should be wrapped up in short order. I completely failed to work on a cowl that's been in process since February. I will get to it, I will get to it ...

Here are the things that will stay in my memory from this Olympiad:

1. The strength of womens' sports: I must agree with NBC's commentary that this was the womens' games. While several of the mens' medal favorites didn't live up to pre-games hype, the women, by and large, far surpassed expectations. Moreover, female team sports is where it's at. Full stop.

Remembrance of Great Yarn, my version
of Lily Go's Remember Me Shawl

2. Usain Bolt plays possim really well: Did he even run as fast as he really can at any point during the games? I'd say maybe (and that's a shaky maybe) in the final team relay event. Otherwise, I'm convinced he's still got more in the tank. Scary.

3. It's nice to see authentic excitement and exuberance: In our post post-modern, irony-filled world, Missy Franklin's genuine love of her time in London is exactly the breath of fresh air we needed. She has integrity far beyond her 17 years. Go Missy Go. 

4. Those English do put on one hellofa show: London has never looked so good, and British humor was in top form throughout the 17 days. Team GB also had a fine host run of it - good on them.

5. A final shout-out to our Miss Intrepid: Did everyone see all the places Mary Carillo went and all the things she saw during the 17 days? From Shakespeare to Welsh daytime drama to bog snorkling (yes, snorkling in a dirty bog!), high British tea to drinking green sports shakes with athletes, there was no place or thing beyond Mary's reach. And she reported on all of it with good humor and genuine fun. She deserves the gold medal for late-night games reporting. Hat tip, indeed.

Now, only less than two years to Sochi.

Coming Down to the Wire

Well, everyone, we're almost at the Olympic Closing Ceremonies. I don't have much this Friday, because I'm trying to finish up my fibery projects. I've completed one, and have another two in process ... so I'll have purty stuff to show off next week.

In the meantime, a few commenters from last week were impressed with South Africa's Oscar Pistorius (as am I). As he and his teammates get ready for their surprise 4x400 final, Pistorius' advantaged/disadvantaged status reminds me of that excellent Kurt Vonnegut short story, Harrison Bergeron. Vonnegut's opening gambit sets the scene beautifully:

"The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General."

A thought: would you want to live in Vonnegut's dystopic world? Do you think Pistorius has an advantage? I love how this athlete has made all of us pause to consider the nature of fairness ... and how he has brought out the best spirit in his competitors.

Take that, o ladies of badminton.

Do make certain you head on over to Andrea's blog to check out what everyone else is doing this week. To not do so would definitely be unfair.

Anyone for a little British Wool?

South Kensington, where I had mashed peas for the first time (that I
can recall - there's no telling what I ate as a wee infant), summer 2000.

Recently, a writer friend of mine commented in correspond-ence that he was excited for all of the cultural events involved in or around the London 2012 Summer Olympic games (he'll be traveling to London just after the games end). At the time, I couldn't have agreed more.

Now, however, I absolutely can agree more. Why? Because it was just recently announced that as part of the opening ceremonies, 30 sheep and 3 sheepdogs will be included. It's a nod to the British countryside, in case you were looking for the link between sheep and the Games' opening ceremonies.

Of course, we fiber lovers need no excuse for this sheepy inclusion. However, it gets even better - Woolsack, an initiative to promote British wool's use and history, is part of the 2012 Cultural Olympiad. For everyone who might not be aware (of which I was one until just recently), a woolsack is an actual cushion, covered in red cloth, and is a part of the physical chair of the Lord Speaker in the British House of Lords.

And now for the gateau's icing: Jane (aka JaneKAL on Ravelry) has been and continues to be one of the people spearheading the effort to hand knit and crochet cushions for each and every one of the Olympic and Paralympic athletes! Yes, every athlete competing in both games has an opportunity to receive a handmade cushion (using sourced British wool of course) as one of their remembrances of participating in London this summer. My mind boggles at how much coordination and planning is involved in this undertaking. Oh.My.Bob.

If anyone would like to make a cushion, definitely contact Jane directly on Ravelry, or check out her Ravelry Woolsack group to learn all of the details. Additionally, if you either are an athlete or know an athlete participating in the 2012 Olympics or Paralympics who would like to receive a cushion, follow the directions at this link. Basically, once a group contacts Woolsack, they can start the process of getting each of that group's athletes a hand crafted cushion.

A circus of another sort - summer, 2000.

How cool is that?

Now, if only those London Olympic organizers would include a few alpacas in the opening ceremonies ...

Don't forget to check in at Andrea's blog to see what other cool, yet mind-boggling fiber adventures people are getting into on this Fee-Fi(ber)-F.O. Friday.