Ladies and gentlemen! The Dish Rag Tag Finale!

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Get ready!

Set!

Ka-boom!

That didn’t turn out to be the beautiful fountain of sparks that I wanted it to be. But the smoke and bang were pretty impressive. And I took a picture of my foot while Michael was lighting the match.

All the excitement means that Dish Rag Tag:the Sequel is officially over! Box 23 belongs to the Gold Medal Knitters! It arrived Wednesday from Stephanie.

CottonJoy is a wonderful name for a yarn.

I didn’t know that Eucalan came in samples (seriously cute and tiny). In case you were wondering: chocolate covered blueberries are as delicious as their name implies! Stephanie’s pink and purple dish rag for Captain Cate makes me think of a Valentine. Beautiful knitting, Stephanie! And thank you very much for the treats.

Our final box is a little singed on top from the pyrotechnics. But after it’s harrowing stall early in the race, a little black powder residue won’t even cause the Rag Tag Bunch to bat an eye!

Carmen, who packed this lovely box, would like you all to know that the Rag Tag Bunch has not finished last in 2008, but first in 2009. How’s that for positive attitude and indomitable knitting spirit? I’ve added the Dora bracelet to Ellie’s jewelry collection (which brings her bling to three) and I am really looking forward to a Gardenia scented bath in the tub! I love the dish rag colors, I think that is one of my favorite colorways. I am sure your captain will like it too. Even though she is very busy looking at her new baby! Don’t blink, Jennifer, I vaguely remember when Ellie was five weeks old. Vaguely. Thank you one more time, Carmen!

Congratulations once again to everyone who completed the race!

Now that all the boxes have returned home, all that’s left are the Individual Merit Awards! And the Superlatives and the photo contest, of course. It’s going to take some time to get all of that together for voting, so be patient with me.

It’s a shame I didn’t think to work on that a little bit at a time.

But then what would I do for fun this weekend?

Dish Rag Tag: the Sequel Final Standings
1… Deuces Wild 9/24/2008
2… Rag-Taggers 9/25/2008
3… Dishrag Taggers 9/25/2008
4… Dishin’ It Out 9/29/2008
5… Cotton Queens 9/30/2008
5… Cross Country Knitters 10/1/2008
7… DISHY DOZEN 10/2/2008
8… Rag Olympians 10/2/2008
9… Dishrag Divas 10/2/2008
10… Phaster than Phelps 10/4/2008
11… Scrubbing Stars 10/6/2008
12… Rag Tag Fleet 10/6/2008
13… Rag Time Gals 10/9/2008
14… SuperSpeedyStitchin7 10/9/2008
15… Cotton Conquerors 10/9/2008
16… DishPaw Raggers 10/11/2008
17…Knitting Aces 10/14/2008
18…Magic 8 10/14/2008
19…2 Sticks and a String 10/14/2008
20…Expe-Dish-ous Raggers 10/16/2008
21…Ragtag Racers 10/21/2008
22…Sweet Sixteen 10/22/2008
23…Gold Medal Knitters 10/29/2008
24…Rag Tag Bunch 10/30/2008

The last two Dish Rag Tag boxes are here! I’ve got to take pictures! I’ve got to post! I’ve got to get the voting for Individual Merit Awards together!

But only after this baby takes a nap…

Sigh.

Entries for my little photo contest are closed! My goal to get the voting together for tomorrow!

I made myself a sweater vest.

I love the rocking chair, it’s got great arms.

For some reason, I made it enormous.

Curly curly curly hanks.

So enormous that the only time I wore it was when Ellie and I were sharing clothes.

Blue spaghetti. It’s what’s for dinner.

I want to make Ellie a sweater.

Drip dry in the tub!

I’ve got a sweater vest that I don’t wear made with a yarn I love (Creme Brulee) that is discontinued.

Best knitting purchase ever.

Reclaiming the yarn seemed like the obvious choice.

And now I’ll get to knitting.

Dear Anonymous Dothan Knitter, Michael says to tell you he’s sorry he ran off without saying good-bye at Homecoming on Saturday. He also says to tell you that it was very nice to meet you!

The socks for my downstream Trick or Treat Pal* had barely made it into the mail when the socks from my upstream pal arrived! This was such a fun swap to prepare and pack up for someone (I won’t say who, it hasn’t arrived) – and it is just as much fun to open a box packed for me by Wendy.

The pumpkin is mine but I am going to let Ellie borrow it. It’s “vintage.”

The yarn is from Twisted fiber art (they have some beautiful stuff). It reminds me of sugar maples and crunchy leaf piles. It looks so good with the fun pumpkin details like foam confetti and napkins! And get a load of that batty bag – I’m going to have to start another sock to fill it up. Or maybe I’ll fill it with candy instead…

But where is the pair of socks? Already on my feet!

I’ve only seen these in black and white.

They are stunning in color! But Wendy felt they were a little on the “scary” side (her words not mine – they are Halloweeny, Crazy Bright and make me happy), and so she included a second pair!

For when I am feeling more subtle.

I love them both. They feel marvelous, the legs are the perfect length, it’s almost as if they were..Dare I say it?…made for me! Wonderfully made too, with perfect stitches and a beautiful heel. I am quite simply honored (and humbled) to have Wendy’s beautiful craftsmanship in my house. Thank you so much, Wendy, you have made my fall.

*I’ve added the Details for the Spider Socks to this post.

Editor’s note: When I took these pictures, the tungsten filter was on. I wonder who changes the settings to tungsten and then doesn’t switch them back. The rain yesterday kept me from a reshoot, so I warmed them up a little in iPhoto. Sorry about the eerie quality, just pretend it’s Halloween.

I finished something!

Trick or Treat!

I am packing the rest of the swap box this afternoon and getting it in the mail! Then I can start something new. Like a cardigan for Ellie before we run out of cool weather. Or I guess I could finish that tree skirt.

Speaking of finished, the Sweet Sixteen box has arrived! Another team to suffer the blight of Dish Rag Tag hardship, team Sweet Sixteen recovered mightily to finish twenty-second!

Love the needle holders – all of mine have become cat toys.

The bracelet is so pretty and sweet, Barbara (the one in AR)! But I have to tell you, I am intrigued by the mints…if those work like the box says they will, draggy mornings (after long, standing-baby filled nights) are a thing of the past! Barbara created another beautiful dish rag, this one is destined for Tammy. Thank you so much and congratulations, Sweet Sixteen!

Dish Rag Tag: the Sequel Round-Up
1… Deuces Wild 9/24/2008
2… Rag-Taggers 9/25/2008
3… Dishrag Taggers 9/25/2008
4… Dishin’ It Out 9/29/2008
5… Cotton Queens 9/30/2008
5… Cross Country Knitters 10/1/2008
7… DISHY DOZEN 10/2/2008
8… Rag Olympians 10/2/2008
9… Dishrag Divas 10/2/2008
10… Phaster than Phelps 10/4/2008
11… Scrubbing Stars 10/6/2008
12… Rag Tag Fleet 10/6/2008
13… Rag Time Gals 10/9/2008
14… SuperSpeedyStitchin7 10/9/2008
15… Cotton Conquerors 10/9/2008
16… DishPaw Raggers 10/11/2008
17…Knitting Aces 10/14/2008
18…Magic 8 10/14/2008
19…2 Sticks and a String 10/14/2008
20…Expe-Dish-ous Raggers 10/16/2008
21…Ragtag Racers 10/21/2008
22…Sweet Sixteen 10/22/2008

SOCKS DETAILS
I am ashamed that I didn’t share this information earlier. My only excuse is lack of time. Also, I have lost all of my pattern notes but I will do the best I can. Here goes:

I started with the Flutter-by Socks by Library Girl. To get eight legs on each of the bugs, I modified the stitch pattern as follows:

Rounds 1,3,5,7: *yf, slip 5, yb, K5*
Rounds 2,4,6: Knit
Round 8: *K2, pick up four slipped bars with left needle and knit the next stitch dropping the slipped stitches over and
behind the stitch to catch them up, K7*
Rounds 9, 11, 13, 15: *K5, yf, slip 5, yb*
Rounds 10, 12, 14: Knit
Round 16: *K7, pick up four slipped bars with left needle and knit the next stitch dropping the slipped stitches over and
behind the stitch to catch them up, K2*

I think I used the same number of stitches, but I did substitute a round heel and used the toe I prefer. If I find the pattern and all my notes, I’ll correct this if needed.