Ladies and gentlemen! The Dish Rag Tag Finale!

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.

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