Revving Up for Ravelympics

I have been laboring over what to knit for weeks and what Ravelympic groups to join. Don't you know that I would finish other projects (UFOs) and then be left with time to kill until the official cast on time. This can make a compulsive knitter nuts. No sticks and strings in my hands? What do I do while avoiding laundry and housecleaning? Look for a small project to whet the knitting appetite but of course!

Since I am trying to do a serious stash down I went right to the source of all of my efforts. I found a ton of single balls of yarn that needed to be knit down. So I picked this project to work on while I watched the clock until cast on time. The worst part of waiting was knowing that we would be on the road while I was waiting. It's hard to pick the right project for a road trip. I didn't want to over pack but pack enough knitting supplies that I could have anything I needed for a knitting emergency at my finger tips. So one small one ball project was perfect.
Here is the perfect short-term project while traveling. This is the Knit Baby Hats 1 by Sandra Huffines. It was knit on #3 dpns with 60 stitches. I found two half balls of yarns in a zip lock bag; Plymouth Yarn Dreambaby DK and Sirdar Snuggly. I don't know which yarn is which and at this point I don't suppose it matters. I just wanted to knit. So I did and when it was finished, it was perfect timing for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.
It's a wee bit blurry and the lighting isn't great but it's still a finished hat. It satisfied my need to knit, be a short and quick knit and it will be donated to yet another great cause sometime this year. I just love it when a plan comes together well... My model was another spare ball of yarn that was in the zip lock bag. It was probably between the size of an orange and a grapefruit. I think the pattern said it would fit between an 2-3 baby. I am not such a good judge of those kinds of things but it doesn't matter as long as it goes to a baby who needs it.
Then the opening ceremonies started and I cast on my project! Here is the pattern and the beginning of my swatch. I cast on and then measured the width and decided that it was outside the measurement specs set down by the OFA. So I went down to size 7 needles. I am using the rest of my Caron One Pound skein.














I made good progress while the opening ceremonies. I haven't done cables in years and years but found that they came back to me quickly. This Irish Hiking Scarf is super simple for anyone who is a beginner at cables. I really didn't remember how easy cables were until I got a good mojo going. It really was like riding a bike. I have made great progress over the weekend and am very pleased so far. I hope who ever gets the scarf likes it as much as I do so far. It is a bit stiff so I think I am going to wash and dry both scarves to soften them up a bit. I will post the finished project once it's done.