Tag Archives: London 2012

Stealth knitting

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I’ve spent the weekend doing some stealth knitting:

I’m not willing to tell you what it is yet (it’s a surprise).  But it’s knit with Colinette Yarns Point 5 chunky pure wool in the colourway ‘Sea Breeze’.  It is a very soft, unplied thick and thin wool which knits up fast on big needles – I’m using US size 13 (9mm).

What’s really great about this project is that I cast on and started knitting it at the Olympics.  In my last post, I showed a photo of me with my knitting at the rowing at Eton Dorney last week.  Yesterday, we had tickets to see the women’s trampolining event at North Greenwich arena in London.  I had never seen this event before.  Did you know that these athletes reach heights of 10 metres above the trampoline?  It is like watching high platform diving, except instead of having an enormous pool of water to land in, they are aiming for an ‘X’ on a piece of fabric.  It is pretty frightening.

It’s hard to get a photo of this from the top level of a huge stadium without a telephoto lens, but that didn’t keep Doug from trying.  The above is a very cropped and blown up bit of a photo which shows the two Canadian competitors; one is 10 metres above the trampoline, and the other is on the floor awaiting her routine.  Here is a great photo of a competitor seemingly suspended upside down in mid-air:

We were thrilled to see a Canadian gold medal (the first of these Games)!  The Canadians nearly came away with two medals; here was the final score:

It was a good day, and a fun crowd.  It was our third Olympic event, and we have yet to have any problems; everything has been working like clockwork.  And here I am knitting at the Olympics, once again.  (The seats next to me were not empty; they were temporarily vacated while the family sitting there went on a food run.  The little boy, who must have been about six, spent much of the event saying ‘boing, boing, boing’ with every jump. Luckily, it was charming rather than annoying.)

Now, it’s back to my stealth knitting (this time watching the track and field from the comfort of my couch).

Knitting at the Olympics? Why, yes!

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Knitting at the Olympics?

Why, yes!  Doesn’t everyone?

Today we were among a very lucky crowd, braving the wind and clouds at Eton Dorney, the Olympics Rowing site, to watch hours of Olympic rowing!  The crowds were so great.  We were of course surrounded by Team GB supporters, but also by tons of Dutch, German, Danish, South African, Canadian and US supporters among many others.  Everyone was lovely, cheerfully cheering everyone along, winners and losers, regardless of nation.  (Of course everyone cheered for their own team, but enthusiastically cheered for everyone else too.) The TV coverage might make you think that this is all about medals, and all about nationalism; but when you are there, you realize that it is all about people, and sports, and making an effort and fun.   And that people, really, are lovely.

Flags:

German fans:

Canadian fans:

British fans:

Little fans:

Multinational fans (Emma, Leah, Kelly and Doug – the original Canadian, American, Australian, German, British fans! – We cheer for everyone!):

Women’s eights:

Canadian oar:

Cheering:

Smiles:

British medalists take a bow:

And the knitting?  What was that all about?  Well, truthfully, I knit only long enough to take the photo, and then tucked it back in my bag.  Why would I do this at all?  Well, for you non-knitters out there, knitters have a special relationship with the Olympics (we’ve even received cease and desist letters from the US Olympic Committee).  You knitters will know what I am talking about.  I couldn’t go to the Olympics and not knit (if only for a minute.)  And for the rest of you, believe me, it’s a knitting thing.  (Ten points to anyone who recognized that I was wearing the Levenwick cardigan.)