Stage 6: In the Mountains

I haven't knit since the Team Time Trial. I guess it was just too much for me. :)
For the KAL we were to count our stitches knit in an hour. You must remember that I am knitting lace, but I was able to contribute 1074sph to Team Quickstep's average. Not too bad.

So, today I plan to get back on the bike and knit at least 1 repeat of the lace pattern.



The yarn I am knitting is Classic Elite Yarns Silky Alpaca. This is the first time I have used it. I love it. Very soft, easy to work with. I can feel the warmth on my fingers as I knit. It is working out perfectly. Plus, the color is perfectly matched to the swatch that my friend lent me to find yarn. The colorway is French Vanilla. Love that.

No more procrastinating. Time to knit!

Stage 3 2009 TDF

Interesting stage today. The cross winds took many riders by surprise and caused a gap to form when Team Columbia-HighRoad punched it up. Hincapie said it was because they got angry that no other sprinter teams were coming up to help. Worked out well for them, Cavendish went on to win his second stage. Many of the main contenders for the overall win were caught in the chase group except for Miller and Armstrong. Cancellara made the gap and got to keep the Yellow Jersey one more day. Lance Armstrong with the .38 min gap moved up from 10th to 3rd overall. Good day for him.

So, the project I am working on is coming along nicely. One of my very best friends is getting married in September and I am knitting her a shawl to wear. I think it is looking quite nice so far, but still a little small. :) 

The pattern is the Luna Moth Shawl by Shui Kuen Kozinski and I am using Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace in French Vanilla. I absolutely love this yarn. So soft and easy to work with. It is going to keep my friends shoulders nice and warm. The wedding will be in Sonoma and reception/dinner in San Francisco, so it will actually get to be used unlike here in Texas.

It is going pretty well so far. I just finished the third repeat of the lace pattern. Only four more to go. I ned to buy myself some blocking wires!

Stage1: Monacco

The Tour de France begins today. Stage 1 is a time trial through the streets of Monacco. I am participating in the TDFKAL once again this year. One difference- it is taking place on Ravelry. Go here and check it out.

So, my project for last years KAL never got finished. Still have about half left on my Clapotis scarf. I had planned on finishing it this year but instead will be working on a shawl for my friend to wear on her wedding day. (pictures and info to come)

Anyway, Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans!

final sprint to the finish

Final Sprint: A stage by stage recap.

Stage 1: Off to a good start. Finishing the day in the top 20.



Stage 3: As it wasn't the best day for Robbie McEwan and Mark Cavendish, et al, it wasn't that great a day for me as well.
Not much progress was made on the Clapotis today. I was hoping to get a few dropped stitches in but only made it to the first.

Stage 4: I need to bump up the pace a bit and 'put the hammer down', if I want to get this finished before Paris.



Stage 6: The rain proved to be a problem. No progress once again. Much slipping and sliding and lots of road furniture to deal with.

Stage 8: Managed to get some much needed knitting done on the clapotis despite a slight mechanical problem. Tangled yarn. I had to do some creative cutting and splicing. It has about a foot in length now. Not bad, but not good.

Stage 9: Just like the sprinters in this stage, I fell back into the "autobus". I really need to get some knitting done on this scarf or it will never get finished by the end of the tour. I believe I was distracted by the beautiful French scenery, or was it a pretty sock?




Stage 12 & 13: It was a good couple of days for Team Columbia! Mark Cavendish wins a couple more stages. Love these sprint days. Nice and flat. No uphill=progress. I also had a great day. Making some much needed gains on the clapotis. That "sprint to the finish" racked up some much needed points in the Green Jersey competition.



Stage 16: Some Tour knitting got done, but unfortunately not as much as I would have liked. The descent from Cime de la Bonette-Restefond was a treacherous one for many, especially for Augustyn and Vande Velde. My descending wasn't as great either. Just a bit of road rash visible across the finish line today. No falls off the mountain road, but more time lost. There will be some more uphill knitting tomorrow. It is going to be another long mountain stage.

Stage 17: L'Alpe d'Hues. du Galibier. Enough said.

Stage 18: I find herself fighting to stay within contact of the peloton every time the roads start to go up. I am just not a climber. I haven't even made it halfway through the clapotis. I will have to knit these last three days like crazy to see if I can make up any time lost on these mountain stages.

Stage 19: Made it into the breakaway today and got some much needed points in the race for the Green Jersey.



Stage 20: The time trial is over. It was a tough one. I was dancing on the peddles for over an hour but, unfortunately, had as much luck as Frank Schleck in the end. The green jersey will not be on my back on the road in to Paris tomorrow.

Stage 21: Sprint finish, but got boxed in. No chance to get enough points in the Green Jersey competition this year. Better luck next year.

Despite not finishing the clapotis in time and not getting to pull on the green jersey in Paris, I did get myself a few stage wins that I am happy with. Three FO's while competing in the TdF is quite a feat in itself.




Perhaps that should have been my goal for this TdFKal.
Can't wait for next year.

almost back

I am actually not home yet. I am sitting in a Panera in Needham, MA waiting for the hubby who is in a meeting for work. The wedding weekend was wonderful. Lots of fun, beautiful setting in Marion. Right on the water. Lots of the hubby's family to visit with. We had a great time. We dropped his parents off at the train station in Mattapoisset early this morning so they could get out to Logan. Our flight is after 5pm. Hubby should be done with his meeting here around noon. Not a problem. Love places that have free wi-fi. I turned on the comp to find many emails and over 150 posts to read through on Google Reader. I also had a lovely surprise of winning Aunt Kathy's contest from last week. Yay! What a great thing to find when I got mack online.

Some Tour knitting got done, but unfortunately not as much as I would have liked. There will be some definite uphill knitting tomorrow. It is going to be a long mountain stage.

stage 8 & 9 updates

Stage 8

Columbia once again with a terrific stage win by Cavendish yesterday. His lead out man, Ciolek, made it across in second place. Once again Kirchen ended the day in yellow.

I did manage to get some much needed knitting done on the clapotis despite a slight mechanical problem. Tangled yarn. I had to do some cutting and splicing. It has about a foot in length now. Not bad, but not good.



Stage 9

Today's stage was the first in the Pyrenees. It is time for the climbers and the overall GC contenders to make their moves. It was actually a quiet day for the favorites. None of them made a move, probably saving their legs for tomorrow's stage. There were a lot of attacks by others, however, and in the end the stage win went to Ricco. His second in this year's Tour. GC standings stayed about the same except for American, Christian Vandevelde of team Garmin-Chipotle moving into third.

Just like the sprinters in this stage, I fell back into the "autobus". I really need to get some knitting done on this scarf or it will never get finished by the end of the tour. I was distracted by a pretty sock. I started the second of my Beatrix socks for the SPEW KAL.

stage 6 : rain delay?

Can I claim rain delay?

Oh wait, that only works at Wimbledon. :)

These riders keep on going in the rain. Me, on the other hand, got absolutely no knitting done yesterday on the clapotis. None. I watched the stage with lots of forwarding so I could see the finish before going to a training. Do you think Kirchen really was the one responsible for Shumacher's fall, or is he just making excuses? I will have to see the recap of the finish today. I have yet to watch stage 7. I plan to get a lot of knitting done today. I must "put the hammer down".

In other news...

A ridiculously big prize package, all Twilight related, is being given over at the The Story Siren's blog. I mean big!
I know there are many of you anxiously awaiting the new book , Breaking Dawn, just as I am, so get yourself over to her blog and see how many times you can enter.

sprint finish (stage 5)

So far today, we have done nothing but sit in front of the television watching the Tour de France. Yes, Joey, too.



She loves watching the bikes zoom across the screen. She especially loves the boys in light blue. Columbia showed themselves to be a very strong team today. Hincapie was amazing coming from back in the cars all the way to the front to help with the lead out for Cavendish. Team Columbia gets their first Stage win. Woot.

All that sprinting really wore out the kitty. It was the last 5k that did it. She needed a rest.



I think I may join her for a little cat nap.

stage 3 tdfkal progress

It was supposed to be a day for the sprinters but instead it was a great day for the breakaway. Who knew they would survive?

As it wasn't the best day for Robbie McEwan and Mark Cavendish, et al, it wasn't that great a day for me as well.

Not much progress was made on the Clapotis today. I was hoping to get a few dropped stitches but only made it to the first. Hopefully better progress will be made in my "sprint to the finish" tomorrow during the time trial.

Intermediate Sprint-Knitting Option

Choosing a project that I thought I would be able to finish by the end of the Tour and one that somehow related to it wasn't too difficult for me. I found the TdF KAL last year, too late to join, but I followed along with the great daily reports. So, since then I have been thinking about what I would knit this year. The Clapotis seemed the perfect choice.

Well, it's French, right? (nod yes)

That is good enough for me.

I pictured myself on the Champs-Elysées wrapped in my lovely "French" scarf watching the riders do their final laps to the finish. It would shield me from the cool breezes or the rain which loves to fall and make the cobblestones slick on the final day. I could even take it off to wave above my head and get the attention of Robbie McEwan. He wouldn't be able to resist coming over for a feel...

... of the soft Malabrigo scarf, of course. What did you think I was talking about? Hmm?

After the finish and a glass of champagne to toast the winner, I would take myself and my lovely clapotis to a sidewalk cafe. I would enjoy a croissant and an espresso while discussing the past stages and winners with some handsome man in shorts and a t-shirt (my husband doesn't stray much from what he is comfortable in).

Oh, to be in Paris on the final day of the Tour de France looking stylish in my "French" scarf.

One day. One day.

stage 1

The Tour de France has started once again.

Last year was all about Contador and Leipheimer, the Discovery boys who placed 1st and 3rd. This year, their new team, Astana, was not picked to participate by tour officials. I would say the yellow jersey could go to anyone. Of course, the Aussie, Cadel Evans is the favorite considering he was runner up last year.

I think I will be cheering for Team Columbia. Not only because they are an American team and "Big" George Hincapie is a team member, but because I am on the team for the TdF KAL. Yay!

I started my project this morning as soon as we turned on the tour at the beginning of Versus' coverage. Phil and Paul's commentating makes it easy to knit and "watch".

I started my second Clapotis ( link in sidebar) with some really soft and yummy Malabrigo laceweight.
Here's my progress so far:



I am participating in the Green Jersey "competition" so my goal is to get this finished by the time they roll into Paris on July 27th.

"Allons-y Alonzo!"

chocolate-my drug of choice

First, Vinokourev out for blood doping along with his team, Astana. Now, Teams Cofidis and RaboBank. RaboBank, the team of Rasmussen, the Tour leader. The team sacked him for missing off season drug tests and then lying about where he was.

This is making for a strange tour. Contador will be the tour leader tomorrow due to Rasmussen being removed from the Tour. Evans and Levi right behind him.

The article I read by Phil Ligget mentioned the fact that there has never been any suspicion of doping amongst the three which will hopefully help to save the face of the Tour de France.

No knitting today. I spent the day, after watching the tour this morning, with a friend. We went to a Pilates class, had lunch, then scrapbooked until about 5pm.

Last night, however, I put my sock away (until I figure out what I want to do with it), and worked on my wrap around sweater. I finished the right front and have begun on the sleeves. It may actually get done before the end of the summer. A bite of the yummy peach vodka truffle I got yesterday should help.

Chocolate is an allowed substance

short break in my knitting

Well, since Saturday morning, at around 130am, all I have been doing is reading. Reading, crying, laughing, cheering, more crying. I finished the book last night while friends and my husband drank and played poker. I joined them after finishing and making sure my face was washed so I wouldn't give anything away to them. Now I will wait until my husband is finished to reread it again. It was wonderful.

I did take a break from reading yesterday to watch the time trial. Wow! Vinokourev was amazing. Who knew he could come back like that to win the stage? Then came today. The Pyrenese (sp?). I was so sure he would be able to stay with the rest of the gc contenders. Poor Vino, once again. He came in almost half an hour after Contador. Yay for Contador, though. And Levi! He didn't do too bad today either, coming in fourth. I am still cheering him on, even though the husband thinks he has no chance. He picks either Rasmussen or Evans to win.

I picked up the Jaywalkers while watching today's stage. The first of the pair is coming along fine. I am on the foot, a little less than half way. I would have been further along but there was some mishaps on Friday. There was something not right with the pattern on one side of the foot during the gusset decreases that I had to tink all the way back a few rows to the pick ups to fix. Yes, tink not frog. I hate frogging on socks. those little stitches can get away from me very quickly and I would have probably messed it up even more.

More Jaywalker knitting tomorrow during another stage in the mountains.

out of the alps

They are out of the Alps today. I was getting a little worried about Levi yesterday but he did good. He is still there and in the running for the GC. I must say, though, Contador is pretty awesome. Also, I couldn't help feeling sorry for Vino. Did you see him crying after he finished the stage? I guess Kloden will be Astana's leader now.


While watching yesterday I made some progress on Jaywalker. It looks so much better with the KnitPicks Dancing than it did with the Wildfoote. You can really see the zigzag pattern happening.

Wildfoote is a bit dark and doesn't have any lines of color when knit up so the pattern kind of got lost.

I am really happy with how it is turning out now. I just have to be very careful about getting my pair of socks to actually match up with each other when I am done. Of course, I regularly get Second Sock Syndrome so there is no need to worry about it quite yet.

first mountain stage

The Tour has made it into the Alps. Riders are getting dropped at every mile. Looks like Levi is still in the main group and not losing time but alot of those that are supposed to stay with him, including Hincapie is gone.

I am still working on my sock. On the gusset now. I should have it all done by the end of the weekend while watching the Tour.

I found a KAL that would have been perfect for me. Tour de France KAL
Wish I would have found that before the tour started. Oh well. I will have to remember it next summer.

the tour begins

Ravelry is so awesome! I am absolutely loving it right now. I have opened a Flickr account and uploaded some projects. Still waiting for time to get my stash yarns uploaded. I am already very addicted after only a couple days of actually getting on.

It's only dad here right now, so I have had a bit of knitting time available. I managed to make some progress on my socks. I am a little under half way through the heel flap. I was able to eyeball length of leg pretty well, since I didn't have my tape measure with me. They look about even. Even with a tape measure, though, I tend to be off a bit so no worries.

The Tour de France is on now, I have to get back upstairs to finish watching today's stage. This year's favorite for me is Levi Leipheimer. Tomorrow is his turn to shine, hopefully. To the ALps they go.