Hello!

Just wanted to pop in & say hi!

The Husband & I live in western NC with our herd of 8 cats, my yarn, his CD collection and our books.

I started knitting just over a year ago. One of my former co-workers taught me. We'd often sit and knit together in the staff lunchroom. I'm not particularly fast or advanced, but for the most part, I really like it. (You just don't want to be around when I'm trying to figure out something new...pity my poor husband!)

My husband's been a NASCAR fan for years (Jarrett's been his favorite driver for the last 10 or so, but he's long-time Richard Petty fan). You can read about my conversion here. My husband thinks I now spend more time watching racing shows than he does. I also bought Pit Road Pets a few weeks ago, which helped me add to my favorite drivers list. (My other faves are Tony Stewart, Dale Jr. and Mark Martin.)

I'll stop typing now. But I do want to thank y'all for inviting me to join in the fun!

I have a GIVEAWAY!!!

I was blessed with some freebies that I am now going to pass them on to you!!! Pictured above is what I am giving away. I have a four most recent Crochet magazines and an extra issue of Creative Knitting. If you want one of these, email me at bigpikachica att yahoo dott com with the magazine number you want. This is first come, first serve. I will reply and ask you for your address if you have won. Right now, it is one per person, but give me a couple of options that you might want, in case someone has already chosen yours. Good luck and enjoy!! BTW - I will pay for shipping and (hopefully) these magazine will count towards my Nascar points!! LoL

Also posted on my blog, Heather Knits.

Finally in! WOOHOO!

Hi y'all! I just wanted to introduce myself first. I'm Rachel, but also known as the Procrastiknitter. I'm just now coming back to NASCAR. I watched it religiously with my grandfather when I was a kid in the 80's and early 90's. Once I left for college I stopped watching. Last year I started watching with the first Talladega race and was hooked again. It didn't hurt that I moved from Nebraska where racing is not all that popular to Oklahoma where the 2nd question people ask you after "What's your name?" is "Who is your favorite driver?". LOL. Well my personal favs are Jr (#8) and Mark Martin. I also like Tony, Jimmy, and Matt Kenseth. This week my progress I think put me over the edge with point hopefully. I had these two chemo caps which ended up being about 40 grams each (double stranded).

Then these are a little piddly project for my girls which ended up being 4.5 grams a set of flip-flops.

I gave this vintage wool to a friend who was eyeing it. It was 400 grams. I had to use for it at the time and I'm needing to stash bust.

I finished 12 squares between races at roughly 8.5 grams a square.

I also worked 10 grams on this cape for my oldest daughter.

So for last week's knitting/gifting I ended up with 611 grams of my stash used. I did not buy any yarn this week.

I'm very excited to see what everyone does in the next 2 weeks before Vegas!

hello

Hi everybody -
I am a knitter in a house full of obsessed NASCAR fans. My boys are big fans of Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon (the kids are 6 and 8, so their favorites were picked completely arbitrarily - "Hey, look, that car says Home Depot! That one has flames!"), and I think my husband would leave me for Jimmie Johnson if he could. I'm not a huge fan but I do enjoy sitting with the guys and knitting while they watch the race. They get so excited it makes it a lot of fun. Full disclosure - I am a pretty slow knitter, I have to take frequent breaks to tend my baby daughter (a future NASCAR fan, I'm sure), and I don't really have enough stash where I'd be selling any of it, so I won't be winning any prizes. However, I saw the name "NASCAR knitters" and I knew I had to get involved.
Have a great week - see you on Sunday!

I'm Here - finally - Thanks Kimberly

Google finally decided I wasn't such a bad sport after all (they haven't seen me on race day - or maybe they have and that is why they weren't letting me sign in :-)

Anyway, thanks Kimberly for posting for me and I should be, not only able to take care of myself after this, but I might even get a decent picture of the next pair of socks or whatever I finish next - probably socks.

Sue

3 Pairs of Socks during Daytona Week!

Hi All!
Here are Sue's finished objects. Unless I took time off of work, I don't think I could do as much knitting for 3 pairs of socks!

Details from Sue:
The socks are left to right:

Regia Line Step with Phildar cuffs, heels, and toes. I used the Monkey pattern - just love that pattern. These socks used partial skeins, but the total would be about 100 grams as they are adult size. Started Daytona weekend and finished on Monday.

Regia Surprise Color in the Six Sense pattern. These used all but a tiny bit (like 3 yards) of a 100 gram skein. Started Monday and finished on Thursday.

Couldn't let the remaining Regia from the Line Steps just sit there, so made a pair with Phildar cuffs and feet and again used at least 100 grams. Started last Thursday and finished during the race on Sunday.

Have another pair on the needles and again using the Monkey pattern. Not sure when I will finish them as they are a large adult and I don't have the amount of time I had last week.

So, I guess that would come to 300 points for the yarn and 75 for 3 finished pairs of adult socks.

New Blogger Being Naughty?

By the way...
If anyone is having issues with the New Blogger (you don't want to know what words I have used to describe their badly-made code and their obvious lack of quality assurance which happens to be in my field of work!), please go ahead and email details of your race week to me at "NASCARknitting AT gmail DOT com". I will be more than happy to create a post for you! :)

Kimberly
=:8

Gettin' Points in All Sort of Ways

Okay, before I forget my own rules, I better post what I have done so far. Granted since I am the one giving away the prizes, I don't qualify to win but I still want to play. And as for prizes, I have some neat items up for grabs from my stash and I am getting in contact with interested parties for donations too. Here is a tease to think about...Claudia's Hand-Painted Silk Lace, Cherry Tree Hill's Superwashed Merino Mini, Cascade's Pima Silk... ;)

Daytona 500 week
Finished Object(s)
Pattern: (My own) Chain 50 and decrease stitch each row ending with SC
Time it took: began Friday during the Truck race, ended during Nextel Cup
Dimensions: 30-inches wide and 40-inches length (not counting fringe)
Yarn: 2-1/2 skeins (250g) Panda’s FDK (denim tweed) with 1-1/2 skeins (9oz or 255g) Red Heart’s Plush (denim), partial cone (50g) of white Sugar ‘n’ Cream for fringe
Tools: birch Q hook

Yarn Sold
Where: Destash Blog - Rowan's Kid Classic in Crystal Grey and Battle Green
Time it took: posted Friday February 16th, sold Tuesday February 20th
Yarn: RCKid - 12 balls (600g) crystal grey and 2 balls (100g) battle green

Yarn Given
Where: RI Stitchers Meetup group in Borders Cafe Thursday February 22nd
How: brought in case others did not bring anything to swap
Yarn: 1 wound cake (100g) Malabrigo's Kettle-dyed Merino in a butter colorway and 1 wound cake (50g) Elsebeth Lavold's Angora Wool in aubergine

So keep up the good work everyone. This Friday, we'll see everyone's totals!
Kimberly
=:8

Hi! I plan to do better!

I officially knit one sock. Happily it was knit out of BartlettMills yarn - a wonderful worsted weight - and I used two colors, which I think might have added a little weight. This brings me to an astounding two ounces (weighed on the postal scale next door). This translates to about 56 grams. I'll take it!

I have been watching NASCAR for about ten years. I remember actually sitting down an watching the Indie 500 for the entire race -- and watching the guy who was obviously going to win -- lose because he ran out of gas on the last lap. I come from a long line of 'they're just racing around in a circle - what's so interesting about that?' I am learning more and more how false that statement is!

In the meantime, I am moving and will not have cable TV. To get myself ready for this transition, I have already found an MRN radio station (KFAL, 900AM), and have been listening to the races. It's another world, Race Fans, but I will learn how to listen!

Here's my single sock. Knit for the special request for socks for students at Afghans for Afghans
using this toe-up pattern:


Oh! And I generally watch Ken Schrader since when I started watching, he was driving the M&Ms car (38). I have gotten a little tired of the front row drivers, so I now tend to pick my car by the sponsor, like M&Ms, Tide, etc. If only we could get sponsors like Mountain Colors, BartlettYarns, and Noro!!!

Nascar and Knitting...

My name is RaAnn and I have been a Nascar fan for just over 22 years. I became a fan when I saw my first race with my "then" betrothed. Now, nearly 22 years later I am still in love with both my wonderful husband and Nascar.

I learned to knit about 12+ years ago and I have been knitting ever since. I love to watch the races and knit. It is both exciting and rewarding to see how much I can get done during the course of the race.

My favorite drivers are Ken Schrader, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and just recently Jeff Gordon. I was fortunate enough to be at the Dayton 500 in 1999 and watched Jeff Gordon win. I list him as my favorites as long as he "plays fair". I do not care for the drivers who are arrogant or who have those "better than you" attitudes.

So, What have I knitted recently? Using a kitchen scale I have the following info:

Week 1, Daytona 500 (Total for this week: 390):
Tasseled Lace Bookmark (my own pattern) Lionbrand Microspun, - 20gm
Fur Fun Bookmark (my own pattern) Fun fur and Crochet Cotton #10 - 10gm
Baby Hat (my own patern) Mainstay Worst Weight - 50gm
Baby Booties (my own pattern) Mainstay Worst Weight - 30gm
Gave away Caron Simply Soft- purple 170 gm & Lace Weight Yarn 110 gm






Week 2, Auto Club 500 (Potenital: 907 gms): My Driver Won!!! Matt won this race...do we get points for that too? lol

Lace Shamrock Bookmark (my own pattern) Jamie Baby Yarn 1 gm
Started a striped Baby Blanket (my own pattern) for my soon-to-be nephew and hope to have it done by the next one. This is using Mainstay Yarn. Two one-pound skeins equaling 906 gms when finished. Of course I will weight it again at that point. =)

OkeeDokee..

Hey Everybody...My name is Robin and I'm from SW VA, for those who know me I'm the crazy chick from The Knittin' Coop! I live closest to Martinsville Speedway (about an hour away)...I'm a life long racing fan! My favorite driver is Junior, I'm a lifetime Earnhardt fan but grew up in a Petty household! Pre-1979 I guess I was a Petty fan!

I'm not going to post all the pics of my FO's for the week just one picture and (ta-da~) the list! I seriously need to purchase a kitchen scale...so Kimberly some of the things I'm going to guess at the amount used!
So this weeks fiber totals and FO's are as follows:
Item: Baby Booties - IK pattern (of course I altered the pattern)
Yarn used and amount: Plymouth Dreambaby approx. 72 yds (I'm guessing about 20-25 grams?)

Item: Cabled Headband - Chick Knits Pattern
Yarn used and amount: Handspun North Ronaldsay approx. 85 yds (I'm guessing again...about 25 grams?)

Item: Felted Bunny - Fiber Trends Pattern
Yarn used and amount: 100% wool (from the stash...no label) 250 yds used. (yet again..guessing...about 125 grams?)



Item: Tea Cozy - Fiber Trends Pattern
Yarn used and amount: Sensations Bellezza Collection (purchased at JoAnn Fabrics~from my stash) Wool/Cotton blend approx. 75 gms or 150 yds. (this happens to be a pretty amazing yarn considering where it came from)



Now...the yarn I purchased (snowbunny~I also bought some roving at the same time but it hasn't arrived yet~from Scout) was prior to this beginning so I hope I won't get penalized for it! However...will roving be counted? I'm leaving on Thursday for a Spinners Retreat...where the temptation will get the best of me!!

Gotta run...
Keep on Knittin'!!

More Details on Getting (and Losing) Points

Goal:
To earn the most points at the end of the 9-month NASCAR Nextel Cup season

When:
From the weekend's race warcry of "Start your engines" to the next race's "Start your engines" (As an example I'm using the period from Daytona 500 to California's 500).

How to Get points:
1) For every gram used in an FO done that week, a point is given (I actually finished a baby blanket that is just over 500 grams).
2) 75 bonus points are given when that Sunday's race of ### miles (Say the Daytona 500 counts as 500 grams) is met (I get an additional 75 points).
3) Giving away or selling yarn counts toward the week's goal (I had sold 700 grams of my stash last week. All count as points).
4) Gift or swapped yarn does not merit "bad" or negative points so consider that an "even Steven" (I gave 350 grams in exchange of 100 grams at a yarn swap).
5) Buying yarn DOES NOT take away points (I bought 700 grams for my Arwen Cardigan before the California race began yesterday!).
6) Additional points are awarded for FO's depending on the item (baby socks at 5 points to adult socks at 25 points; mittens and gloves fall under the same points as socks; stuffed toys are 15 points; bookmarks, charity squares, and washcloths are at 5 points to full-sized shawls at 35 points; blankets are 50 points; baby/dog sweaters at 15 points to adult sweaters at 50).
7) Additional points are awarded for FO's depending on the level of difficulty (stranded, steeks, lace, entrelac, and cables add 10 points each, so if you make something with all of them, then that would give you 50 points).

How to show points:
1) Using the pattern's material list, a food/postal scale to weigh the FO, or adding the total number of grams on the yarn labels, get a total number of grams used.
2) Post details (Pattern name with yarn amount, etc. A photo would be great!) about your FO preferably on the blog along with the total number of (sold/given-away/bought) grams by the Tuesday after the week's run (Before tomorrow, I need to post my stats on my Daytona week of the 500g blanket, the 700g sell, and the 700g buy).

Total points will be shared on the NASCAR Knitters' Yahoo! Groups database section. This will be updated by the Thursday after the completed week's points. (Guess I better get a move on for the Daytona points!)

YAY!!! I can post!!! **Points Revision**

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Heather and I am a Nascar fan. I'm a 27 year old casual fan (as opposed to mega-fan) from Texas. I am blessed to live within an hour an our of the lovely Texas Motor Speedway.

I really enjoy knitting while watching the races, plus it gives me time to relax on Sunday.

I do have to admit, I have brought my knitting to a race. Has anyone else done this??

---

As for my race totals?? Here they are!!

Yeah I Almost Finished

I knitted a tad bit more than 50 grams on this little lace baby dress for my best friends new daughter.
I need to dig out my ballband so I can give a count of the dishcloths I did during Daytona.

Everybody's Invited!!

My apologies y'all!!

Since I created this KAL at the last minute (actually while watching Daytona), anyone can join as long as you think you can catch up for points and prizes. Please send an e-mail to "NASCARknitting AT gmail DOT com" or to "NASCARknitter AT gmail DOT com" for a formal and proper invitation. I unfortunately discovered that comments to the KAL page do not include the commenter's address.

Remember, posting your WIPs and FOs can show what points may be in store for you, so get those e-mails out to me.

BBB, LGR!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, 3 Important Words

Start... Your... Engines!!

With the Daytona 500, I have kicked off a friendly season-long competition among NASCAR knitters and anyone else who is interested in playing. The Rules are as follows:

* Whatever miles are raced in Nextel Cup that weekend, so is the goal of the equivalent number of grams be used before the next race. (Daytona 500 = 500 grams before the Auto Club 500 at Fontana) Added 02/20th: 400-500 grams would be a LOT of week in a week, so just keep gathering up those points. :)

* By “used” I mean knitting, crocheting, spinning, sewing, selling, and gifting (Swaps are our friends!). These “miles/grams” are also points towards prizes.

* Throughout the 9-month racing season (which ends in November), there will be bonus points given to each completed project applicable in size/weight/complexity. (a finished “Forest Path Stole” is greater than a full-sized Clapotis which is more than the “My So-Called Scarf” project. Added 02/20th: I am working on a chart to cover everything from socks to sweaters.

* Due to the allowance of other De-stash KALs to get more yarn, no penalties will be given if yarn is acquired at any time.

* Sporadically, prizes will be awarded to those with the highest point count. That means GIVE-AWAYS!!

* Admittedly, this KAL is my first, so please bear with me if I have to add or adjust the rules to clear up any confused borders.

So go ahead. To receive an invitation to post your projects and NASCAR-related stories, please e-mail NASCARknitter AT gmail DOT com or comment on this entry. Then grab a button from the sidebar, save it to your server, and add this blog to your RSS feeder.

Boogitty, boogitty, boogitty. LET'S GO RAY-CIN!!