stumbling out of the gate

As the fireworks exploded around and above the Bird's Nest Stadium in Beijing, I searched high and low, upstairs and down, for a crochet hook to begin the provisional cast on for my first bag. With all my prep, that was the one thing I overlooked - assembling all my tools.

No luck, so I cast on 35 sts in waste yarn, knit one row and bound off. Then I picked up my 25 sts for my handle in that waste fabric. It was a bit tricky to remove it later and reclaim the live stitches - but with the help of a spare set of dpns and some Sticky Tac needle stops, I got it done. Phew!

The setback put me a bit behind, but aren't coming from behind and overcoming adversity popular Olympic themes? I've made it through my first heat and I'm still in the competition .. and Sticky Tac has now earned its place in my knitting supplies!