Record breaking

Apologies for not updating last Monday as I said I would - but I have much crafty goodness to make up for it! Not any progress on the ribbed scarf I'd started in the previous entry though. I'd cast on what probably would have been an adequate number of stitches had I been working with a single strand of wool or wool blend, but the two strands of acrylic held together was so springy that after a few inches the ribbed stitch measured only a few inches wide - not nearly wide enough for a winter scarf. I am simply not willing to switch between knit and purl so often on the amount of stitches that would be required to make an adequate width and length of scarf, particularly a scarf I'm knitting as a favor. Call me selfish, I don't care!The recipient will just have to do with a garter stitch scarf, probably with some fringe. This is to be my ultimate brain-dead knitting, and as such will be kept by the couch for when I watch tv.

Why am I wasting time talking about acrylic scarves when I have other, much more exciting knitting related news? To whit, at the 2011 Roscommon Lamb festival, myself and 1133 other knitters, including Jen, Nina, Shauna, Anne, Sharon and Liz from the Galway Stitch'n'Bitch group, broke the world record for the amount of people knitting in one place at one time. Yes, it's true! The whole initiative was organised by Michelle from Michelle Made This. Here's some pictures from the day.
There was a bit of waiting around before hand, so what else would we do but knit?

For the attempt itself, we were 'shepherded' into a football stadium which was perfectly angled to catch all available wind. Despite our cold fingers, we managed to knit for the 15 minutes required, whilst being 'entertained' by a man with a microphone and an unnatural fondness for mexican waves, as well as some adoringly inept dogs 

I was working on a sock I'd started the previous week in Donegal, using some delicious yarn I'd bought in The Loop, London. Between the waiting around beforehand and the attempt itself, I actually got a decent amount of the foot done.

Here's another picture from today, but it's not that great, I couldn't seem to get the light right.

There was some waiting around then whilst they tallied the counts from the various stewards, before - oh joy of joys! - it was confirmed that we had indeed kicked the previous record holders butts. Sorry guys! The crowd goes wild!

It seems like one of those things people might put on their list of things to do before they die, 'break a world record', and wow, we've done it. Go us guys! Go Ireland! The little country that could.

In other crafting news, my chemistry piece is really starting to come together. I got most of the (admittedly simple) embroidery done, which I was a bit worried about, not being overly precise with my needle. I realize it needs an iron by the way. Honestly though, does the little guy to the right look like a sheep?