designer: modification of Cookie A.‘s work
yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Socks That Rock mediumweight in Storeytime
needles: Clover size US#3 16 inch circs
modifications: I cast on 144 stitches, k1p1 for 6 rounds, worked the pattern 9 times over the stitches, knit 9 pattern repeats total, k1p1 for 6 more rows, then bound off in k1p1.

Just a few months ago, I made a cowl for Megan using the Monkey sock pattern. I liked it so much, that I had to knit one for myself. So while watching the Olympics and Season 2 of Deadwood, I whipped up this copycat cowl. You know, it’s funny because I didn’t join the Knitting Olympics because I thought there was just no way I would be able to finish a project in the allotted time, but here I go knitting across that finish line. Woohoo! Speaking of crossing finish lines, how awesome is Kyle Bennett of the US BMX team for getting back on his bike after a nasty crash and crossing that finish line despite the fact that he was clearly coming in dead last waaaaaaaayyy after everyone else had already crossed the line and, more importantly, that he had dislocated his shoulder? I am especially excited about BMX finally being included in the Olympics because I LOVE BMX. As a pre-teen, it was the only sport I was good at. Even on my crappy used AMF that my dad and I fixed up and threw dirt bike tires on, I was still faster than my cousin and my friend Rob and the other boys at the park, and I used to get serious air when I would jump over things and pop wheelies. I was totally unafraid to ride over what we used to call “our terrain,” which was a ripped up, unpaved hilly street strewn with garbage that we used to love to ride on because a) it was unpaved, b) we could ride downhill, and c) the used toasters and tires were “obstacles” for us to leap over or otherwise avoid. Sadly, I gave it up once I hit 13 and my mother decided that she was going to make my life (and my dad’s) a living hell if I didn’t, but I do miss it. Now I am way too scared of dealing with a broken arm to even attempt those tricks again, but when I see boys and girls shredding on their bikes, it makes my heart so very happy.