Say It Ain't So

Michael Rassmussen has been pulled from the Tour de France by his team Rabobank allegedly because he lied about his whereabouts when he should have appeared for a non-race-related drug test. Apparently, that's a violation of their ethics code. There has to be more to the story than that. His performance has been super-human. One has to wonder if his performance was illegally enhanced. Time will tell, I guess.

In addition to Alexandre Vinokourov, an Italian rider has tested positive for doping. He was led away in handcuffs. This is all so disappointing. The Versus.com website says the remaining 3 top contenders for winning the overall race have never been linked to doping. At this point, it's hard to maintain my enthusiasm. Watching the TdF has become like watching World Wrestling Federation events. (Not that I do that. I don't.) Are any of the competitors for real?

Let's talk about a happier subject. Knitting. That's the ticket.

Below is a pic of the back and two front panels of the red Rowan Summer Tweed cardi. I really like how this one's turning out so far. I'm really anxious to block it because the fabric will become even nicer.

I took the below photo of the sleeve early last evening then made some significant progress before I went to sleep. It's possible I could have finished the sleeve if I hadn't put it down to knit 2 long rows on the Oakley Shawl. (Re the Oakley: There are about 150 stitches on the needles, and the directions say to cast off when there are 175 stitches. I'm getting there.)

I've been debating whether to rip back the sleeve to within an inch or two of the seed stitch cuff. This is the second light weight cardi I've made that's meant to be worn over warm weather clothes. The first was the linen jacket made with Maggi Knits Linen that was expected to stretch significantly, so I made the sleeves snug. This time around I really wasn't sure how wide to make the sleeves. I cast on enough stitches to give me my standard cuff of 8.75 inches. Without a long sleeved top under it, the cuff seemed really large for my small wrist. To compensate I did not begin to increase the width until the sleeve was 15 inches long. This may have been a mistake. The sleeve now seems a little too close-fitting around the forearm. It's hard to tell whether the sleeve will expand enough in the blocking process or not. It seems like a close call. A wise knitter would rip back right now, wouldn't she? I may swim up the river of denial a little longer.