After the TdF

Well it is all over now, the final skein is drying on the line. So what did I achieve with this madness?

Enough Sari for a pair of socks, and a skein of Silver Springs (see earlier posts).
Also Rose,



and Fortune Teller.



Bringing my TdF total to 4 skeins, and bringing me that much nearer to knitting my Danish Heather Shawl for the Ravelympics.

I was also very suprised to be given the Arte Y Pico award by Farm-witch! Totally flabberghasted...



Apparently, the Arte y Pico award was created to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creative energy and their talents, whether it be writing or artwork in all medias. When you receive this award it is considered a special honor. Those who receive it are then supposed to choose at least 5 other blogs to honor with the award.

If this were the oscars, I would throw one back at FW because her enthusiasm for life and all thing fibre related never cease to inspire me. However I am not sure that I can do that soooo...

Maylin, who is also a Good Lifer (smallholder) and shares in the same trials and tribulations with the French Bureaucracy. She is a lovely lady, and all round good egg!

Wanda, and her husband Ed, who make some of the best needles I have ever knitted with. Their needles make me dream of what I can achieve in yarn, and they also make lovely turkish spindles. Wanda also takes wonderful photographs of her walks that make you want to be there. :)

Stephanie (Burrobird) whose blog I haunt and sometimes leave a comment. I love her outdoorsy nature and enthusiam for life. She can make the most of a minute if anyone can. Another great place for photography, knitting, and burros :)

Jo, whose blog Celtic Memory Yarns, always makes me smile, she is full of life and it really comes through in her writing and storytelling!

There are many more I would like to give...

Stage 10: TdF

Stage 9 progress: 2 roving balls out of 8. This is very difficult to photograph, and the pink tone on tones are subtle, but very eyecatching. Another winner from Enchanted Knoll Farm!



It was expected to be a day when the top of the general classification received a shake up and that’s just what happened. While Saunier Duval continues its stage winning blitz – with Leonardo Piepoli taking first place ahead of his team-mate Juan Jose Cobo – the Silence-Lotto team can celebrate the fact that its leader Cadel Evans is the new overall leader in the yellow jersey.

Stage 10 winner Leonardo Piepoli (ITA) SDV.



In the yellow jersey and very emotional at achieving it, Cadel Evans (Aus) SIL!



Tour de Fleece: Roving balls 3 and 4 are finished, just 4 more to go :)

There will be more fireworks tonight, but it is John’s turn to stay up late with the dog. Remember that tomorrow is an official REST DAY for the Tour de France, so I guess also for TdFleece.

Stage 9: TdF

“I had told you the other day that I would win another one,” said Riccardo Ricco moments after crossing the line. He was right. With two major cols in the final third of a 224km stage, a climber was expected to excel in stage nine and the Italian is a specialist for the mountains. It was a stage that prompted a lot of riders to lose time but the only reshuffle of the top order was from Schumacher who slipped down the rankings a little after losing time on the Col d’Aspin – the site of Ricco’s conquest.

Stage 9 winner Riccardo Rico, also winning a second stage of the TdF.



Kirchen remains in the yellow jersey.

Tour de Fleece:
It was just too late last night to post, but Silver Springs is finished! Here are the pictures, with SS sitting on top of the Sari done last week. Navajo 3 ply DK weight for the shawl project.





Rose has been prepped and is ready to rock and roll, 8 rovings balls, I’ll let you know how tonight’s fireworks spinning goes. Tonight is the evening before Bastille Day, and the fireworks start at 11pm and continue until 2am, comemorating the assault on the Bastille Prison during the French Revolution. I have to stay up because Alys goes frantic…

TdF Stage 7

Luis Sanchez earned a second victory for the Caisse d’Epargne squad this year after an attack on the descent of the final climb in stage seven. He bolted into the lead with four kilometers to go an, just as he did on the downhill of the col du Tanneron in Paris-Nice, held off the charge of the peloton to claim victory ahead of an elite field. Of the top five in the stage to Aurillac, three have worn the yellow jersey in the 2008 edition while sixth place when to Sanchez’s team-mate, the 2006 Tour champion Oscar Pereiro. So ended a stage that boasted a major bout of action at the halfway mark, when CSC split the peloton to pieces with a fine display of teamwork that rid the yellow jersey’s peloton of the rider in the polka-dot jersey and caused over half the field to lose significant time.



The yellow jersey remains with Kim Kirchen.

**Hot off of the press**: 20 of the top riders have been called in for blood tests, and the first rider accused of being dodgy is Manuel Beltran riding for Liquigas.



Tour de Fleece
Roving balls 4 and 5 are finished, tomorrow should take me up the plying stage.

Week 2 plan.

Stage 8: Saturday 12th, Figeac to Toulouse, flat cycling = 1 hour spinning.
Stage 9: Sunday 13th, Toulouse to Bagnères-de-Bigorre, high mountains = 3hrs + spinning.
Stage 10: Monday 14th, Pau to Hautacam, high mountains = 3hrs + spinning.
Stage 11: Tuesday 15th, Rest Day, hangovers from Bastille Day celebrations!
Stage 12: Wednesday 16th, Lannemezan to Foix, medium mountains = Evening spin in.
Stage 13: Thursday 17th, Lavelanet to Narbonne, flat cycling = 1hr spinning.
Stage 14: Friday 18th, Narbonne to Nîmes, flat cycling = 1 hr spinning and John’s birthday!

So far the plans are going well, with just the one blip in spinning time, still I am sure I will catch up!

TdF stage 6

Once again the Tour de France has seen a sprint of the GC contenders. Whilst the yellow jersey was picking himself up from the tarmac after crashing into the rear wheel of Kim Kirchen in the final sprint, Riccardo Ricco was lighting up the front of the stage with a blistering sprint ahead of Alejandro Valverde and Cadel Evans. The Italian reached the line first to claim his first stage win, the Spaniard finished second in the stage and the Australian shifted up to second overall. But Columbia can again celebrate a coup with their Luxembourg recruit becoming the fourth rider in 2008 to wear the yellow jersey.

Stage 6 winner: Ricardo Ricco (IT) SDV



The new yellow jersey holder, who recovered from the crash to make good is Kim Kurchen COL



Tour de Fleece:

2 more roving balls done and dusted, just 5 more to go (it sounds a lot!). As usual late night spinning. I should be finished sometime this weekend. After that there are 3 more batts of the same (ok I bought lots of this colourway for the shawl). This alpaca has a very long staple length so my prep is really paying off.

The next roving arrived, a seriously bright rainbow Rambouillet for celebrating Bastille Day in fibre. I'm not sure how it will turn out, but am willing to give it a shot.

TdF Stage 5

He’s a prodigious talent who described himself as “the little fat kid” when he first turned pro for T-Mobile in 2006. He has since become one of the fastest men on two wheels. He proved his value in stage five of the Tour de France by easily accounting for some of the best sprinters in the world in an exciting finale to the longest stage of the 2008 race. He had to account for Zabel, Freire, Hushovd, Cooke and Hunter but also needed to capture one of the riders who had been on the attack since the 11km mark. The French champion was part of a trio who cooperated right through to the 1,500m to go mark, then he attacked and was only passed by the sprint specialists in the final 75 meters. Vogondy pipped at the post by:

Stage 5 winner: Mark Cavendish (GB) THR - let’s hear it for the BRITS hurrah!



The yellow jersey remains with Stefan Schumacher.

Tour de Fleece - Stage 4 bits n bobs:
Skeined



Plyed and skeined.



Prepped.



Started.




Stage 5: Flat tyre. Due to visitors, absolutely no spinning took place today...sob :(