Firsts

This post, as the title suggests, is all about firsts. On the whole, I like firsts a lot. First time you see something or do something, it's always particularly exciting. Or terrifying. And it's not that what ever it is can never ever be topped or will never ever be as good because that's certainly not the case. I think it's more that there are lots and lots and lots of things I want to do and each time it's another first, well, it kind of feels like I'm actually doing something.

Given the above you might be surprised at some of the firsts that I'm including from the past week but I think they all count!

On Saturday I went to White Cliffs for the first time. It's a small town about 90km north of Wilcannia and all that really happens there is opal mining. 4 of us from the hospital went and it was an awesome day. This is White Cliffs:

It's stinking hot there in the summer, evidenced by the fact that the population doubles in the winter time. To escape the heat, many people in the town live in dugouts. These are great because they are about 18 degrees all year round and any time you want to add an extra room, you can just dig another. This dugout is rented by someone who works at the hospital and it was the first time I've been in a dugout.

You can't really go to White Cliffs without at least having a passing thought about opals, particularly with the number of stories about people stumbling across thousands of dollars worth of opal. My favourite is the one where a young boy was walking home from school behind the machine that is used to grade the roads. It unearthed an opal worth a quarter of a million dollars on the ground in front of him and his family moved out of town immediately! So I went opal fossicking for the first time in this riverbed:

And I found some!!!!! I had never really though that much of opal before this but I think that's because I'd only seen fairly crap stuff that is palmed off onto tourists. The colours (which you can't really see here because they only appear in certain light and then look like they are dancing across the top of the stone) are insane.

The next day I had to go into Broken Hill. As it was a Sunday, I was only expecting woollies and Big W to be open and so I nearly wept for joy when I found a cafe that was open. Below is the first coffee that I've had in weeks. (I also met a large number of Ulysses motorcycle club members in Broken Hill, they are all on their way to WA for a meetup - one of them wanted me to pinch him for luck so I got to pinch a bikie for the first time!)

Whilst it's common knowledge that the winter olympics have just been on, the existence of the Knitting Olympics is a more well kept secret. The Knitting Olympics was first envisioned by the stupendous Yarn Harlot and these are the rules:

Eligibility: Any knitter who, embracing the "Citius, Alitius Fortius" ideal, would like to challenge themselves while embracing the Olympic spirit, and is just whacked enough to play along with me.

Concept: You must cast on a project during the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, Friday, February 12, 2010 and finish before the Olympic flame goes out Sunday, February 28. That's 17 days.

Rules:
1. The project must be a challenge for you to complete in 17 days.
2. There are no rules about what a challenge would be. Like the real Olympics, there are many areas to compete in. If you are a new knitter, then a garter stitch baby sweater might do...If you are experienced, use your own conscience.
3. While this is intended to be somewhat difficult (like the Olympics) it is not intended to ruin your life. Don't set yourself up for failure. (Olympic athletes may cry, but they do not whine pitifully, sob and threaten members of their family with pointed sticks because they haven't slept in five days. ) This is intended to (like the Olympics) require some measure of sacrifice, and be difficult, but it should be possible to attain.
4. No casting on before the flame is lit. (The opening ceremonies run from 6-8 pst. If you can't watch, then I'd pick a time in there.)
5. Finish before the flame goes out.
6. You may swatch before the games. (I consider this "training.")

This year I decided to make the Ivy League Vest which I've been eyeing off for a number of years.

I decided on some more autumn-like colours:

And when the body of the knitting was done, it looked like this:

I'm well aware that it looks like something has gone drastically wrong with the top part. However that was all part of the pattern as for the first time in my life, I had to steek, a word that will strike fear in the heart of any knitter who is a steeking virgin. The idea is that you don't leave any holes for the neck or the arms as it's much easier to knit colour work like this in the round. Instead, you incorporate the decreases into your knitting and then take to it with a pair of scissors. This is just before the first steek and I'm pretty sure that the look on my face was one of pure terror.

Post-steek (and in desperate need of Elizabeth Zimmerman's prescribed remedy of a dark room and cool washcloth)

The olympics finished on Sunday (Monday morning our time) and the steeks were cut at about 8pm on Sun night. To cut a long story short, I didn't get to bed till 4am (and was then starting work at 7) but I'd fair isled and steeked for the first time and was done before the flame went out! Hurrah!!! This is the vest in most of its glory - only most because it hasn't yet been blocked in this picture (that's happening as I type) and post blocking, that curling on the neck and bottom will disappear.

And now for the last first, I promise! This was not such a fun as a completely terrifying first that scared the bejebers out of me. It was the first time that I went out to a car accident. The driver was actually someone from work, driving back from White Cliffs and the car had ended up on the embankment on the other side of the road, upside down and facing the wrong direction. The driver was flown out but ok and released the next day and I didn't actually have to do all that much at the site - the nurse educator was at Wilcannia that day and decided that it'd be good for me to see what happens (which it was) but it was a first that I was very very very glad to get out of the way. Next time I'll have a much better idea of what to expect and what I need to do

But to finish on a happier note, how cool is this photo? This was taken on the way back from Broken Hill and it looked like I was about to enter some strange rain like version of the parting of the red sea.

PS - Sorry I haven't answered questions from the last one but this is stupidly long and has taken forever to write so I promise next weeks one will be shorter and include answers!

PPS - For you heathens who have decided I'm just a little confused about the word blog (and you know who you are, I've been told your names), click here and the world will open up for you: www.xkcd.com/148/