And they’re off

The Box! It … it came! But … it’s only Monday! Too … too early! *choke* Must … knit … faster!

Team XDR (eXpress Dish Rag)’s box is a bit more crushey than it probably started out. One corner (mercifully hidden in this undated file photo) has basically collapsed. After my attempt at a repair, it’s more packing tape than pasteboard. Two more stops, little box! Hang in there!

It was 7 pm when I first saw the box, which had arrived with the afternoon mail around 4:30 or 5. I was at a school function which, to everyone’s surprise, ended about 30 minutes early. A half hour extra to knit — just what my nervous needles needed.

Here’s what was inside: A lovely red-purple-blue pinwheel dishcloth (a favorite pattern), two balls of cotton (brown and ombre-green), the READ ME sheet of instructions, an appropriately-themed card from my tagger, a set of bee-yootiful gold markers (my very first real markers ever), and a bar of dark chocolate that, sadly, was somewhat the worse for the 100-degree heat in the mail truck. I have hope that the refrigerator will revive it in taste even if it will never win a beauty contest again. Thank you, Amanda Of The Two-Hour Dishrag!

Amanda asked me to take a picture of the cartoon that her SO drew on the box, and I’m happy to oblige. A pirate sheep — could this project be any more plugged in to the cultural zeitgeist? (Answer: only if it were fighting a ninja sheep.)

Herewith a timeline:

7:15: Started my &%#@! invisible cast-on.

8:00: First quarter finished.

8:40: Second quarter finished. (Five minutes faster — I’m remembering how to read the stitches instead of counting.)

9:24: Third quarter finished. (Slowing down — I blame The Closer.)

10:08: Fourth quarter finished. Time for the interminable (and shoddy) garter stitch grafting.

10:47: Done!

Box repacked with my gifts to Lisa in Washington State. Blog written. Tomorrow: Team XDR’s box takes flight once again at the on-campus post office (which has assured me they can provide me with the delivery confirmation service I need). Go team! Kick ’em in the other knee!

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