World Cup and Knitting

Thanks to the World Cup, I have found out the nationality of my neighbors in the next house down.  I knew they were Hispanic and either from Central or South America.  My neighborhood has a fair number of Hispanics and the town seems to have a large contingent from South America.  My neighbors are from Paraguay.  I know this because after the match between Paraguay and Japan today, one of my neighbors came out cheering, grabbed the flag that was on their house and went running down the street.  I looked at the World Cup scores and found out that Paraguay won and is in the group of 8.  Funny, we Americans would rarely do that.  People at the Olympics will wave the flag at an event, but I've never seen people running through the streets waving the flag because a USA team won.  Perhaps, we've become too jaded with all the sporting events within the country.  Perhaps we no longer have a national sport, unlike many countries where football (soccer) is the national sport.  But it was nice to see this spontaneous demonstration of joy and national pride I saw this morning.

I have been watching some of the World Cup matches and not just the USA team's matches.  The crowd noise and the vuvusellas can be distracting, but I like watching the matches.  Maybe because my older brother played soccer while in college and did get a letter.  It and Yankee games are my prime knitting time.  I did get bored with all the seed stitch and jumped on the Icelandic Lace Group's KAL for a shawl.  It is the Lacy Shawl by Rowan.  I made it in Kidsilk Haze (the yarn specified in the pattern) in a color called Majestic.  It is the color of distant mountains, a hazy grayish lilac purple.  The color doesn't photograph well, but here are some of the finished shawl.  It took me about 2 weeks.  I used 5.0 mm (US 8) for it.  It really doesn't need to be dressed being knit in a fuzzy mohair.  Plus it is about 4 feet long at the center point.  I'm only 5'2" so if I stretched it out any more, it would definitely be too long.  I haven't decided if I'm keeping this one.  I have been thinking about sending it to my old college boyfriend's new fiancee as a wedding gift and peace offering.  What do you think?

I must be getting into a combination mood of wanting to finish things but I have startitis.  I went back to a drudge knit that I didn't think would be a drudge.  I was making a side to side top I found on Ravelry.  I chose a lovely bamboo tape yarn for it.  It was in stockinette stitch, mindless knitting, something I took to knitting group.  I started it in early April, I just finished the knitting today.  The thing just went on and on.  Now I just have to do the seams and crochet around the neck to finish it.  Whew!!  I have several projects waiting to be finished, a Goddess Knits shawl that only needs the edging completed, MMario's Mystery Shawl that's half done and the Moonfleet shawl.  But I want to cast on for a pair of socks.  I just got a kit from the Knitters Brewing Co for their Ravelry KAL of the Pink Ribbon Socks.  The KAL started in May, but is running through July.  I didn't get their Breast Cancer Pink yarn.  I got a teal yarn which is the color for reproductive cancers.  My knitting friend, Angela, has just completed chemo for fallopian tube cancer and so far, so good.  But I'm doing these in honor of Angela.  I may make them for Angela or make her a second pair.  Part of the cost of the kit is going to Susan G Komen so it's a good thing all around.  Or I could and probably should go back to the endless seed stitch and try to complete it for the challenge.  Choices, choices, what should I do?  Let me know what you would do.  Bye.