Kniting Champions!

Well, this is what I get for completing the Knitting Olympics. I'll have to figure out where to put it on my blog - and how. I think I know. But I have gotten into big trouble starting activities with that statement, so check back soon to see how badly I foul it up. I should also be able to send in my name for a certificate and a chance at winning a non-virtual prize.

To those of you who think that all that effort was completely wasted just to get a paltry little blog button, you couldn't be more mistaken. One, my daughter got a sweater and I got a groovy neck gaiter/cowl. Two, I got to try a REALLY HARD cable for fun. Three, I was knitting synchronously with more than 4,000 other knitters around the world. (I believe 4,055 signed up.) Four, knitting blogger and cartoonist Franklin Habit designed the lovely medal, for which I am truly thankful. And fifth, and very importantly, I got to challenge myself, as did every other participant.

It is enlightening to find out what you can do if you push yourself hard in a limited amount of time. I've done that once before with a month-long challenge from a local knitting group. We had to see what we could get done in 30 days - I designed and knit a tunic-length lace top to cover tank tops. Granted, this time I only FINISHED a sweater, but it was a challenging sweater. Tiny yarn, tiny needles, tiny attention span. I also only made a cowl, but I also designed it, and I'd never designed anything with major cables before. It was refreshing to participate in a knitting challenge where participants got to set their own goals. I will admit to trying to be somewhat realistic in what I could achieve with two young children, one teething, and one incidentally getting the flu, I think. But that's a really healthy step for me - and a challenge itself. Good on me. And good on all of the other knitters who participated and finished their projects.

Knitting Olymics - final event - Success!

Yup - I AM DONE! YAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!

Here is various photos of the final challenge of my Knitting Olympics endeavors. The first, as you may recall, was to finish the Little Bubbles Baby Sweater. The second was to design a cowl/neck gaiter from scratch and then to knit it, finish it and sew on buttons. I finished it today just before noon CST. It covers my nose, should I want it to; it can be unbuttoned on the side if I get too warm. I can let it rest just below my chin; and it covers the back of my neck and head to the level of my ears. What is more is that it flares gently at the bottom to curve around the base of the neck and over the shoulders to tuck smoothly into the neck of a coat. It also flares very slightly at the top front and back centers to accommodate the nose or chin, and the back of the head.

I used an 85% merino, 10% silk, 5% cashmere blend Aran weight tweed yarn. There are 5 mismatched metal button with a vague botanical theme on the side. And LOTS of a huge cable - front and back- from one of Barbara Walker's Treasury of Knitting Pattern stitch dictionaries. This one is Nautical Twisted-Rope Cable, and its a biggie. It is 28 rows tall and 49 stitches wide and for this pattern it is repeated twice on the front and twice on the back. I also added classic moss stitch panels on the sides.

The pattern for this will be up for sale on Ravelry in the next two weeks or so. I knit this bottom-up, but realized that it would be easier knit top-down. As the pattern has symmetry top-to-bottom as well as side-to-side it shouldn't be a problem.

Knitting Olympics Event One - Success!

Here you can see I have FINISHED the Little Bubble Baby Sweater. Event one of my Knitting Olympics pursuit is complete. This sweater is so pretty - but I am so glad that it is finally finished.

I have been knitting it for just over a month and I made relatively few modifications to the pattern - sleeves are only tapered part of the way down and I put a garter stitch edge on the cuff instead of the recommended 2x2 ribbing. It irked my aesthetics that the collar and hem were garter and the cuffs rib. The tapered sleeves are obviously 3/4 length per the pattern. But I thought that the sleeves would be a little too snug if I tapered them all of the way down. It has 6 buttons, only 3 of which are buttoned on Rose. And they are rose buttons, what else?

I may have to come back and add a few more rows of garter stitch to the bottom to keep it from rolling. It was made just as the pattern said, and the pictures on the pattern all show a rolled hem. I am not sure why they went to all of the trouble to make one-row stripes on the bottom just for it to curl - but there you go. I even wet-blocked it - still rolls. We shall see.

On to event two: designing and knitting a heavily-cabled cowl, part in the round and part flat, with button bands, buttonholes, and of course 5 or 6 mismatched buttons. Ah, cabling in dark yarn! We shall see (or not as the case may be) if my eyesight fails.

Higher, faster, etc.

The Knitting Olympics - OOOOOOOOH, YEAH!

I am only sometimes described as a glutton for punishment. You may officially call me that now as I have signed up to compete in this year's Knitting Olympics. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this particular self-imposed challenge, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee of Yarn Harlot fame started the Knitting Olympics several years ago. This is an exercise that takes a self-imposed epic challenge and gives it a time limit. Participants have from when the torch is lit during the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics and must finish before the torch goes out. All participants who finish get a gold-medal button for their blog.

I have chosen to finish the Little Bubbles Baby Sweater and to design and knit the heavily-cabled cowl that I am calling "Wine Dark Sea." You might not think of this as epic, but as I have a toddler who is teething wildly and wants to be held 20 hours a day, to me it is - and that is all that matters. Its nice to create your own challenges.

The first photo shows the progress I have made so far on the baby sweater. The second is the swatches, stitch pattern, and yarn for the cowl. The third is the slipper booties that I am working on for Rose until then. I modified a pattern for Dorm Boots to have a funky, elfin cuff instead of a turned cuff - for my elf.

Wish me luck!