On Track

It really seems to help when you have a “deadline” for finishing up a knit project.  Since I made a goal to finish up my Bi-Color Cables sweater as part of the Knitting Olympics, the project has seemingly become a quick knit.  I’m sure there’s some fancy psychological term for all of that, but whatever the effect is, it’s certainly a good thing at the moment.

This weekend I finished up the body of the sweater and started the sleeves.  I’m knitting the sleeves two at once since I am working against a deadline.  I’ve got the body pinned out and blocking.  After I finish the sleeves, there’s still a collar to knit.  I’m not 100% sure that I will get this completely finished by Sunday, but I feel pretty good that I might be able to get most of the knitting accomplished. 

In my main event, I finished the Silk Smoke Ring last night.  The pattern called for it to be 17” in length, but my yardage was shorter than what the pattern called for.  Regardless, I knew I wouldn’t knit it that long even if there was enough yarn.  My finished cowl is more like 10”.  I probably could have squeezed out one more pattern repeat which would have made the finished length closer to 12” with the fragments from the frogging, but I felt pretty good about the length. Besides, that would have meant fussing with extra ends to weave in right in the middle of the pattern.  Not my cup of tea.

I took a picture of it blocking, but it doesn’t look like much, I’ll try to get an action shot once it’s dry and post a good picture.

I have a semi-busy week ahead, but I’m going to keep moving towards the goal. 

Speedy Knitting!

 

Nana

Is it Just Me?

Or does it seem like there have been as many unexpected results in the Olympics this year as expected ones.  We’ve seen a lot of ups and downs (and some really scary crashes too!)  Being a competitor in the Knitting Olympics is starting to make me feel like I’m right there in Vancouver with them all.

I got a quick start on my “Olympic run” when I quickly finished off the white anklets (see)

A little motivation goes a long way towards combating boredom!

But my early showing was just a flash in the pan …. I finished two chart repeats of the lace pattern on the smoke ring and realized that there was something very awry with what I was looking at.  Namely at some point in my wrestling match with the one long circular I was using (since I didn’t have a smaller circular in the needed size – imagine that! And actually we were traveling last weekend) I had managed to flip the knitting inside out and start the next repeat going in the wrong direction.  A rookie mistake to be sure!  After much agonizing and then some frogging and a little yarn breakage, I have gotten it restarted and it is back on track. I’m a little further behind than I had hoped at this point.  Here’s a picture I took before the mishap.

My sweater project is about where I want it to be, but I'm a little worried that I might have overestimated my ability to finish it by the end of the Olympics … we’ll see.   I didn't take a picture, but imagine that the fronts and back are divided and the back is done.  I had hoped to work the fronts simultaneously, but that might be a little too complicated, so, I'll keep working at it and hope for the best. Who knows, I could make a heroic comeback effort. As we've seen in the 2010 games, anything can happen!

In other non-Olympic knitting, I also finished the 3, 2, 1 Stripe socks before we left for our trip so I’d have one less thing to distract me during my Olympic quest. 

I really am happy with the way they turned out, and impressed with how well I gauged the amount of yarn I needed to do these.  I ended up with about a 12" piece of leftover yarn in one color and less than 5" in the other (cutting it very close), I'll be taking a break from the Noro for a little while, but some recent stash enhancement might have replenished a couple skeins, I'll be dreaming up new things to do in the meantime. 

Speedy Knitting!

 Nana

I went and did it

I took a deep breath and registered for the Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics! I had been kicking the idea around of just sort of making the time frame a personal challenge when a couple of knitting friends declared their interest and since I generally have more knitting time than other people I decided I could rise to the occasion (I hope)I put this as my project, but I also intend to attempt to finish my Bi-color Cables sweater and hope to get those silly white anklets done before then as well.

 (On your marks....)

Wish me luck!

Fast and Furiously knitting!

Nana

Getting Back on Track

I didn't get on board any Ravelympic teams or even sign up for the Yarn Harlot's knitting Olympics, but I think I'm going to get in on the competitive spirit of the games and try to get a few of my longstanding WIPS finished as a personal challenge during the Olympics.  My first order of business is to get some socks off the needles.  I had three pair going into the weekend, I've got it down to two now and intend to finish another tomorrow (sadly I need to cast on a pair during my class tonight, but that's how it goes).  The next order of business will be to revive my Bi-color Cable sweater project.

At any rate, let me show you the socks I did get done. Here are the Penguin socks that I promised my daughter a while back.  I'm thinking they might make it into the mail in time for Valentines!

Pattern: Pop-out Penguins

Yarn: Blue – Socks that Rock light weight in Blue Moonstone; Black – Socks that Rock in Korrpi; White – Louet Gems in white and Yellow – Sunshine Yarns from the Spring Color pack

Size 2.5mm needles (magic looped)

I made a few minor mods to the pattern, adding rows between the cuff and start of the chart and end of the chart and start of the heel.  The biggest change I did was to knit them in the round instead of flat.  It was quite the learning experience, but I am happy with the result. I think if I did this pattern again I would do the 3-D parts using an “afterthought” heel technique.  I found the short rows a little fiddly and they left a lot of little holes to be closed up at the end.

(love the little tail!)  

Otherwise I can say that these were a fun knit and I think my daughter will enjoy wearing them.

Happy Knitting!

Nana