Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Five days to go

Will I make it?

The back and the two fronts are done and blocking.




And I am half way up the sleeves.


I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!

Monday, February 22, 2010

First medal

I just had to make this.

I had to stop my Olympic sweater and knitted this hat:

This is the hat that the US atheletes wore on the opening night. It was designed by Ralph Lauren and sold for $69. Well, they were sold out within minutes after the ceremony.

No sweat for us knitters. One knitter charted the pattern and posted it on Ravelry for free. Need I say more.

It looks a little dorky, but I just had to make it.
Now back to the project...

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Day Four

Moving right along.

I finished the back of my Ravelympics Intentions! yesterday:



This is really fun knitting. It is eating yarn like crazy though. I used more than two skeins (370 yards) already for the back. Good thing I have another skein coming from the dyer (Have You Any Wool).

Now on the the fronts. This is where the real challenge begins. I am alternating skeins throughout the project. I was going to knit both fronts at the same time but juggling four skeins at once might not be a great idea. One at a time.

On to day four.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

A sweater worthy of the Olympics!

How many days does it take to knit a sweater?

I hope 17 days. As long as the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

I am taking up a challenge organized by the knitting communiy Ravelry called Ravelympics. It is simply a knitting olympics. You pick a pattern. You cast on as the Games open and you finish before the flames go out.

Sounds like a piece of cake, right?


But this is the Olympics. You don't do something simple. You challenge yourself. You go that extra mile. You push harder.

So I am attempting to knit a sweater in 17 days.


Here is the pattern:

It's called Gathering Intentions by Fiona Ellis in her book Inspired Cabled Knits.

I am knitting it with Have You Any Wool Lux Worsted yarn in colorway lone star. You can swatch to get gauge before the event started.



I got gauge on size 7 needles. Perfect.

But this is the Olympics. You just don't follow the set pattern. You challenge yourself. You go that extra mile!

So I am making some moderations to the pattern. First I am making it into a cardigan. With a zipper.

Then I added two inches ribbing to give it a finished look.

I am also mirroring the side cables.

So far so good. Here is how far I got on day two:



285 yards knitted. Moving right along.

Back to the needles now. Cheer me on!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Storm of the century

Fifty inches of snow.


Let the pictures do the talking.


This is the most Washington DC has got in recorded history.

It snowed more this winter in Washington than in Michigan!

The federal government was closed for four days -- that was a record too. We spent the four days shoveling, and shoveling, and shoveling.

Finally, clean.

I had enough snow to last another century! But we are expecting "another system" next Monday!

It's very pretty, I must say...

But I'd rather not see another flake for a good long while...

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

valentine's is just around the corner

And I am ready!


Or at least my sweater is.


Proudly present my Valentine's Cassidy:

Yes!
My first sweater of the year. Madelinetosh Tosk DK. Six skein. Colorway is Tart. On size 8 needles. The pattern is Chic Knits Cassidy. It is a hoodie but I didn't have enough yarn so I knitted a collar instead. I took the collar pattern from another Chic Knits pattern -- Twist Cardigan. It matches perfectly and I am very happy with it.

I like Tosh DK a lot. It was originally classified as a worsted weight yarn and I knitted it as such. It felt a little loose. I am glad it got reclassified as a DK. I think it knits up much better as a light worsted/DK at 5 -5.5 stitches per inch.

Now I am inspired to finish my Twist, which has been languishing in hybernation for over a year.