Choice

I had a choice this weekend, do my olympic knitting or go and help my brother move his office. Family won as family should!

Such a relief that the Olympics are over and that the pressure of the knitting challnege is off. I have been wanting to start my samples for the Downtown Knit Collective Frolic (April 22nd - info here). The list, as are all my lists, is rather long:

Fleece Artist
Hand Maiden
Fiddlesticks knitting
and more
Hand Maiden

Pretty! I am excited to start something new.

Off to wind some yarn - what shall it be ........Hand Maiden I think

Have a lovely week.

My brother's office isn't all set up yet so we are heading over to get some more of it done so he can actually work tomorrow. The funny coincidence is that he is moving in to an office my kids' paediatrician used to use when it got really busy. I like it!

Down to the wire

1 sleeve done and part way down the 2nd. All is looking good for completing CONGO on time. Diversions have included a cold (better now), many deliveries of new and yummy yarns from Zephyr dyed for me by Fleece Artist to lacey alpaca from Cherry Tree and more orders than I expected during the Olympics. Plus ear surgery for our sweet elderly Pumpkin - the other ear this time and he is not a happy kitty!

So much for working a couple of hours a day and knitting the rest of the time!

Must go and knit now....

Progress - YES!

With a few knitting hours left of the weekend, a quick update on CONGO.

All of the squares are done.

The neck is done and I opted to add a collar (this option comes with the pattern in Knitting out of Africa) which took most of yesterday to finish.

Rows and rows and rows of garter stitch to go for the sleeves. They are picked up from the squares at the shoulder, knit downwards in a mitred "W" - which makes it a little more interesting than straight garter. The sleeves end in a point and folded up to make a cuff. I might flatten them out - I'll see when I get to the end.

This and the Noro Entrelac are about all I am going to be able to finish in time so I ain't gonna medal in the Knitting Olympics.

I will still be very proud of my own personal accomplishments - and may yet get to some of the others on the list.

And miles to go before I sleep.

More squares

A slightly too orangey picture of Congo by Marianne Isager - the real colours are more taupey with charcoal gray.

Progress has been made - just picked up the stitches for square 113 (which is actually a rectangle - one of the stripey ones) and am now over 3/4 of the way done the front and back yokes.

I'll probably be done by Friday and then get the neck and body done with the sleeves to follow shortly thereafter.

I'm lovin it!

Weekend results

Olympics knitting progress so far.

Darned in the ends of on the Sea Silk scarf. Kiri Shawl and pink Cashmere enrelac scarf. All are now ready for blocking.

Finished the second Regia sock and darned them in and put them on my feet!

Working on Congo - now on square/rectangle 96 (of 146) - started with #82. Woo hoo!

Pictures later

Keep on knitting!

Olympian tasks

When Stephanie Pearl-McPhee told me about her fantastic idea, I decided to play along and knit a challenging project - one that had only a slim chance of being finished during the time frame - Alice Starmore's glorious Henry VIII from Tudor Roses.

I changed my mind!

I can do that can't I?

Rather than start another project to add to the UFO pile. My new challenge is to clear out my knitting shelf and finish all of the 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and nearly done objects. Now that is a herculean challenge! I find comfort in having many things to work on so I am moving way beyond my own comfort zone and, I think, still staying within our own dear Yarn Harlot's framework.

UFOs:

Just need darning and blocking:

1. Sea Silk scarf in a Jackie Erickson Schweitzer pattern
2. Pink Cashmere entrelac scarf for my DD
3. Kiri shawl in black Madil Kid Seta
   

Just needs finishing:

1. St Brigid in Tivoli Celtic Aran - steeks need to be cut and it all needs to be put together (was knit in the round though so no side seams (yeah!))

From 1/4 to 1/2 done:

1. Sasha Kagan intarsia leaves from the 3rd issue of British Knitting - Rowan yarn - almost done the back. Front and sleeves to go plus finishing
2. Fiddlesticks Peacock Shawl in Marine Blue Zephyr
   
3. Alice Starmore FERN in deep teal blue Naturally Perendale - back almost done - front and sleeves to go
4. Marianne Isager's Congo - modular checks and deep charcoal garter stitch body and sleeves - about 3/4s done the modular part
5. Mermaid - body half done and sleeves to go
6. 2nd Regia ringel sock - just finished the heel
7. Cotton lace top in Paprika Super 10 - about 1/3 up the body (knit round and sleeveless)
8. Noro Entrelac sweater - just need to finish the sleeves and sew together then decide on the neck
9. Jette Slynte fair isle swing coat - blues with mossy green trim - started about 3 years ago and about 1/3 of the way up the body (knit circularly wiht steeks)
10. Vivian Hoxbro charcoal and rainbow spots poncho which will be ripped out and become something else (mermaid?) or part of one of the patterns from Knitting out of Africa (Marianne Isager)
    

I think that is it - do you think I can do it? I think I can I think I can I think I can

I will let you know.

Read through Beethoven's 3rd Symphony this afternoon with a casual reading orchestra and a wonderful conductor and am now set to knit until the closing ceremonies. What inspiration!

Knit on!

Done and blocking

Not a how to - just a big sigh of relief that my spinning project is finished. I am late - and will lose 10% for the privilege but I just couldn't get it all finished for yesterday- cast off the last stitch in the wee small hours.

I spun the prettiest fluffy white skeins for the project and acutally did way too much as I thought that it was to be 150 to 200g instead of what it really said - 150 to 200 metres. As a result I ended up ripping out about 4 inches of it to make it inside the lines.

Instead of making something up, I used Fiber Trends Leaf Lace Shawl a pattern that I have knit before (in Hand Maiden Lace Silk no less). What a great pattern it is - easy to follow, rythmic and very very pretty. I like it for hand dyed yarns - the simple geometry of the leaves doesn't fight with the colour of the hand dye.

Anyway, the great white wonder (white Romney Rambouillet cross lamb that I bought at Maryland Sheep and Wool last year from the shepherd) is drying now, stretched out with blocking wires. Had I had time, I would have dyed the skeins but the white is good for now.

I should be more excited as this is the first thing I have actually made from my own spinning! But I am just glad to have it done! I learned a lot from the course and the homework. Will O go back next summer for Level 2 - I don't know yet and don't need to decide yet.

Now - on to Olympic Knitting - will I do Henry VIII (Alice Starmore and absolutely gorgeous) or will I be more sensible and be challenged into finishing all of (or some of) the projects I have going on already. I am reluctant to start something new knowing that Mermaid, Fern (Starmore), an intarsia cardigan, an Isager sweater (Congo), a Hoxbro poncho (poncho - aren't they OUT now - better rip that one out and find something else to do with the very dark charcoal - how about a plain Mermaid!!!!) a design for cotton socks.... you get the point no doubt.

"Talk"to you later.

Sock it up

Bang the drums, rattle the pots and pans and clang the bells! I am 2 sock designs up on my Sock of the Month Club - that means February and March are both done. This is a first!

I kind of like them both (a good thing I guess) and they are quite different from each other.

Basket Case takes a self patterning yarn and plays the stripes off each other in an entrelac leg (and heel in the clog sock version) with the plain knit stripes of the foot:


I just love the way the entrelac contrasts with the stripes and each looks so different.

T'other is a fair isle based on African design and is a companion to Graphite, an older design of mine - pre SOTM Club. Both are graphical and highly contrasting and very linear.


Earthern started out a couple of years agoe and I swatched it in another yarn that just didn't work (too heavy) so it has been sitting on the back burner since then. Marianne Isager's newly release Knitting Out of Africa inspired me to try it again and this time it worked out afte a couple of changes of the number of stitches.

Work so far this weekend has been confined to spinning for my final assignment - a small project. I have just a few more days to hand it in so it is going to be tight - a good lot of knitting tomorrow and the next 2 days to get it finished. I am going to do something lacey which will likely evolve as I go along.

Vendor sign ups just arrived for the Downtown Knit collective's April Frolic. It is just over 2 months away and then there is Maryland Sheep and Wool in May and TNNA in June and then on to Colorado to my cousin's and the Estes Park Wool Market. Time is flying by!