Just one more post today!!

Hermione's Everyday Socks
Serenity Sock Yarn Lavender Topaz
size 1 (US) needles
Not quite as dark as the very wet blocking pictures show!!

Will the real color please show yourself?

The color on yesterdays blocking shots was WAY off. I meant to say something when I posted the pictures, but had a blonde moment (not bad for a redhead!).

The drama queen says it is too big for her so Horay! a vest for me!!

~M

Going for Gold!

Athletes train for years to participate in the Olympics, which much competition to get to compete for your country and even when they win the chance to go for the gold many play and don't win.

Knitting as a competetive sport does not leave the same tears of losing out by an inch, or one goal or one point the way the for real Olympics do as the only person you are really competing against is yourself but finishing this project was a close thing!

During the knitting phase of the Olympics my life has been plagued with longer hours at work, snow to shovel, meetings and conference calls that were not knitter friendly not to mention gauge problems.

It takes a certain kind of hard headedness to refuse to let those things make me change projects and I adjusted the pattern as I went without frogging or ripping more than a couple of rows at a time and finally, this evening after dinner I finally cast off the ribbing around the armholes of :





Wood Hollow Vest by Kirsten Kapur
ColourMart Lambswool/silk 2/4
Size 3 and 4 (US) circular needles
Mods : modified to knit in the round up to the armholes, added waist shaping by decrease one stitch each side of side markers every fourth round 4 times and the working even until two and a half inches below arm hole shaping. Increased back to original stitch count before armholes to allow for bust ease. Deepened the neck line and kitchenered the shoulder seams together in pattern. Decreased ribbing around arm holes to four rows instead of five and used a suspended bind off for neck and armholes as I couldn't get my hands on my larger size needles when I wanted them!

Now I wonder if I can get two and a half socks knit in the next 24 hours to stay on track with the rest of my knitting?!?!


Yeah, I didn't think so either!

~M

I know you expected more..

I know that you thought there would be a lot more Olympic Knitting to show in this post. After all there was President's Day which should have been an entire day devoted to knitting cables, and several evenings that should have allowed me to get more than just a few inches into my Wood Hollow Vest.

Mother Nature and Bank Conversions had other ideas.

Firstly there was snow, a lot of snow, snow on top of snow that had been left behind a storm or two ago.

So much snow that, even though we are forcast more, I can't shovel anymore unless I get taller!
Look closely, that is a 10 1/2 year old boy sunk in the snow that is piled at the side of the driveway. I can't lift or throw it any higher than that!!

Bank Conversions have led to an increased number of conference calls and more work brought home to finish up, (If I fall asleep one more time reading conversion material I am going to do more than dream about it!) which also cut into my knitting time.

I had to do something to make myself feel better, how do you think I did?

~M

We interrupt the games to bring you......

Persian Princess

BadCat Designs and Gossamer Web teamed up to bring you Persian Princess, and a prettier shawl is not to be seen gracing the snow that lingers through my personal Olympic Games.

Stats:

Pattern : Persian Princess from BadCat Designs (either buy on Rav or get free with yarn purchase at The Gossamer Web, and you will love the yarn so go on you know you want to!)
Yarn: Love Potion #3 in Tealish
Needles: Size 1 US circular needles
Beads : Size 10 clear glass seed beads, Size 8 AB silver lined glass seed beads

If you look at the bottom picture you can barely see the red provisional cast on yarn. This piece is knit from those few stitches at the bottom of the triangle to the top, without breaking the yarn stitches are picked up down the long sides of the triangle and then back to the top once the sides are cast off for an elegant top edging. Only two ends to weave in!!

As usual, Andrea provides full charts and extensive starting and finishing instructions along with fabulous pictures of her Persian Princess blocking, on a model and close in so you can see how the beads she used match the yarn perfectly.

Love Potion #3 is a lace knitters dream and this project takes about half of a skein so I have plenty left over to knit something else.

~M

Shamelessly stolen from The Yarn Harlot

The Knitting Olympics Athletes Pledge

I, a knitter of able hands and quick wits, to hereby swear that over the course of these Olympics I will uphold the highest standard of knitterly excellence.

I will be deft of hand and sure of pattern, I will overcome troubles of yarn overs and misplaced decreases. I will use the gifts of intelligence and persistence (as well as caffeine and chocolate) and I will execute my art to the highest form, carrying with me the hope for excellence known to every knitter.

I strive to win. To do my best, and to approach the needles with my own best effort in mind, without comparing myself to my fellow knitters, for they have challenges unique to them.

While I engage in this pursuit of excellence and my own personal, individual best, I also swear that I will continue to engage with my family in conversation, care for my pets, speak kindly with those who would ask me to do something other than knit, and above all, above every stitch thrown or picked, above every cable, every heel stitch, every change of colour, I swear this:

That I will remember that this is not the real Olympics, that I'm supposed to be having fun and that my happiness and self-worth ride not on my success....
but on my trying.

Let the games begin!

Check out the rest of her post here.

A,B,C,D....

Chart E of Snow Queen, sorry my needles aren't long enough to spread this out more so you can get a real look. Lots more nupps and a scattering of beads rounded out this pattern segment. When worked correctly (took me two tries) double vertical decreases from Chart D line up exactly with double vertical decreases in Chart E.

My Hermione Socks have not progressed at all, my VOI has been getting a few rounds worked each day on lunch and I am prepped and ready for Ravelympics. If you are not on Ravelry (and if so, sign up! It's free and easy although it can turn into one heck of a time sink!!) The Yarn Harlot has Knitting Olympics going on as well.

I hope I can get all the knitting in that I plan this coming weekend, or I will be behind before I start!!

~M

What Friday Left Behind

I threw the knitting in at the end to show you what to do when snowbound!

~M

Makes up for missing....

I have to make up for missing Work In Progress Wednesday, but in all fairness it is Andrea's fault because she only published the chart on Wednesday and I am fast but not that fast!!

The has also been some swatching, this is Colourmart 2/4 Lambswool/Silk and size 6 needles attempting to get gauge for Wood Hollow Vest. I missed! Which means either I will be swatching again, or just winging it. Knowing me I think I know how this is going to end...do you know anyone who will want a vest when I am finished?

On November 26, 1922 Howard Carter got the first glimpses into King Tut's Tomb and exclaimed in awe "I see wonderful things!" That is exactly how I felt when I opened my Knitting Emergency Kit from Lara. If you click the picture you can "embiggen" it and see a small sample of the loot she managed to get into a small zipper bag. There was more, the chocolates have mostly disappeared and hard candy and the bag itself is not pictured.

Just in case you didn't already know it, Knitting Friends are the BEST!!!

~M

Once private, now public

We all know that I like teeny, tiny needles and extra fine yarn, but every now and then it is nice to have a project that knits up quickly and doesn't require a magnifying glass too work on.

Through the Loops presents : Hamamelis which is the botanical name for witch-hazel.


Garter Lace in a quick to memorize stitch pattern on size 6 needles in sock yarn! It is fun to test knit patterns for designers, every now and then I feel important when I find an error and it forces me to actually knit the pattern as written!

If you run on over to Through the Loops you can see a couple more versions, and although I only test knit one size there are a couple to pick from if you want one of these for your very own. Watch the yardage on your sock yarn though, I ran out of yarn just a few rows from the end and improvised. :)

Mine is made from a mystery sock yarn sans label from my stash. As it is predominantly green I am guessing that originally it was going to be socks for dear son number two, but for whatever reason it didn't turn out that way.

There might be more to show you this evening, Chart D for SnowQueen is up on the group! And I have been swatching for Ravelympics.

~M