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In the afterglow

congratulations to all members of team pie, regardless of whether you finished or not. Something something about the journey being the reward.

Special congrats to folks who've picked up the needles for their first project cause of this. My (just finished before the closing ceremonies started) umbilical cord baby hat is off to you.

Finished!

That's me, wearing my newly finished and blocked gloves!

I'm also wearing my Olympic beret; it's from the Salt Lake games, not the Torino ones, but it'll do.

Here's ANJA!

Well, here she is. She's a bit blue-looking, but that's my fault (I'm still learning how to use my digital camera) -- she's actually Brown Sheep Co's Lamb's Pride Bulky in "Pine Shadows".Still needs blocked, I think, although she's pretty close to squared up as-is... I'm torn between the 'soak and pin' and 'steam iron under damp towel' methods. Would you believe I've already started on another project? Egads - I think I've become a 'knitter'!

14 days. 2 me sized sweaters done. Inch and a quarter into a baby hat. BOOYAH. Pics soon. Promise.

Edited: As promised:



Beth is done in Rowan Ribbon Twist (yes I went and straightened out the collar after taking the pic). That extended collar hangs back like a...er. not hoodish hoodie. Jude is in black (apparently known as 'Savage' to the Rowan people) Biggy Print.





A closeup of the Beth. I have to say I like this colourway, as it kind of reminds me of chain mail.

Knitter down...

I am recovering from injuries that have slowed me way down. I hope to finish the penis and pattern, but the hats are going to have to wait until afte the Olympics. I took a spectacular fall on a wet kitchen floor and banged up my left elbow, and by the time that started to heal, I managed to burn my left thumb on an oven element and got a second degree burn. It's getting better.

VICTORY IS MINE!!!

I finished my scarf at about 10pm last night -- I've decided to call it 'Anja', since I cast off the last stitch just about the same time Anja Paerson got her gold in slalom. I'm weaving in ends this evening and I'll post a pre-blocked picture later on.

Even though I cheated and started early I'm right chuffed with myself, I can assure you. I feel positively victorious.

Penile progress

We were travelling at the beginning of the Knitting Olympics, and I neglected to bring 2 circular size 2 needles, so progress has been somewhat slow. However, last night I finished the shaft and head, and picked up stitches for the scrotum. I will post pictures as soon as I can find the memory card reader, which I know I saw the other day...

Finally in the groove

I'm just about done with the back of my sweater; about 3-4 more rows to go, which I should be able to knock off in 20-30 minutes or so. I'm behind schedule, if you pay strict attention to the calendar, but I'm still determined to make it. You know how it sometimes takes a while to find the rhythm when you're working on a big project? That's sort of where I was until last night. The yarn is gorgeous, I love the new needles, but I've been overly cautious and slow, because of the slippy nature of my materials. I am mildly worried about how slippy this yarn is going to be when I switch over to the Addis to knit the collar, but right now, I just have a heck of a lot of ribbing and stockinette to kick out in a fairly short space of time, so I'm putting the collar out of my mind.

There is one thing I don't like about using yarn that has man-made fibre in it; I can't just splice it when it's time for a new skein, which means way more ends to weave in. I hate weaving in ends. Can't somebody PLEASE sell a readily-available pure cashmere/wool blend in the UK? Please?

I will never forgive Jaeger for discontinuing Cashair and Cashmina. Never.

I'm down to the last 5 rows and top shaping of the seecond sleeve, and then it's assembly time. I've already seamed together the 2 shoulders and picked up/knit the collar. So, setting in sleeves, seaming sleeves and sides, weaving in approx 3 trillion ends.

Woo hoo.

Day 7

One glove is finished! I'm halfway done!

The speedskating methodology

Back of sweater #1 done, 25 rows into sleeve 1. The sweaters are my 'distance events', the baby hats are my short-track.

Back to knitting. Pics later. Knitting and screaming at hockey, what could be better?

T-minus whatever and counting...

Got my yarn, got my needles, found my pattern, and am about to make dinner, thus clearing the evening for watching the opening ceremonies, and starting my project. I'm not as well-organised as chicagowench, so there is no Italian theme to our meal; I'm making Chicken Etouffée with steamed basmati rice, and I made a disgustingly rich chocolate layer cake as an early Valentine's Day treat, since Phil will be away on the actual day. Mmmm Callebaut. This seems celebratory enough for me, and leaves more time to knit.

I don't have much in the way of actual work to do next week, and will, as mentioned above, be on my own for four days, so I am hoping to make a huge start over the weekend and a lot of progress next week. I am also wishing I'd gone for something really, really chunky, but it's too late now to let my nerves take over, so I am definitely sticking with the black polo neck sweater for my beloved. I swatched last weekend, and have mostly been resting my hands, but for a little noodling around on one of those blessedly gauge- and pattern-free scarves where I let the yarn do the talking, and content myself with mindless knitting.

I am in danger of taking this thing way too seriously. Somebody shoot me if I turn into one of Those People, OK?

We're off

We leave for our trip this morning, so my knitting is all packed. I shall do my best to report in this week on the pattern-making progress.

I've gauge swatched and am good to go tomorrow. I have fiendishly selected dishes for tomorrow night's northern Italian themed dinner (antipasti of gorgonzola in pastry and various nibblies, i primi of butternut squash risotto, i secondi of lamb shank with mushrooms and red wine, dessert of affligato) that I can almost entirely prep/cook ahead so as to maximize evening time.

I've frightened the manager of the local yarn store with my enthusiasm, I think.

How're y'all doing?

Gearing up

So, I just finished- and I do mean finished, that beast is seamed, ends woven in, and currently blocking- Jerry's 'Fergus' from Rowan Bigger Picture, as the thought of starting a new project for KO with that unfinished filled me with guilt and shame. But as I triumphantly reclined last night, finally allowing myself to- oh- look at the pattern for the sweater I'm doing for KO, I realized...

It's on bigger needles than I thought. Reducing the challenge level a smidge as it will go faster. Hrm.

So, Knit Olympians. Give me your feedback. Do I throw down the gauntlet to myself and:

a. Knit one sweater and one earflap hat as my KO projects
b. Knit one sweater, one hat, one set of mittens as my KO projects
c. Knit TWO sweaters as my KO projects
d. Stick with one sweater, anything else is a bonus.

It's official

Check it out - we're on the official team page!

Event Prep

So I did go over to John Lewis in Liverpool today, and got (gulp!) 12 skeins of the (luscious!) black Cashmerino Superchunky, as I have definitely decided to make the polo neck pullover. The gauge is just, as in barely 1/5th of a stitch, off, but it will be fine; I am not anticipating any real sizing problems with this, since it's hardly intended to be a form-fitting sweater anyway, and Cashmerino definitely blooms a bit when you wash it. (Which you can! Muahahahahahaha!)

Now I am off to order a pair of 8mm/40cm Addi Turbos for picking up and knitting the collar. I am really glad that when I bought my 8mm/35cm straights, I got them in light wood, because dark wool on dark needles sounds like more trouble than I need right now.

Hi, my name is jess, and I am a knitaholic

I have no fewer than 3 projects on the needles already, and another just needing blocking and buttons, so I need more projects like a hole in my head (and I have a few of those already). But I love a challenge, and can't let there be Team Pie without me.

So: one of my recent projects was a Hanukkah gift for the 3WA goddess Sara Astruc, a knitted penis that could be tied onto the forehead. The origins of the Forehead Cock are shrouded in the mysteries of time (AKA jess is old and forgetful). I was joking with Sara that I could knit her a prosthetic forehead cock, which she thought was hilarious. I mentioned this to my husband, who instantly double-dog dared me to knit one.

So, I did. And it is a marvel of knitted engineering, complete with pubic hair and scrotum, involving circular knitting, short rows, i-cord, a sock heel and felting. However, I was in such a hurry to finish it that I neglected to write much of the pattern down. So, in the spirit of taking on a challenge during the Knitting Olympics, and because several people want the pattern, I am going to recreate this wonder AND WRITE DOWN EVERY SINGLE STEP. And then, if I have any more time, I'll make as many children's hats/mittens as I can from my stash for the Dulaan Project.

In the meantime, I can tell you about my current projects:

- a corset top, in purple tussah silk from Artfibers (a birthday gift), just needs reblocking and buttons

- an almost completed multidirectional purse, my own pattern, in Noro Silk Garden, for my sister

- a Mermaid in colourway 5, (kit was another birthday gift)

- and a Mary Poppins scarf in Kidsilk Haze and Douceur et Soie for a friend

My name is jess, and I am a knitaholic.

About that Rowan sweater...

Er, that may be off the table for the Knitting Olympics, not because I don't plan on knitting it eventually, but because Mother's Day is still some time off, and I started playing with my stash of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino, and oh my God. The Cashmerino, so soft, so silky, so yummy. It is just gliding over my needles and slipping through my fingers, and mmmm. All of my stash is in girly colours, intended to be scarves and hats for me, me, me, but I am probably going to head over to John Lewis in Liverpool and see what they have in the manly colours, because I can seriously see my husband looking and feeling mighty good in a black polo neck Cashmerino sweater. The pattern I plan on using calls for the discontinued Noro Sahara, but I'm pretty sure I can make gauge using either the Cashmerino Chunky or, more likely, Superchunky. And, yes, my stash is already way too big, but this sweater is something I passionately want to knit, it will get worn to death, and Cashmerino is MACHINE WASHABLE, people. I have only so much self-control.

Speaking of my husband and sweaters, the blue Rowanspun roll-neck had just finished blocking when he got back from Leeds for the weekend, and when he tried it on, it fit absolutely flawlessly, and he loves it and praised me to the skies for it. Therefore, he deserves another sweater. In Cashmerino, which, in case I haven't been clear enough, I LOVE AND WANT TO MARRY.

What to knit, what to knit....

I'm fretting over what to knit. I'm working on a baby cardigan for Slimer (the nephew), and I think I want to do something for myself. I have a good amount of a ribbon yarn I like (700 yds or so, maybe more) , and I like the idea of a ribbon tank, like the one from knitty http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring05/PATTxback.html. However, I'm concerned about the back, as I like the whole wearing a bra thing, esp with something with holes in it.

Or I might do something completely different. We'll see. I need to finish that dang cardigan first.

Knitting with toothpicks (the joys of fine gauge).

Hello all; on Blogger I'm known as Bliss, but on Team Pie I'm Parenthetical Girl.

My Olympic event is going to be a pair of gloves in red Koigu. I've never made gloves before, and just to make it that much more challenging, I'm going to use a size 0 needle. I've been making socks in fine gauges as training, and I've decided I really like the way they look and feel with the tiny little stitches. Right now I'm finishing up a pair of toddler socks which I'm knitting with a 000 needle (I might as well be using toothpicks). My wrists ache, my fingers are sore, and my eyes are weary. On the bright side, though, when I go back to using the size 0, it'll feel huge by comparison.

[An aside to Amelia: I understand what it's like to be powerless over the forces of gauge. I knit so loosely that I always have to go down at least two needle sizes. I prefer to knit things where I can choose my own gauge and calculate the stitches accordingly. Ann Budd's book is really useful for this; you can knit at whatever gauge you like with a minimum of math involved. You might want to give this a try!]