Monday, February 22, 2010

Knitting Olympic update: Major setback

Well, I was afraid of this. I suspected that when I had to join the second of four balls of yarn at the 6 inch mark that I wouldn't have enough yarn to finish the thing. I was right.

I can't just go and get some more, either, this was yarn from a mill up north and it didn't even have a label or dye lot. There's no way I could find the exact same yarn.

The body was finished up to the underarms, one sleeve was completed and the second begun and I had to face reality. If the sweater weren't hooded, I could have made it. If the sweater didn't have yarn-eating cables, I could have made it. If I weren't knitting on too-small needles which were creating a jacket-like fabric as opposed to a sweater-like fabric ... no, I still wouldn't have made it, then.

Anyhow, I ended up ripping out the entire sweater (gripe, sob) Saturday night and starting over again with larger needles and fewer stitches. Andy and I both wanted the sweater to be oversized so she could wear it for a few years, but there just isn't the yarn. So it's going to be a few inches smaller, the fabric will be looser, and I'm just praying the yarn holds out.

I'm about four inches up the body, and I don't expect to finish it before the torch is extinguished, but I'm going to keep working as if I thought I could. I'm going to finish this race, not walk off the track, even though I know there's no way I can win. Actually, when I think about it, at least Rose will have a sweater at the end of this project. If I had just keep going in denial, I really would have been upset when that last ball ran out.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Knitting Olympic Update: 2/15

Well, friends, as of this afternoon I'm 6 inches into the body of the sweater. I've just joined the second ball of yarn. I have only 4 balls. I'm a little worried that I won't have enough yarn to finish the hood. I thought 800 - 900 yards would be plenty, but I'm not sure now.
A Cardigan for Rose -- beginning
If I get further in and it starts to look like I really won't have enough, then I'll just have to rip it all back and start over again in a smaller size and/or larger needles. The size I'm knitting now will give Rose 7 inches of positive ease, which is a lot, but she's a kid, and I like to give kids lots of room to grow. I don't like working hard on a sweater only to find she's outgrown it in 3 months.

So. If I have to rip back and start over again, I won't succeed at my Knitting Olympics goal, but at least sooner or later Rose will have a complete sweater.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Vest, dishtowel, new projects

So, I finished Andy's vest (finally).
Rugged Vest -- done!
He says he likes it a lot. I wish I had divided for the v-neck a few rows lower, and I'm not crazy about how the left seam turned out, but otherwise, I'm satisfied with it.
Rugged vest - done!
(There's wee Jamie playing with cups in his crib.)

Look what else I did!
Simple dishtowel
My mom is teaching me to use a sewing machine, and how to prep and measure and cut and press cloth and follow a pattern. This was my first project, a cute dishtowel. It only took six hours. :\ But I like it, and surely I'll get better and faster at all the prep work. I hope.

I also started the Audrey Hoodie (Ravelry link)from Vintage Baby Knits. My cousin is due in April. I'm hoping to be done with this by the time she has her shower in March.
Baby sweater start
But! I have to put it on hold starting tomorrow night, because I've decided to challenge myself in the Knitting Olympics!

My event will be a hooded cardigan for Rose, modeled after A Cardigan for Arwen and A Cardigan for Merry. She's too small for the one and too big for the other, so I'm going to use my Ann Budd book and the cable chart as a jumping-off point and see how it goes!

This is the yarn I'm going to use.
Helpful kitty
I bought it at Zeilinger's Wool in Frankenmuth. It had no label, but I think it's a wool/alpaca blend. Pretty bulky, 4 stitches per inch, so it should work up quickly enough for me to finish by the time the torch is extinguished.

Whoo hoo! Let's hear that John Williams theme!