Yeah for design features!

I was so inspired during the knitting Olympics that when I had to put down my project until I could learn how to crochet, I started work on a second sweater. I had been carrying around this lovely Interlacements Toasty Toes for over a year with no idea of what it wanted to be. As soon as I saw this pattern, I knew it would be perfect. It is the child's placket-neck pull-over from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

I occupied myself while knitting during The Games by checking out other knitletes blogs (Holy crap there's a lot of us- I barely made it through the A's!) It was during this distracted state that I screwed up the placket and didn't notice until almost the shoulder. The placket is supposed to be in the middle! I was briefly inconsolable and then realized that this is the type of challenge that separates Olympians from the rest of us.
Normally, I would have balled up the sweater and thrown it in the corner until I could face it again. Not this time- I wanted the gold (yes, even though this was not my original project I figured if I finished this but not the cardigan, I'd get the gold either way). So I got in my car and drove to the LYS for some moral support as I ripped out all my hard work. I made the right choice to go there because they convinced me to do no such thing. "It's a design feature", they said. Now everyone I've shown the sweater to says they like it better this way.

Golden Moment

Saturday, February 25th
10:00-12:00- Took "Crochet for Knitters" at LYS.
1:00- Return home and start working on crocheting the border with fuzzy mohair.
2:00- Give up and try crocheting a border with the sweater yarn.
3:00- Realize with the smooth crocheted border I may be able to use the mohair.
3:30- Call in to work and find out that I don't have to work that night. Shout with
joy.
5:15- Finish the border and sew on buttons.
5:30- Model sweater for Sam. He says "You're an Olympian!" and I jump up and
down singing the Olympic anthem at the top of my lungs and wipe away the
tears in my eyes.

Okay, I guess I am a total dork. We even went out to our favorite restaurant to celebrate. I don't care if it's dorky. We all need more reasons to celebrate in this life!
Thanks to Yarn Harlot for imagining this thing. I feel like my knitting is on a whole new level now. I have confidence that I could make anything if I really wanted to and it wouldn't take forever either! See y'all in 4 years...

Creating converts

I work in fine dining and the other night a woman dining with her family was at the table knitting madly. "That's strange" I thought, "I've never seen that before. SHE MUST BE IN THE KNITTING OLYMPICS!"
I didn't want to bug her during dinner but when she was leaving I asked her. She and her husband I laughed and I thought that meant that she was in it but then she said "What's that?" I guess the laughter meant "What's this crazy talk of which you speak?"
Oh well, I told her to google Yarn Harlot and she could find out all about it. I'm now an official proselytizer for the KOlympics. I can't wait to see how many people we get in 4 years!

Recycled knitting

I got this idea while pouring through every knitting book at Barnes &Noble to see which one I wanted. I ended up buying a cookbook instead but at the time spent looking was not wasted because now I have this funky bathmat.I can't remember what book it came from but I made up the pattern anyway. Yes those are t-shirts recycled into yarn. I cut them in spirals about 1 inch wide up to the armpits. I used size 13 needles. I measured my old bathmat and made a swatch. I needed to cast on 40 stitches to make it wide enough. I knit as many rows with each color as possible. I like them uneven. We have a St. Vinnies Dig 'N Save where you can buy clothes by the lb. so t-shirts are practically free. I'll be making more of these. Maybe thin stripes next time?

This is it!

Now that I've joined the knitting Olympics, I might as well blog about it. My original goal was to put together a cardigan that I've been carrying that completed pieces of around for years. If I were to pick my first sweater pattern to knit again, it would not be this. Size 5 needles, 5 pieces to assemble, crocheted border (I don't even know how to crochet!)
I knew my choice might be outside the rules (cast on when the torch is lit and all) but I knew that this truly would be a challenge for me. The seaming of the sweater was no problem. I actually like the magic of joining two pieces together with an even seam. So satisfying. I was finished before the week was out and while I waited for a crochet lesson from a friend, I cast on for another Olympic sized challenge. The childs placket pull-over from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.
I got the lesson but crochet is not my friend. It feels like torture. I hate the yarn and the finished look. You can see my first attempt on the sleeve in this (very blurry) picture.
Okay I guess you can't tell but trust me when I say it looks like CRAP! So I'm doing what any Olympian would do under the circumstances. I'm getting some coaching. Yes, my LYS just happens to have a Crocheting for Knitters class this Saturday. It'll be cutting it close since the Olympics end on Sunday but I know that with proper form, I can get the gold.