On the Podium

As you may have already guessed from the title of this post, I did indeed finish my Ravellenic Games project -- just barely!

Pattern: Helenium by Amanda Scheuzger
Yarn: Knit Picks Simply Wool Worsted in Wendy, 5.32 skeins, and Chroma Worsted in Lupine, 0.54 skeins
Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) and US 3 (3.25 mm)
Started/Completed: February 9/February 24

I worked on my sweater nearly the whole way to our destination on Saturday (I couldn't work on it for the first 30-45 minutes or so because we left so early that it was still dark). One of the group ended up not being able to come, so I was able to spread out a bit in the car and not have to worry about elbowing my fellow passengers while I knit. I took a brief break when we arrived for the baby shower but pulled my knitting out again later in the afternoon and then stayed up later than usual (I didn't go to bed until after 11!) to finish it Saturday evening when we got to our hotel.

The finishing was not without a bit of drama, unfortunately. In my rush to get out the door on Saturday morning -- I got up at my usual time and didn't have any caffeine until we were already on the road -- I forgot to grab my notions bag, so I didn't have any tapestry needles with me to do all the finishing. That meant I had to fudge things with what I had on hand, so really all I did was try to do the grafts on the needles, using a spare needle to pull the yarn through, and tuck the ends inside rather than fully weaving them in. It felt a bit like cheating, but as my mother said when I mentioned this, I would have done everything completely if I'd had my tapestry needles with me, so really I was just making do with the resources I had. When I got back from the trip yesterday, I undid all the messy grafts and redid them properly as well as wove in all the ends -- fixing everything after the fact, I suppose.

I really enjoyed knitting this pattern, and feel like I learned a lot about brioche by knitting the two-color yoke. There were a couple of rounds that were challenging, particularly one of the last rounds, which involves a 4-into-1 decrease, but overall it was much easier than I was expecting. I foresee a lot more shaped brioche in my future!

As to the yarn, I really cannot say enough nice things about Simply Wool. It's a great workhorse yarn that reminds me very much of Cascade 220 (but at a better price!). Every single one of the skeins I received was a bit overweight, and I actually ended up with one skein completely untouched and one mostly unused, so I have a good amount left to do something with. I have a feeling that the next time I need a basic worsted weight wool, this will be the first yarn I think of. Judging by the supply Knit Picks seems to have, it's been a very popular yarn line, and I hope it's one they'll continue and perhaps expand (maybe they'll do some dyed colors in the future?).

The Chroma worked well as far as color effect is concerned, but next time I do two-color brioche, I won't be working with a yarn that's a soft-spun single. Most of the frustrations with the process had to do with the yarn snagging, sticking, or pilling, and I found myself twisting an awful lot of the Chroma as I prepared to knit with it because it seemed to be falling apart. I know that's an expected hazard when you're working with a yarn like this, and I think it was worth it in this instance for the fantastic slow color change, but I doubt I'd do it again (although Rainbow now wants me to make something for her with the leftovers, so I may have to eat my words).

I am really, really happy with how this project turned out, and frankly I'm very proud of myself for getting it done. For a while there, I was really doubting that I'd make it, but now it's officially tied for the fastest sweater I've ever made (the last one I made this fast was this sweater that I was knitting for a test knit -- and it was certainly an easier knit). I definitely challenged myself with this pattern, and not just in the amount of time I had to complete it -- and I think that was pretty much the intended purpose of doing the Ravellenic Games in the first place. I am bit bummed that our weather seems to be headed toward spring and I likely won't get many opportunities to wear this sweater before I have to pack it away for the summer -- because it's very thick and cozy, perfect for more typical winter weather -- but I have zero regret about making it. It's really a spectacular piece (and that's a comment on the design, not my ability in executing it), and it got commented on by everyone who saw it over the weekend, the vast majority of them nonknitters. Even if I don't get much wear out of it this season, it'll be so nice knowing that I have a real statement piece in my wardrobe to wear to knitter-centric events where it will really be admired.

We're Down to the Wire

Time is quickly running out on my Ravellenic Games project, but I am giving my best Olympic effort to get my sweater done in time. Last night I finally started the two-color brioche yoke, a section that is only 40 rounds long but yet is likely to be the most involved section of the entire sweater. I only got 11 rounds completed last night, in large part because I messed up on the first complicated round (the first round with shaping) and had to tink back at least twice. But now it is moving along.

It turns out that the increases and decreases in this yoke pattern are much more intuitive than I would have expected. The challenge is simply remembering which one to use when and counting stitches consistently. As you can see in the photo, I'm using stitch markers between every repeat so that I don't have to count numbers that are two big. It also makes it much easier to see where the mistake is when I mess up, as I did last night.

Although the Chroma Worsted I am using is a bit fussy to work with (as any single-ply yarn would be), I am loving how the colors are gently transitioning, and I think I will end up with a little bit of all the colors in the skein in the finished yoke.

I will be working more on this tonight, of course, but I expect I'll be knitting to the last minute on my trip to get it done. We're leaving early tomorrow morning and coming back Sunday. I expect it will be a bit awkward to knit on this in the car, but I'm going to do it in order to have a chance of finishing on time (the closing ceremonies at the Olympics start at 6 a.m. local time on Sunday, so really I need to have this finished up by Saturday night before I go to bed). I have no idea how much knitting time I'll have once we get to our destination, but I'm sure I can manage at least a bit of time. Ideally, I'll be able to finish the knitting in the car and use any extra time to weave in ends and graft the underarms.

I won't be posting this weekend, so you'll have to wait until next week to find out if I finished in time or not. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

It Doesn't Look Much Different

I fear I am running out of time on my Ravellenic sweater. I am working feverishly on it every night, but there is only so much knitting I can get done in an evening. I am getting ever closer to the brioche: I have one more raglan decrease round to do, some short rows, and then a few set-up rounds to knit before I join in the yoke color and get down to business. I'm hopeful that tonight I'll at least make it that far. Here's where it stands at this moment:

The good news is that as the rounds have gotten smaller thanks to the decreases, they've also gotten easier to manage -- those first few rounds after you join the body and the sleeves are so annoyingly awkward! I'm still having to rearrange the entire sweater as I knit, and that won't go away, but anything that makes the process a bit easier makes me a happier knitter.

It's increasingly looking like I'll need to work on this in the car on my trip this weekend if I want to finish in time. It's not ideal, but I will do what I need to in order to meet the deadline.

Meanwhile, I've been working on a new sock design at work during my lunch break (because the sweater is too bulky to fit in my work bag -- though if I really need the extra time I might break down and carry an additional bag). It's moving along much faster, as you would expect. The first sock was finished last week and I'm already nearly halfway done with the second. I've shared some peeks of this on my Instagram account, but this is the first time I've shared a clear shot.

This is just the first pattern in what will be a mini collection that I'm doing as a collaboration with Marian of Marianated Yarns. The socks are obviously up first, but upcoming are a hat and a cowl, both of which will feature coordinating yarn colors and variations on the stranded motif. Marian's yarns are brand new to me, and I have not been disappointed. I'm particularly excited to break into the skeins of her Playtime DK she sent because the yarn has a cabled construction that should make for some really excellent stitch definition.

It's Almost a Sweater

I didn't post yesterday because Sundays are for blogging about spinning, and there has been not one lick of spinning done in probably two weeks. There has, however, been a lot of sweater knitting, which is why I'm posting a day earlier than usual.

I'm coming off a long weekend -- Rainbow had no school of Friday, so I took the day off to be with her, and then was out of the house most of the day Saturday. We dropped her off at my in-law's on Saturday afternoon, and she was staying with them that night, yesterday, and today (when she has another day off from school), so that meant that the Mister and I had the house to ourselves yesterday. While there were certainly the usual chores and errands to do, I got in a lot more knitting time than usual. By the time I was ready for bed last night, I had not only finished the body of my sweater but had managed to join the body and sleeves so that I'm ready to start my yoke.

I know this isn't a great photo, but it's the best I could do on an overcast morning. Now that the pieces are joined, I've got several inches of the main color to knit with raglan decreases followed by a set of short rows. Then I'll finally get to the brioche.

The little ball of yarn you can see to the right of the sweater is all that's remaining of my fourth skein. I have three left, and I'm not sure I'll use all of them, though I know that the brioche section will eat yarn.

The deadline to finish this sweater is this weekend (sometime on Sunday -- I have to look up the exact time), but I'm really hoping to have it finished Friday night because I'll be leaving super early for a trip for the weekend on Saturday morning and I'm not sure this will work as car knitting. Keep your fingers crossed!

Slogging

For some strange reason, I had it in my head that when I reached the end of this week, I'd be done with the sleeves and the body of my sweater and would be ready to start the yoke. I'm not even close to that point. Although it is going a bit faster now that I no long have the awkwardness of being close to the cast on, I'm still in the middle of the brioche at the bottom of the sweater and only a bit past halfway at that.

The upside is that I am past halfway on the brioche, and once I get though the rest, I will be moving up to larger needles and knitting in stockinette, which I can pretty much do in my sleep. I also have a lot of knitting time in the weekend ahead. Tomorrow I am taking the day off to spend the day with Rainbow, whose school is closed for an in-service day. On Saturday, she'll be gone most of the day at a Brownies activity, and then we're taking her to my in-laws' to stay over Saturday and Sunday night (her school is closed on Monday as well). That means that I've got the majority of three days in the weekend ahead to work on the body -- in between all the stuff that has to get done, of course -- and I'm hoping that's sufficient to get me to the joining point. Although the end point for the Olympics and the Ravellenic Games is next Sunday, I really feel like I need to be finished on Friday because I'm headed out of town for a baby shower next Saturday, and despite having hours in the car to get there, I don't think two-color brioche in a crowded car is optimal (though it certainly would be interesting). So please send all your speed-knitting mojo my way this weekend!

All Sorts of Things

Sometimes when it rains, it pours. After worrying that I wouldn't have much content for the blog because of my monogamous sweater knitting, I find myself with rather an abundance of content instead. I'll try to keep it brief so as not to bore you, but there is a lot to talk about.

First, let's start with the FOs! I did indeed finish up the baby sweater Thursday night after I posted, and I blocked it over the weekend. All that it needs to be an official FO are buttons, which I'm hoping to tackle by the weekend.

Pattern: Hyphen by Lisa Chemery
Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy Worsted (75% cotton, 25% acrylic) in Carrot, approximately 2.3 skeins
Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm) and US 7 (4.5 mm)
Started/Completed: January 30/February 8
Mods: unintentionally made the body an inch longer than called for

This pattern was a pure delight to knit. It was easy to knit, with little need to pay close attention to the pattern (though perhaps I should have paid slightly closer attention or I wouldn't have made my unintentional mod). The stitch pattern around the yoke and the wrists is deceptively easy to do but looks great. I'm very happy with how this turned out. Rainbow is also a fan, so I'd say it's highly likely I'll be making another one in the near future in the largest size.

Also blocked over the weekend was my handspun brioche cowl, which has been done for some time but has had to wait patiently for its spa treatment and photo shoot.

I didn't use a real pattern for this; it's just basic brioche worked in the round over about 250 stitches on size 3 (3.25 mm) needles until I just about ran out of yarn. The colors have been so hard to capture accurately, but I think this photo does a reasonable job.

As far as WIPs are concerned, my Helenium is my main one, and honestly I couldn't be happier with how it's going thus far. After casting on first thing on Friday morning, by the end of the weekend I had one sleeve done and most of the second knit. We woke up yesterday to a surprising snowfall that came with a two-hour delay for Rainbow, so while we were sitting around, I finished the second sleeve. I'm now onto the body, which should be relatively fast once I get past the brioche at the bottom -- it's stockinette in the round, and there is no shaping.

Finally, remember this hat?

This is my Xenolith pattern, which I released last fall as part of a collaboration with my friend Lisa of Fibernymph Dye Works. It was initially available only as part of a kit, but now it's available as a standalone pattern in my Ravelry shop. The hat only uses small amounts of five colors, so if you have a bunch of minis or leftovers sitting around in your stash, this is the perfect way to use them up.

[buy now]

On the Podium

After several marathon knitting sessions over the weekend, I bound off the last stitch of my Ravellenic Games project while watching the end of the women's marathon yesterday morning.

Pattern: Wilshire Shawl by Dee O'Keefe
Yarn: madelinetosh tosh lace (100% merino) in Fathom, approximately 0.86 skeins/817 yards used
Needles: 32" US 4 (3.5 mm) Addi Turbo circs
Started/Completed: July 27, ~8:30 p.m./August 5, 8:45 a.m.
Mods: none

This was a really fun knit. The lace itself was pretty simple (nothing more complicated than a slip one, k2tog, psso), and as you can see, a fair portion of the shawl is in plain stockinette, making for some pretty mindless knitting. Unfortunately, there was one part in one of those mindless sections where I did let my mind slip and forgot a pair of yarnovers around the center stitches. I discovered it many rows later and decided to sneak in the two extra stitches rather than rip back, and while you can find the error if you look for it, I don't really think it's very obvious because the eye is drawn to the lace portions.

I haven't measured the final dimensions, but this shawl is pretty sizable. I had to put extra towels on the floor on the top ends because it was wider than the big towel I was blocking on. Despite the size, it's really light and airy; I've gotten so used to knitting shawls in fingering that I'd forgotten just how light a laceweight shawl can be!

Overall, this project was a real win. It was enough of a challenge in that it took some serious dedication of time and effort but not so much of a challenge that my tired brain couldn't handle it at the end of the day. The pattern was very easy to follow (but it has only charts, for the record) and well written, so I'll definitely consider more of this designer's patterns in the future.

After finishing such a big project, I immediately cast on for something quick -- a baby sweater. This is Cascade from Petite Purls, and I'm knitting it for one of the Mister's coworkers who's expecting a baby girl early this fall.

Yes, I know it's blue, but I happen to like little girls in bright blues -- any bright color, really. This is going very quickly -- I expect to finish the body tonight. It helps that I'm making the smallest size, but there's something so satisfying about finishing a sweater in a couple evenings.

Casting On and Binding Off

What a crazy weekend! I intended to post yesterday (though not for Spinning Sunday -- spinning activity has been suspended until I finish my Ravellenic Games project), but there was so much to do that I just didn't have the energy for it once I finally got to sit down last night.

Though the official cast on time was 4 p.m. Eastern, I didn't actually get to cast on for my Ravellenics project until about 8:30 on Friday night, which is also when I sat down to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics (I was DVRing it and eventually caught up to the live broadcast at about 10:30 or so). As a reminder, I am knitting the Wilshire Shawl out of one skein of tosh lace in the colorway Fathom, a deep royal blue. On Friday night, I managed to get through the first two charts (the first one being mainly a set-up chart and the second all stockinette with yarnovers at the beginning and end of right side rows and on either side of the center two stitches). On Saturday, I took it to my LYS and got through Chart 3, which is the first lace chart, and then yesterday afternoon and evening I worked on Chart 4, which is another stockinette section. I finished the last row right before bed last night and counted my stitches before putting it away only to discover I was two stitches short due to omitting two yarnovers at the center near the beginning of the section. You can see the spot where the split ring marker is here:

I had enough trouble finding it that I think I'm going to leave it be and just fudge it to fix the error; it's easy enough to plug in an extra stitch in an unobtrusive spot, and I can probably do some creative pinning when blocking to make the spot where the YOs are missing less obvious. I'm loathe to frog that much anyway considering it's about 3-4 hours of knitting time that I likely can't make up.

I didn't work on the shawl as much as I could have this weekend because I was also busy trying to finish up my second Peckish shawl. I had finished the stripes on Thursday evening with only about two or three yards of Candlewick to spare, so then all that was left were the long rows of the border and the bind off. Unfortunately, I ran out of Stovepipe with about 50 stitches left to bind off. Theoretically, I should have had enough, because I used the same amount of both colors in the first iteration, but I guess my gauge was off a little or the skein was a little short. I found a bit of leftover yarn in my stash that was a reasonably good match and used that to finish binding off, though, and I think it blends in well enough (I'm hoping no one will be examining my shawl that closely!), but I'm still a little irked -- though I guess I certainly got my money's worth for the yarn! It also reassures me that my yardage estimates in the pattern are not outrageously high; though a couple of my testers have used significantly less, I seem to have used roughly the same yardage both times, so my slightly higher yardage requirements should enable those who knit the pattern in the future to avoid my misfortune.

Yarn supply problems aside, I'm really happy with how this came out and I just love the color combination, though it's not my usual.

From here on out, it's all Wilshire Shawl, all the time. I'm taking the day off on Friday and expect to get a good six hours in at my LYS working on it (assuming my hands are up to the task). It's moving along at a good clip now, but I know that as I get into it further, the rows are going to get longer and longer.

Preparing for the Next Challenge

Today is Tuesday, which means the Olympics -- and the Ravellenic Games -- are only three short days away. I am getting ready to compete in my personal challenge in the Shawl Sailing event. I will be knitting the Wilshire Shawl in madelinetosh tosh lace, which I wound on Sunday so I would be ready:

The pattern has already been printed out, so I just need to do another quick read-through of it and get out the required needles before I am ready to go. Unfortunately I will be stuck at work on Friday when the opening ceremonies kick off, so I'll need to wait until Friday evening to cast on.

In the meantime, I am knitting furiously to try to finish what's on my needles, specifically my Grellow Peckish shawl. As of lunch today, I have 14 of 18 stripes done. I'm hoping to finish the four remaining by tomorrow night (knit night tomorrow should help) so that I have Thursday and lunchtime on Friday to finish the border and then can block over the weekend. The pattern is nearly done being tested and tech edited, so I'm hoping to get some photos of this version over the weekend in time for the pattern release (which I'm hoping will be mid-next week).

I also cast on for a quick hat for Rainbow on Sunday afternoon using some handspun from a few years ago. It was 4 oz. of Lorna's Lace wool top in the colorway Black Purl that I'd spun into a three-ply Aran weight. I'm knitting it up into a quick rolled-brim beanie, and I found a really cute pattern for a crocheted butterfly that I'm going to attempt to make to embellish the hat. This needs to be done by this weekend so I can get it to count as my last square for a special bingo at my LYS!