Scrunched

Younger son is still sick. We saw a doctor today to confirm that he doesn't have strep or an ear infection. But still feverish and sore throat and definitely not happy. I am feeling much better than on Friday but still not 100% either.

But that gave me a lot of time to work on Girasole.



I have 640 stitches in aran-weight wool on a 32" circular. It's slowed my knitting to a crawl. I had to make a run to the shop today and get myself a 60" circular. It should make things start moving better, literally.

I also realized that I need to swatch to be ready to cast on for the Ravelympics next week. I'm going to make Lloie's Cardigan in Felted Tweed. I'm changing the shaping and the colors. I'm going to simplify the color scheme to just a main color, yoke background and yoke foreground color. It's very subtle and quiet and I like it very much.



I've never knit with Felted Tweed before and I suspect I will need to go down many needle sizes. I started a swatch last night that just kept getting wider and wider and wider. I ripped it out and have started on fewer stitches on a US3.

Madrona is in just a few days. I really crept up on me this year. I'll be there Wednesday through Sunday, setting up our booth and taking classes. I'm looking forward to seeing friends, spinning, knitting and relaxing.

Thanks for Nothing, Kids

I asked the kids to help take some pictures of me in my still-unblocked Ravelympic sweater.




Funny how when they want to use the camera, say to take photos of their butts, they know how to use it just fine but when mom asks for a favor...

Because I Know You Love This

Steeking pictures!

I snapped these before I left on the cruise.

Keeping My Head Down Toward the Finish

Every time I knit a sweater from the bottom up I have a moment of stupidity. It comes when I join the sleeves to the body and stupidly think, "I am practically done!" No, dumbass, you have about a third of your sweater left to knit. And not only that, it's the part that requires some thinking.

So what this means is that even though I joined the sleeves and the body on Sunday I am only just now finishing the decreases. Then it's on to the saddles. I feel very confident that the sweater can be finished by the end of the Olympics. If I wasn't going on vacation. It will be a sprint to get the steeks sewn before I leave.

Here's my giant lump of a sweater at knitting on Monday night. We're not in the photogenic phase of the project.



But one project that is extremely photogenic, completely beautiful and lots of fun to knit is Rivendell. It's a shop project knit in Smooshy. Love.


Click for extra big and lovely.

Sewing Day

Despite the Ravelympics deadline's swift approach, I declared today a sewing day. I haven't been sewing at all lately. I have a doll quilt that needs to be sent out by the end of the month and my sewing machine needs to go in for repairs before it's out of warranty (next week). So I chose the hottest day of the summer to hunch over my sewing machine and ironing board. Putting the sweat in sweat shop.

I had a plan for the quilt swap. I had a pattern. I had a vision. As soon as I started sewing I knew it was crap. I stopped and regrouped. I went back to my true love--scrap quilts.



I used the spiderweb instructions found here. Then I pieced together a billion scraps for the border. I'm really happy with it. I'm toying with the idea of hand quilting it. I've toyed with that idea before and always chickened out.

My Ravelympic cardigan is right on track. I will hopefully finish the body to the armholes tonight (then rip out several inches of the sleeves) and join the sleeves to the body. Then the most fun part--decreases!

Ravelympics Two Days In

One sleeve is done. I've got a good few inches on the second one.

This is all thanks to having the day off on Friday. I was supposed to work so I arranged for the kids to go to camp. Then it turned out I didn't have to work but I didn't tell the kids. Hee hee. Amanda and I went downtown to the big quilt show. We both throughly enjoyed the vintage quilts. I can't tell you much about the marketplace. I didn't see very much that looked all that new or special. Unfortunately I couldn't see much at all because every booth was 5-deep with quilters. And I noticed again that certain quilters who have no problem just pushing you out of the way if they want to go somewhere or see something. Amanda and I wrapped up our afternoon with a really great lunch at Serious Pie and a little dessert around the corner at the Dahlia Bakery.

Yesterday was just work and little evening knitting. But after dinner we went to the grocery store in the rain. We emerged to find a huge rainbow.



I tried to take a sleeve progress under rainbow photo when I got home but it was less successful.

Let The Games Be....zzzzzzz

So I'm pretty sure when I ordered my decaf coffee last night that the waitress just gave me a pot of regular. How do I know this? I am awake at 5am. I was also awake all night. I think I've gotten about an hour sleep with four hours of tossing and turning. I figured I might as well cast on for my Ravelympic sweater so long as I'm up right at the starting time. Wish me luck.

My Knitting Bag Runneth Over

After the thrill of finishing the back of my Auburn Camp Shirt I quickly started the first front.



The teeny needles were starting to wear on me--both literally and figuratively--so I decided to swatch for the Ravelympics. Kim, my friend from camp, is organizing Team Knitting Camp. I had to join. I've decided to knit the cardigan Seamless Hybrid in the shirt yoke variation. I'm working in good old Cascade 220.



I've got my (alleged) gauge and am ready to start.

I have Meg Swansen's DVD for the Baby Surprise Jacket. I've knit a few already but Meg always has useful tips and tricks. Plus I think I was feeling lonesome for camp. I have a bag of mill ends of Mountain Colors Bearfoot that I've been wanting to turn into a BSJ for a few years. Last night I cast on.



I'm just going to knit through them all and hope that it melds.

I've also got the contest prizes to mail out tomorrow.



That's two tool cases from Schoolhouse Press and several skeins of yarn from Berocco I won as a door prize. I know regifting is a little tacky but why not share the wealth, right?