Go Team Wales

It is true, I have the Olympic bug! I have joined Team Wales! I find great love, comfort and amusement knowing I belong to a team, and that there are sooo many (over 1600 knitters) who will be participating in the Olympic games! Go Team!

Here a worry, there a worry . . .

Okay, I am getting a little nervous about this knitting Olympics thing. Good news: I ordered the yarn; bad news: I am worried about when it will get here, I am worried about the colourway, and I am worried about the entrelac, and I definitely worry I won’t finish it in time. Generally, I am worried.

I also ordered yarn for a Valentine’s Vest for my darling. Good news: I’ll love every minute of knitting it for him; bad news: I am worried about when the yarn will get here, I am worried about the color and I am worried that when it is all finished, I won’t like it! Generally, I am worried, yet again.
As I wait (and worry) about my February knitting agenda, I knit a rose (here and there--12 are finished) for my Mrs. Dalloway pillow and I am also knitting a bulky shawl (for a friend) which I need to determine how to embellish--roses? ruffles? a ribbon? Trying not to worry.
I continue to plug along on the Color on Color Scarf. As I have said in a previous post, I adore the process of creating this scarf! Let’s hope that the finished product ends up being wonderful! Does this sound like a worry, too?
I think I will knit now . . . and worry . . .

A Knit-over!

My 11 year old was invited to sleep over at her friend’s this past weekend. Her friend asked her to bring her knitting, because she wanted to learn. I went and got them each a set of purple needles and some fun yarn (Tutu at Michael’s, for $3!!) and sent her to sleepover. When she came home the next day, she had a lovely scarf, her friend had mastered the knit stitch and I was so proud of both of them!
My daughter learned to knit when she was 4, while attending a Montessori Preschool--her first project was a hat. It wasn’t until several years later (4, to be exact), when I was bit by the knitting bug. Although my daughter has many other things(homework, dance, school, eating gummi bears . . .) that demand her attention, I love that she knits, and I love that we knit together.

I-Cords and Noro

Well, I finished the garter band known as section 12, and had an i-cord fit upon knitting the first i-cord. The pattern calls for 1-stranded cords knitted on size 2's--the result looking thin and scrawny. After complaining, debating, knitting, frogging and complaining some more, I decided to knit all of the i-cords for this section with 2 strands. The result is much nicer, I think, even though I am only on my 3rd. I am going to work on section 13 while also finishing off the i-cords.
In Lady E. news, I continue to be plagued with decisions: which Noro yarn, where should I get it, is there a better price somewhere and what colourway. After all this, I am thinking the knitting will be easy!!!!!
Besides the Knitting Olympics deadline, I have some other self-imposed time frames--I was hoping to wear Color on Color when I take my Azizam to the airport on the 16th and wear Lady E. to pick him up on the 28th.

Lady E

For the knitting Olympics, I think I have decided on Lady Eleanor from Scarf Styles. I am in love with this beautiful wrap, and hope I will be able to do it justice by picking the right colourway and knitting the technique. The original yarn (beautiful, isn't it) weighs in at a pricey $300+!!!!!! I am on the prowl for just the right Noro! I also plan on changing the fringing a bit . . . More on that later!

Am I Gold Medal Material?!

Stephanie, The Yarn Harlot, has hatched this ingenious idea to have a Knitting Olympics, where you cast on the day the Olympics begins, and finish up by the time the torch is extinguished! Can I earn a gold medal? I guess, I am going to find out! But I have to pick a project--my thoughts so far:
1. Lady Eleanor in Noro--it is beautiful and I would learn entralec.
2. Flower Basket Shawl in alpaca--started, abandoned want so bad to finish but fear I am flower basket impaired.
3. Nicky Epstein Floral Purse in Knitpicks--have the yarn, planning to work on it anyway . . . But I know I will get this finished sometime!
4. Man’s cashmere sweater--want to, haven’t, should I? Nobody’s banging down the door for this one, but it would be a lovely surprise!
Any of these will bea stretch to finish in that short period of time . . . what should I do?

A Little Bit of Knitting

I don't know where the time goes, but it seems like I am not knitting enough! But in spite of it, I have made a little headway! There are 10 roses for the Mrs. Dalloway pillow; section 11 of color on color is finished and I am nearly finished with section 12; and I started a very, easy, quick-to-knit shawl for a dear friend who will be traveling this month . . . I thought it would be nice for the plane ride! Look for pics tomorrow! In other news . . . the Color on Color KAL begins tomorrow, I have also joined the Scarf Style KAL and I received my book swap information for the Valentine's Book Swap with Knit the Classics! I am loving the new year!

It's the Weekend!

Even though the new year just began, even though it was a short work week, and even though I thought I was rested, relaxed and recuperated from Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, I am so glad it is Friday. I haven’t knitted a thing all week, and while I have many things on my to do list, I can’t wait to get home, sit down and knit. I am praying no one at home has any other plans for me! Knit, knit, knit . . . tick, tick, tick . . . Color on Color, the roses, and a scarf which I need to finish (belated Christmas gift) call for me--”pick me, pick me!”

Flowers for Mrs. Dalloway

Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway is the book selection for January with the Knit the Classics KAL. Because the book opens with Clarissa going to buy flowers, I thought Nicky Epstein's Rose Pillow would be the perfect project! This pattern appeared in the Holiday 2005 issue of Vogue Knitting, and it is knitted out of Lion's Brand Suede. I chose eggplant.

Did I mention I love Nicky Epstein's designs? xoxo

Color on Color on Color . . .

I love working on this scarf--I feel like it is a whole bunch of mini-projects put together! I hope it looks like the photos after it is blocked. At this point, I am working on section 11:

A few considerations if you are planning on working on this:
* Organization of all this yarn is critical!
* The pattern says a size 5 needle; well you also will need a size 2 needle for section 11, as well as a back-up size 5 for
when the pattern directs you to leave stitches on the needle and pick up stitches on the other end of the piece.
* Weave in loose ends as you go along . . . because there's sooooooo many to take care of!

New Year's Resolutions

1. Stop buying Addi turbo’s in sizes 10 and 10.5. I have 6 pairs of each. I don’t need them . . . in THESE sizes.
2. Further my skull obsession, as initiated by Yorick, by knitting the skull totes for Halloween . . . in JULY.
3. Buy myself a really lovely pair of needles . . . just because!
4. Find a charity to commit to, and knit for it.
5. Finish my Kristen Nichols Sweater . . . because I should and I can . . .
6. Figure out, once and for all, how to make all of the buttons on my blog live . . . I cannot be satisfied with just having them there . . . can I?
7. Figure out how to knit, read, and drink coffee all at the same time: multi-tasking my 3 favorite things!
8. Determine some sort of coping strategy for the flower basket shawl disability where on the right side of the work, the stitches BEFORE the center stitch always work perfectly, but after I pass the center stitch, I am ALWAYS 1 stitch short on the OTHER side, no matter what!!!
9. Engage in therapy for the knitting ADHD which causes me to want to knit everything I think is cute, or everything that other’s have knitted that looks wonderful--I must learn to be happy for other’s accomplishments without being inspired and obsessed by them.
10. Hire a house elf to do all the things that must get done in a week, so that I can sit and knit.