LittleWit's Crafty Adventures» Ravelympics

FO – KnitGang Liesl, the short

LittleWit — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:51:09 +0000

Today I have for you the second of my Ravelympics2008 projects. In the rare event (or so I thought) that I was able to finish the cabled scarf I decided to cast on Liesl. A good portion of my Thursday night knit group (KnitGang TM) is making, has made or will make/receive the Liesl. Once they are all done we are going to do a fashion show to showcase it on all our various body types. I will admit, this FO has one tiny thing to be done. I need to add a hook & eye to the top but I have already worn it twice without that. To do the hook & eye I need to get in touch with the boy’s aunt and ask her what type we used on my princess dress because those were awesome.

Description: KnitGang Liesl, the short.
Pattern: Liesl by Ysolda Teague
Yarn used: 193 yds Catalina Yarns Baby Alpaca Chunky Colorway Purple (100% Baby Alpaca) 100g / 109yds
Care Instructions: Hand wash
Needle Size: 7.0 mm
Modifications: This pattern is a “choose your own adventure” mine included cap sleeves, a high neckline and was knit to my natural waist.
Finished Size: 34″
Date Started: 8/21/2008
Date Completed: 8/22/2008
Notes: This knit up amazingly fast and makes me super happy.

From the back

Sorry this shot is kind of blurry. Hopefully I will find time to take some better shots at some point.

Ravelympics08 – Quick Hit #14

LittleWit — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:20:53 +0000

Last night while visiting my sister and her daughter in the hospital I finished knitting my Liesl. I can’t believe it only took me two days of actual knitting to make this. It’s lovely and I may make another in the future. Partly because I am a child of the 80s and I totally love “Choose your own adventure” books and that’s what this sweater reminds me of. After we got home from the hospital I wove in the ends. All that is left now is blocking to open up the lace. Look for an FO post tom’w or Monday. I am super excited to have successfully completed two projects for Ravelympics. I really thought I was going to be pushing it to finish just the scarf. Of course now this means no more excuses about items taking forever, if I just spend 3 hrs knitting a day I can finish anything quickly!

For now I am off to visit my grandmother for the weekend. Tschus .

Ravelympics 08 – Quick Hit #13

LittleWit — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:17:30 +0000

While I was in Colorado last week I cast on Liesl at the Fancy Tiger knit night. I knit a few more rows Sunday in the car with my mom and then a few more Wednesday in the car with the boy. As we approached our destination I realized something was wrong so I ripped it out. Recast it on and knit a few more rows. This morning I realized that I had borked the button hole and was off by a stitch so I ripped it out again, recast on and it’s been fairly smooth sailing. If you don’t count the three tinked rows because 1. I dropped a stitch but found it and picked it up, 2. can’t read a pattern and 3. I was too busy chatting at knit night and not paying a bit of attention to my knitting. All of those problems solved I am now ready to start the arms. Wish me luck!

End of day – yoke complete. I have until Sunday 11 am to get this finished. Can I make it?

FO – Celtic Cable Scarf

LittleWit — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:18:21 +0000

I partook in the Ravelympics this year and my main project was this Celtic Cable Scarf. I was bound to finish it so that it would be done for Christmas. The scarf and I got off to a rocky start the first time I tried to knit it back in March of 2008. The Ravelmypics was just the kick in the pants I needed to get going on this scarf and get it done. I changed the needle size this time around and it stopped hurting my hands so much and the cables were a lot easier to execute. I am quite happy with the outcome and I am hoping the recipient is as well!

Description: Celtic Cable Scarf
Pattern: Celtic Cable Scarf by Vanessa Lewis
Yarn used: 2.52 skeins of Dark Horse Yarns Rhapsody 516.6 yds total. Colorway 54 Royal Blue (100% merino ) 100g / 205yds.
Care Instructions: Hand wash
Needle Size: US 8 (5.0mm) – I originally started this on a US 6 (4.0mm) as the pattern recommended but the cables were very much flattened out.
Modifications: No mods. Just knit it forever until it was long enough.
Finished Size: It is somewhere in the range of 73+ inches. I know that when I held it next to the boy last night it dropped down to the floor and folded a little. Still can’t find my tape measure…it’s neon green, have you seen it?
Date Started: 8/8/2008 cast on at 8am EST in accordance with the start of the Olympics
Date Completed: 8/19/2008 finished weaving in ends at approximately 23:45 EST
Notes: The cables worked out really well. I am hoping the recipient is a big fan!

Ravelympics 08 – Quick Hit #12

LittleWit — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:55:09 +0000

Today I knit two more repeats and bound off. The scarf is done. FO post to come tom’w or Thursday.

How fitting was it that I bound off while watching the women’s balance beam medal ceremony? Shawn was totally on tonight. It made me happy to watch her performance.

End of day – 2 repeats. Total repeats umm 27? I have lost count. C’est fini.

Ravelympics 08 – Quick Hit #11

LittleWit — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:54:00 +0000

I am back home and at work so my knitting time has decreased a bit. I still managed to knit two more repeats today. Alas, the general consensus is that it is still too short. Blast this thing will never end. Some day soon it will be done.

End of day – 2 repeats. Total repeats 25. 2-3 more repeats to make it 72″ long.

Ravelympics 08 – Quick Hit #10

LittleWit — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:32:17 +0000

Today involved driving up to my grandmother’s house with my mom and youngest brother to figure out what else we wanted to take from the home. We borrowed the boy’s truck and headed out on our mission. I didn’t get much time to knit today so I only completed one repeat. Thankfully I am ahead of the game overall. I tried the scarf on the model tonight and it needs two more repeats. Hopefully I can find time to knit those tomorrow. Have a good night

End of Day – 1 repeat. Total repeats 23. This was the original end game, now I need 2 more repeats.

Ravelympics 08 – Quick Hit #9

LittleWit — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 03:52:49 +0000

This morning I started off with a little bit more stupid knitting. However, the airlines did not fail me and yet again provided me with extra knitting time – some folks might call it a “mechanical delay”. I knit at least one repeat waiting on my flight and maybe another 3 (?) in air. I had intended to knit up the rest of the ball of yarn I had with me but instead it mocked me leaving about another repeat’s worth of yarn as I landed.

My dad picked me up at the airport since the boy is at the Michigan race this weekend. I hung out with my parents and brother for a bit. Once they dropped me off I went to the man cave to knit and watch some TV. The boy has clearly done nothing but watch the Olympics all week because as I turned on the TV it was already tuned to NBC (not BBC or G4TV or Spike or any of the usual channels). I decided to leave it on and I was treated to watching the end of the women’s marathon, the women’s medley, the men’s medley and the men’s 100m dash. I may have gotten into the speed of the men’s medley so much that I swear I was knitting faster. It was very exciting and very cool to watch Olympic and world history being made. Phelps’ performance is phenomenal AND might I add that boy “Lightning” sure does run fast! I suppose this is why they are competing in the Olympics and I am not.

End of day – 5 repeats. 22 repeats total. Original goal was 23 repeats. One more repeat tom’w a quick spin on the model, binding off if the length is good and my first Ravelympics project will be completed. Huzzah!

Ravelympics 08 – Quick Hit #7

LittleWit — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:59:51 +0000

I must have taken my stupid knitting pills today. I had finally gotten on a roll with the pattern in this scarf when I had to rip out!!! 2 or 3 rows today and I kept doing silly things like crossing my cables wrong. Ah well. I had hoped to knit a smidgen more on Liesl at knit night tonight but that didn’t happen. At least I achieved my daily assignment of knitting on the scarf AND I got to check out a new to me yarn shop Posh – A yarn boutique. Let me tell you if you live around Denver and you do not go to Thursday Stitch Therapy at Posh, you are missing out. On top of that she has pretty yarns – that I may have bought…but really, the yarn tried to go into my bag before it was even purchased. So now I think I know what folks mean when they say the yarn followed them home. Here’s to no more stupid knitting

End of day – 2 repeats. Total repeats = 15, still ahead of the game.

Ravelympics 08 – Quick Hit #6

LittleWit — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:59:32 +0000

I did some catching up on work stuff first thing in the morning so no knitting. Went to work and knit another half a repeat over the lunch break. Got home and did some more work stuff related to projects back east. Then I was working on my knitting being a good girl and I closed my computer to grab a bite to eat. I come back and this stupid motel refuses to really let me back on the internet. So I finished the 1.5 repeats I needed for the day and then went to bed. (Of course I tried to get back on the internet the whole time. If I hadn’t I am sure I could have knit more.) Off to work in a few.

End of day – 2 repeats. 13 repeats total. Still ahead of the game.