Ravelympics Closing Ceremony

I feel like an idiot. I realized too late that I didn't have until this evening to finish my Ravelympic projects. The Olympics ended this morning in Beijing while I was still asleep. Everything was timed on Beijing time. Otherwise I'd have at least one or two more FOs.


I'm down to the last toe on my Wickerware Socks. Believe it or not, I did a lot of knitting while watching "The Dark Knight" last night. My friends and I went on a whim, so I didn't bring good theater knitting. But I borrowed a mini flashlight from Lyndsey to periodically double check where I was. I stopped when I got to the toe, because I needed to do more counting. I think I did about 40 rounds.

I also gave this hat as a birthday gift, along with some other goodies wrapped in fabric. (The recipient is a seamstress.) I knew the right occasion would come along, and lime green suits her. The fit was a little big, but the slouchy look worked pretty well. I wish I'd remembered my camera.


I've passed the halfway point on the Spiraling Stripes Hat (aka Soy Wool Spiral.) I suspect that I will have to add more "wedges" to make it fit my ginormous head.

Despite my stupid mistake, I'm proud to have finished four projects, taken home seven medals for Team Austin. (Team Austin had 21 members and won 20 medals.)


I am about to go delete all the Ravelympic projects that were never started, with the exception of Odessa. I bought beads to match the yarn yesterday, and I plan to get started on it in the next day or so.

WIP: Soy Wool Spiral

Last night I wound my yarn and got ready to cast on.


This was how I had gotten when I went to bed.

I'm working on one of Lee Meredith's Spiraling Stripes Hats. There are several variations you can try. I'm doing the straight brim with the counterclockwise spiral. I've dubbed the hat "Soy Wool Spiral" because I'm using my handspun soy/wool blend.


Here's where I am as of now. I'm pleased that the striping is going so well. The pattern was originally written as part of a kit that came with striping yarn. I'm glad my color repeats are long enough.

With any luck, I'll be done by Sunday night.

Time to actually use some handspun

Remember this yarn from the Tour de Fleece? It's going to be one of these Spiraling Stripes Hats if the gauge works out.

I did a little math, and estimate there are 120 yards in this skein. And some very imprecise measurements with some measuring tape lead me to believe I'm getting about 10 wraps per inch, somewhere between DK and worsted.

I'm off to roll this into a ball and swatch.

FO: Marjaana Moebius

It's done!

(Don't you think this would look great with a nice pin in the picture above?)


I finished the applied i-cord bind off this evening. This is another Ravelympics entry, for both the Gift Knits Pentathlon and the Cowl Jump. I hope this is right size for a cowl. I was thinking it would be a little thicker and smaller in diameter, more like a turtleneck. But I was worried that it would be too tight. I still think it looks good.


To review, this is the Purl Ridge Moebius from A Treasury of Magical Knitting. I used less than half a skein of Schaefer Marjaana in the "Rosa Parks" colorway. (Schaefer Yarn often names their colorways after famous women.) I also used US Size 4 40" Addi Turbo Circular Knitting Needles.


I'm seriously considering making one of these from my handspun.

WIP: Marjaana Moebius

I'm getting close to finishing my Marjaana Moebius. I'm working on an applied i-cord bind-off. I hate regular i-cord, but I kind of like the applied kind. It's fun. I should use it more often.

There's a good tutorial of the applied i-cord bind off here. I used the instructions in the book, A Treasury of Magical Knitting.

I for the first time ever, I actually wish the Olympics were longer. I need more time to work on my many projects, and I'm actually vaguely interested in the events themselves.

FO: Center Square

Cross posted at Sally Comes Unraveled and Year Long Gift-A-Long.


This hat defies math. Or something.


I'm proud of my first stranded colorwork project. It really evened out after I blocked it. The problem is that it's waaaaayyy too small.


What really confuses me is that the gauge measures at 4 stitches per inch, what the pattern calls for, now that it's been blocked. (Actually, it's a little on the large side. The pattern calls for 16.5 stitches per four inches, or 4.125 stitches per inch.) But it seems to be toddler size, or child size. I thought I might be able to stretch it over my head if I pulled hard enough, but I didn't want to stretch it out of shape.


I just double checked the the pattern and it says the finished circumference is 15.5 inches unstretched. I measured the finished circumference at around 16 inches. (I tried to stretch it a lot when I blocked it.) Is this really an adult hat? The math adds up to a kids' hat. I know my head is a little on the big side, but the Craft Yarn Council considers the average adult woman to have a head that's about 20 inches in circumference. The pattern says snug fit, but four and a half inches of negative ease?


So I'm debating what to do with my tiny hat. Will it fit an adult? I have some kids on my Christmas list, but no toddlers. If all else fails, I'll probably donate it to the Dulaan Project or Afghans for Afghans. It's very warm.


To review, this is the Center Square hat from Knitty. I used Cascade 220 Superwash in 801 Army Green and 819 Chocolate. It took less than one skein of each color. I knit it with 40" Addi Turbo Circular Knitting Needles in US Size 4. (I used the Magic Loop Technique.)


The completion of this hat fulfills several goals. It's a Ravelympics entry in the Colorwork Cross Country, Hat Dash and Gift Knits Pentathlon events. It's also part of the Year Long Gift-A-Long Q3 Challenge as my "something new." Finally, it fulfills number 21 on 101 goals in 1,001 days list - knit a colorwork project.


I'm such a knitting geek.

Mistakes were made...

I'm going to be pretty busy today, so I scheduled this ahead of time.

Some mistakes can't be blocked out.


I was thinking that it was just a little too small, and that I could block it out. Now that it's finished, I realize I have a kid's size hat.


It's about six inches across when it's laying flat like this, before blocking. I'm wondering if this will fit one of the kids on my Christmas list. If not, I'll donate it to charity.


It's hard to tell in the picture, but the yarn bled just a little bit when I washed it. This is Cascade 220 Superwash, so I didn't have to hand wash it. I was a little surprised, but hopefully that's all the bleeding that will happen. I'm starting to learn most yarns bleed a little.


I'm blocking it on a can of iced tea mix with some washcloths over it. Other than the overall size, it's turning out pretty good.

Marjaana Moebius
After finishing and blocking Center Square, I cast on my next gift for the Ravelympics Gift Knits Pentathlon. This is the Purl Ridge Moebius from A Treasury of Magical Knitting by Cat Bordhi.


This is the Cat Bordhi's famous Moebius Cast On. in progress.


Now I'm completely cast on. (This video shows the next step.)


And here I am one round in. The moebius will grow between the two needles. It truly is "magical knitting."

Ravelympics Progress

How about some Yarn Harlot-style sock action:


Tuesday night was the Ravelympics party at Candace's house, where we ate, knit and where we discussed Olympic uniforms, the psyche's of Olympic swimmers and the ages of Olympic gymnasts.


I was in the middle of turning my heel on my Wickerware Socks when we disbanded. I ended up having to undo the short rows because I was off a few stitches. I managed to redo them during my break at work today.


Last night I got some good work done on Center Square. I'm past the colorwork at this point.

I'm a little worried because it's so small. Somehow I'm down to five stitches per inch instead the (approximately) 4 stitches per inch called for in the pattern. I guess I needed larger needles. If I can't block it out, I'll give it to a kid on my Christmas list.

FO: Mardi Gras Potholder

Remember this potholder?


It's finally felted and finished.

The Ravelympics' WIP Wrestling event is designed to help you finish projects from the very bottom of your knitting bag. This one was really far down in my bag. I finished knitting it nearly a year ago, but stalled on felting it.


I threw the potholder into the wash with my Dad's Topo Chico Cozy in May. It felted some, but there was still some stitch definition. This wouldn't have been a problem if the edges were straight. I needed to felt it more so I could trim the edges with out it unraveling.


Here is the potholder after I threw it in the wash with my sheets yesterday. (The penny is added for scale.)


As you can see, I was able to trim the edges and even things out without worrying about it unraveling.

I used US Size 9 needles and leftover scraps of Dancing Fibers Serendipity. This potholder will go in my craft show bin.

FO: Chunky Striped Scarf

This is my first FO for the 2008 Ravelympics! It's an entry in the "WIP Wrestling" event.

This is the Noro Striped Scarf knit using Noro Silk Garden Chunky in Colorways 1 and 5 and US Size 7 needles. I cast on less stitches than the pattern calls for because the yarn is so chunky.

It took about 2 skeins of each colorway. (I have about a half a skein left of each color.) I got the yarn when I visited Wildfiber in California.


Blocking really made a difference. It's not curly anymore. It probably would have been less of an issue if I had not slipped the first stitch of every row, or if I had been more careful with my tension when I did slip stitches.


This scarf will be Christmas gift, although I'm not sure who the lucky recipient is yet.