Team Boston Knits

Introduction

Hello!

My name is Lyndsay, and I just began to knit a month ago. I began with a patchwork pillow that worked as a great sampler. Now, I'm moving on to socks.

Here is where I am currently (modeled by yours truly):

Everything has been relatively easy, but using US 3s has been a bit of a challenge on my hands. Unfortunately, I don't know what type of yarn this is (I hear you guys like to know about that kind of stuff), but it's from The Abbott Yarn Shop in Beverly and it's 50% wool and 50% llama. The pattern is from the book "Knit Socks". The book is great, and turning the heel isn't as hard as I've heard.  Now, I just have to worry about the toe.

Wish me luck!

Oh, Dear and Intro

Hi All! I haven't introduced myself yet, so I guess I should do that first. I'm Danielle and I have been knitting for a little over a year. I've been scared of fair isle knitting (although I can knit both English and Continental), so I decided to make some fair isle mittens. I selected the Nordic Mittens from IK Winter '04 and cast on Friday afternoon. I think I made a mistake, a good one though. I think I should have picked a harder project. Silly me. I've already finished the first mitten. So, I'm already planning other projects I can do in this time. Anyone have some advice on relatively easy fair isle that will still take me a while to complete?

Greetings

Hi everyone! Yup I am a last minute check-in from Arlington. I am a graduate student at Tufts University studying Chemical Engineering. (My livejournal can be found here.) Given the timing and the fact that I still need to TA, do research, take a grad level course, and generally be a mom I am planning on something small and portable, specifically socks for my daughter (age 7) in Lion Brand Magic Stripes in purple. I have made one pair of toe-up socks before for me, but I really wanted to learn to do both socks at once on 2 circular needles.

Unfortunately I couldn't find the exact instructions of what I was looking to do, but I think I can muddle through. I am planning on using this toe-up calculator but on 2 circulars. Any advice by knitters who have used this method before is very welcome!

Already this project has involved more planning that I thought it would. My original plan was to knit both socks simultaneously toe up from opposite ends of the ball so I could basically go until I got to the center of the yarn. Suddenly while lying in bed I realized that if I did this method that the patterns would be going different directions (as in this picture of someone else's socks). Damn you self patterning yarn!

Solution: Assuming a constant linear density (you know this is going badly when it starts like this) I pulled out the center of the ball (which includes the inner end) and used a scale to get 2 roughly equal weight sections. So I now had 2 sections of yarn, one which weighs slightly more so they can start at the same point in the pattern. Then I had to take the inner section, which at this point looked like a yarn monster's guts and wind it into a ball careful to wind it so that the original yarn end is in the center so as not to lose the correct direction of the yarn pattern.

Since then I bought the 2 size size 2 circulars I plan on using and made my gauge square. I think I am for the most part ready. But I am going to spend frm 2-6 pm taking my daughter to see her grandmother on the southshore. We are going by train so I will get to knit, but I am so nervous that my print outs will not be enough to figure out the 2 circular idea before I return home.

I won't be able to make it to the opening ceremonies due to a conflict, but I hope everyone has fun. Is it possible that people might want to get together (before the closing ceremonies) in a coffee shop? I know Diesel in Davis Square (red line) is a popular place to knit. Plus they have fabulous vegan baked goods.

National Elisa Supports Crazy Knitters Everywhere Day*

I think we must all be lunatics, and I totally support the lunacy.

The Knitting Olympics has taken on this Very Crazy (in a good way) life of its own and of course, I jumped into the fray. Now, luckily for me, I live in proximity to tons of fabulous knitbloggers and fellow Knit Athletes, and well, we're totally codependent in our crazies.

My pre-Olympic training was to clear the plate of some of my UFOs (a la Maryse) and I made a modest dent (read: No, I did not finish TWO afghans *cough* overachiever *cough*...)

I finished the following:

  On the left we have my first finished socks of 2006. Koigu KPPPM, color #114. These socks were supposed to be for me, but they are too big. I mean, there is no denying that these socks do not fit me. You know what that means, don't you? It means that I've finished my first Christmas 2006 FO! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

Ahem, sorry. Next to my first Christmas 2006 FO (ha! ha! ha! ha!) is a 1 x 1 rib scarf I made for myself using the skein of Woolarina handspun that Lolly gave me last May when I went to visit her for Maryland S&W. It goes with just about everything, I love it vey much - and what better way to use a Lolly gift than in a scarf! Thanks, Lolly!

I also finished knitting all of the body bits and pieces of my Ribby Cardi, but the blocking and finishing will have to wait until after closing ceremonies. But I made progress! Progress!!!!!

Now, my Olympic Challenge seems modest in comparison to some of you crazies, but still, I feel a little woozy when I think of everything that could go wrong with my project.

See, I'm knitting socks for Mike.

And he has enormous feet. Not long - but wwwiiiddddeeeee.

And I've lost the band for the yarn I am using, so it is possible that there May Not Be Enough Yarn and that I May Get to the Toe of the Second Sock and Not Have Enough Yarn.

My plan is to knit the first sock, not weave in the ends, see how much that first sock ways and then weigh my skein to see if there's enough to complete the second sock. If there is not enough, I will rip the toe of the first and do the toes of both socks in a different yarn.

Of course, there are still Very Many Things that could go wrong - but I have at least a rudimentary plan and with that and my wits, I am forging ahead.

Did I say you all were crazy? Maybe it's just me.

*A little background - I do this "National Elisa Thinks Stuff" each February, hence the title of the post. :)

Another intro

Hi! I'm Parikha, and I live in Brighton.  I joined the Olympics in the hope that it will help me get a long-procrastinated project off my back burner.  I'll be knitting the baby blanket from Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick.  I've been avoiding this project for about nine months because I'm afraid of vertical stripes and knitting with more than two colors at once, but the recipient (my nephew) is about to turn 1, so I need to conquer my fears and start knitting before he's too big for baby blankets...

Looking forward to meeting the rest of the team tomorrow!

http://droppedstitches.blogspot.com

Procrastination, the mother of all things good

My training has been sadly lacking.  Unless you count thinking, "Oh, I should really do a swatch for that hoodie" and ignoring said thought.  Maybe it's like visualization training or something.  Can I get by with that? 

So after many weeks of "visualization, tonight  finally, I will knit a swatch.  And try to work out the numbers for that lovely hoodie in my head.  I have no excuses for myself.  No yarn problems, no carpal tunnel, no aligators chasing me  or being tied to a train track or anything like that.  It's all just pure and simple procrastination. 

I cannot attend the Opening Ceremonies party and so I just wanted to drop in and say Good Luck and uh...Knockem dead....or something like that!  Hope you all have a fabulous time!

Ciao, bellas!

Ciao, Team Boston!

Since I can't make it out Friday night, I thought I'd introduce myself beforehand - I am another Boston Knitting Wendy, I live in the North End, and am part of the NE stitch n' bitch. I will be there in spirit, certainly. In the interest of full disclosure to my teammates, I am opting out of the event as I think the excitement of meeting real life Boston knit-bloggers would make it so my cast on would have to be frogged by Saturday morning. I hope that maybe we can have a stage two event (before the closing cermonies?) as I do want to meet people for 'real'!

I have no glamorous shot of the project I am undertaking, as I am designing a sweater all by myself (which means I might need lots o' help).  I am using an assortment of yarns from Pine Tree Yarns, which I purchased while on a knitting cruise last September. It's the first sweater I will have made for myself evah! and my goal is that it be wearable. Not perfect, just wearable. In public. Without a coat. Whoa!

That said, I am incorporating the Olympic rings onto one sleeve, in purl stitches (the sweater will be in stockinette) as a tribute to my attempt at being a full on-Knathele. The chart I sketched out is at this link (I can't figure out how to post the picture directly!): http://static.flickr.com/39/97296413_d5d7c49aa5_m.jpg

Good luck to all!

Leftover Noro ... not such a bad thing!

Since the Olympics start on Friday, I guess it's time to introduce myself, right?

Knitter: "Hi ... My name is Danielle and I've been knitting for two and a half years"
Team Boston: [Chorus] "Hi, Danielle!"

Well, now that we've taken care of that ... onto the knits!

I'm going to be knitting for charity this Olympics. I'll be making 2 kids' sized sweaters. The first one is Opptuna, a sweater from the second Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton Noro book. I'm going to use up some leftover Noro Kureyon that has been simmering in my stash since I made a Klaralund in 2004. I really enjoy knitting with this yarn, so I'm looking forward to getting started, and the pattern is adorable!

Here's what the sweater looks like ... I have enough for a baby size. I think I'll be sending this one to the Dulaan project.

The second sweater will be made from some pink Cotton Tots yarn that I bought almost 2 years ago at an A.C. Moore ... before I discovered the allure of the LYS. I'm going to be making a placket neck sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, like the one that Alison has on her blog today. This one will be a bigger sweater -- 6-8 year size.

For more details -- and yarn pix! -- visit my blog! I'm hoping to use up a lot of my stash this spring, and this seemed like a great way to do it.

Unfortunately, I won't get much done this weekend. I coach a competitive synchronized swim team, and we have a big meet in Buffalo this weekend. Yes, the car ride is about 8 hours long, but we plan to arrive at 3pm Friday. Since I can't cast on until 2pm, not much will get done on the way out. Then, I spend almost every waking hour on the pool deck until 4:00pm Sunday, when we drive home, mostly in the dark. Plus, after spending 3 straight days with 27 teenaged girls, I'm not sure that I will be in ANY condition to knit!

And, I'm really disappointed to miss the opening ceremonies party. Pooh! But, I rearranged my practice schedule so I can meet some of you at the closing ceremonies!!! Until then, I look forward to seeing all your progress updates.

Intro

Hi Everybody!

I'm Jenn C.  I'm very excited to be participating in the Knitting Olympics, and to be a part of Team Boston.  I live in the far off lands of  Weymouth, but am a frequent haunter of JP. 

My project for the Olympics is going to be a sweater like these:

which is the "3 Color Texture Border Cardigan" that I got when I bought the yarn that I'm making it with - Sea Colors yarn from Nanney Kennedy in Maine.

I'm looking forward to meeting y'all at the opening ceremonies party on Friday, but I'm hoping to get cast on and started right on the dot of 2 that afternoon (if I can finagle the late lunch break I'm hoping for).  My yarn's all wound, and I'm teaking the pattern tonight, so I'll be ready to go on Friday.  Don't want anything slowing me down!

I have to say, I'm in awe of some of the projects I see people committing to knitting for the Olympics. 

Intro

Starting later this week, the Today Show will be interviewing athletes in the Olympic Village, introducing the world to these champions and their chosen events. To that end, I figured I'd chime in now, during the lull before the opening flame, to introduce myself and my project. My name is Norah, I live in Brookline, and I'm hoping to knit this:

It's an Adrienne Vittadini pattern (Fall 2003). I'm doing it in a light green color, and I'm substituting Debbie Bliss's Alpaca Silk for the A.V. Natasha yarn the pattern calls for. I swatched last week during the State of the Union address, and all looks well (with my knitting, that is). Then I realized today that I had overlooked a key element of my training regimen. Clearly, I need to rewind all those balls of Alpaca Silk before I start knitting. Don't get me wrong--Debbie Bliss does some great patterns and her yarn is lovely, but girl likes to put knots in her yarn. Finding those now will save me hours (or at least minutes) of frustration, and in the Olympics, every second counts!

I'm honored to be part of Team Boston, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's challenging projects come to life!