Decisions, decisions...

Olympic dreams --- I admit it, I'm having some second thoughts.  Bite your toungue! Not about the games!  No, it's about my knitting target, and I think I need some help.

My first instinct, having never done any colorwork at all, and having gotten the book in the mighty Christmas loot, was to do something from Latvian Mittens.  Seems reasonable, right?  Challenging, yet small enough to be doable.  It seemed perfect.  I even got this, though God knows I already had plenty of Pattons Kroy and Elann's Sock It To Me in the sock yarn stash, but that's an entirely different issue. So I have the book, I have the yarn, and I have a bunch of tee-niny metal needles.  Hooray!  Mittens! (Um, it's also probably better if you ignore the fact that less than a year ago I said I'd never make anything like this, ever.)

And then this little voice in my head starts to say "You know what would also be a challenge, and is something you've been wanting to knit for ages, don't you?  Well, don't you? That's right, what you REALLY want to knit is Rogue."  And I do.  I really, really want to make Rogue. I've wanted to since the first time I saw it, and I bought the pattern ages ago.  So I caved to that voice and bought some lovely Bartlett yarns in Blueberry.  (Geez, nevermind about the yarn buying, it's not important right this second.) So now I have the yarn, the pattern, and the needles for that as well.  So I'm set, right?

Except....now I have all this indecision.  Which project to do?  Is one of these more of a challenge than the other?  Having never done colorwork, I have no idea how difficult these mittens would be.  I mean, I can knock out a pair of plain mittens in a weekend (if all I do is knit), so how much longer can it take, really?  Or am I crazy to think that?

So, I'm putting it up to a vote --  Latvian Mittens or an entire freaking sweater Rogue?  Anyone got an opinion?

Comments

[caro]

I say entire freakin' sweater! Give'r! Just think, in under three weeks, a sweater? Or some teeny tiny itty bitty little mittens. As any olympic snowboarder would tell you, "go big or go home!"

[Martha]

I love that shade of Bartlett yarns! I vote for Rogue. While it is an entire sweater (with elaborate cabling), it knits up deceptively quickly and is WICKED fun. Those mittens... oy. They are beautiful and an accomplishment you would be eternally proud of. But you might either 1) hate the experience so much you don't finish them; or 2) have a miserable two weeks forcing yourself to finish them. You might love knitting them, too; some people enjoy multicolor knitting and some people hate it. But I I believe everyone who's knit Rogue has loved the experience and some have knit two. And isn't this a fairly busy season for you at work? Just sayin'.

[elisa]

Okay - so here's what I'm thinking...

Keeping with the true Olympic spirit - don't athletes generally compete at what they LOVE? Now, you MIGHT love knitting mittens, but maybe you won't. Maybe you'll hate it and then where will you be? Sure, you'll get a few good blog posts out of it, but if you don't love the mittens, then maybe they are not the Olympic Knitting Item for You.

Or, put simply - knit Rogue.

[Kristel]

If you really want the challenge, do the mittens... Rogue has some advanced cables, sure, but it's thickish yarn and lots of stockinette. :)

[La]

We'd love to have you on the Cabling Team. I'm doing an entire frickin sweater. And if I can, ANYONE can...

[Carole]

Rogue, baby, all the way.

[Rebekah]

I vote Rogue, I love Latvian Mitten book, but I find their things somewhat difficult to read/understand, so I'd go for Rogue, you probably won't be frustrated by it like the possibility of the mittens. Although I'm sure you can do the mittens with no problems, in a timed contest, the more agreeable the pattern the better.

[maryse]

so this is what i'm thinking. rogue may not be a challenge technically but it's a challenge because of it's size. 16 days is not a lot of time to knit a whole sweater when you work full time, take care of kitties, pester your friend bob for coffee, and have to do home repairs.

so do what you really love. otherwise you won't do it.

[The Feminist Mafia]

Rogue. I love your yarn selection. I love the color. It gives you miles of stockinette to break up the crazy cables, and you'll love the finished product. Word on the street says the pattern is very well written, so it should be easy(ish) to follow. Her Celtic Cap was remarkably well written, if that's any indication.

Plus, I also bought the Rogue pattern ages ago and am trying to psych myself up to knit it. If you knit it, I can live vicariously, right? :-)

[Teresa C]

Okay, here's the deal. I am in a state of indecision on this thing too. It just so happens that not five minutes ago my daughter #2 reminded me for the billionth time that I have yarn in there that she LOVES and wants Rogue out of. I was thinking of doing it for the Olympics, but everytime she mentions it I want to throw the yarn at her. After I have lit it on fire. I'm really loving and motherly that way. Anyway, I'm still willing to do it. Olympic knitting, Team Boston, Team Cable and Team get the monkey-daughter off my friggin' back. If you do it, I'll do it.

[Juno]

Sweater, dude, sweater.

Latvian mittens are fo a time of greater Zen.

[Laurie]

Rogue. Yeah. Mittens? Would have to commit to two pair. BO-ring.

[claudia]

Now that Theresa said that, you've gotta do Rogue. Screwed, are you.

;-)

[Kristen]

mittens.

(simply because if you can knit the whole rogue in 16 days (and I'm sure you can) it's going to make me (and my five attempts at the sleeves) look bad.) Wait...it's not about me?

then I change my vote to Rogue...