Beginnings and endings

I can finally say I'm towards the end of the Kori vest. It's now blocking and most of the ends on the back are woven in. I left some on the sides for sewing. It seemed a good idea to block this one before sewing and adding the bands. The construction is simple and might be interesting to try out with solid yarn. (Not in squares!) The sunlight was streaming in through the curtains and made pretty shadows on the knitting.
Things here are just about packed, a pair of socks are almost ready for A. Ben can give them to her tomorrow. All quiet on the front. After I finish the second sock, I have to swatch the St. Brigid. Kathy and I are meeting tomorrow and I want to be ready with my swatch so we can cast on in September! Time for something cold to drink I'm fading fast.

Finishing projects

Now the Ravelympics are a mere memory and I'm finishing the rest of my projects. I was pleased to finish a sweater and the socks and most of a vest--that doesn't include the vest I finished before the competition. The Kori squares are almost sewn together and I did one shoulder. Now I can picture the finished vest, but it'll take major blocking to help the knitting drape nicely. It will be an unusual piece--I hope I like it. I think I will. I'm making A a pair of socks in her school colors. I'll make B's on the trip. It's a six-hour drive, so I could probably get at least a pair finished!
Our son's almost ready for school. I stay out of the room. I just do the laundry and hope for the best! His buddy left today because he had to be trained for his campus job. It's a shame they couldn't hang out one more time, but all the kids are busy. It's been a fun summer for them with lots of excitement to come.
We went to the fair on Saturday. It was great to pig out and walk around on such a gorgeous day. I thought this ride was colorful and kinda funny. She's got some major boobage going...

#60 and ready to leap into history!

The photo shows my layout for the Vest Vault project. I'm sewing squares together, now. I still have to do the insert, but that'll be quick. I'd like to finish this, then work on the other stuff. I have the squares on three tray tables. The colors go from pink to green. It's hard to picture, but I'll just have to trust the process on this one!

Sock Put socks

Finished my Sock Put socks for Ben's friend going into the Nat'l Guard. I had some camo yarn and a solid brown, so Baba's Bed Socks was the perfect choice. Love this pattern. I can knock out a pair in no time. Now I'm back to squares and have over 30 done--halfway there on the Vest Vault!

Finish line and Podium

I made it to the finish line late last night! My Lopi is now done. I dug out the buttons I bought in Germany two years ago and sewed them on, blocked it, and now I'm waiting for my podium ceremony on Ravelry. As usual, I was worried about the fit, but once again Lopi pulled through and blocked nicely. I didn't care for the seed stitch border (having to sew it on). I went down a needle size to make it look neater. I'll take a better photo later.
15.08.08--I got my message today from Bobicus Maximus. I'm on the podium for the WIPSwrestling.

Looking beyond the games and ahhh-inspiring projects

I'm wrestling and vaulting all over, even threw in the sock put for a change. I got the call from the shop today. My yarn (18 skeins of Rowan Scottish Tweed DK) for St. Brigid came in and the Rowan 30th Anniversary Knitting and Crochet Magazine #44. The yarn is gorgeous and reminds me of the Skye tweed I used for the Clock Vest. It's got such lovely color, and I think the shop may order some to stock. It's light and soft (for tweed) and the color flecks really add depth and interest to the color. I chose Peat for my project. I'll probably swatch it soon just to see, but I want to work/finish my Ravelympic projects first. We'll see how long I can hold out--NOT!

Anyway, the cover sweater caught my eye--Raphael. Not so much the main color, but the shape and embellishment. It seems as though Rowan is returning to it's roots--classic, classy designs. It's nice to see finer yarns for the detail and color work. These are like little works of art and are part of the reason I fell in love all over again with knitting in the mid-80s. Designers like Kaffe Fassett, Sasha Kagan, Sarah Dallas, etc. Done gushing.

SMASHING!

My Kori vest vault squares are helping me pin the Lopi cardigan WIP! I thought I'd have it done last night, but it didn't go as planned...just like the French in the men's 4 x 100 relay. That cardigan's goin' down today--au revoir! (Insert primal scream here.)
The other projects will probably be tackled during the track and field events.

Projects of Olympic proportions!

Well, I've got my five projects lined up and ready to go for tomorrow. I'll be doing two projects for WIPs Wrestling, at least one for Sock Put, three for Arigurumi and Toy Toss, and one for the Vest Vault. I'm feeling ambitious! Let the games begin! Pictured are the ghostly snowmen soon to be finished!

In training

Pictured are two more sweaters in my wardrobe. I've been looking at red too long! I think I need to redo the cable photo--it's wonky. The one on the right I knitted with Fox Fiber. I changed the pattern from lace just at the chest to an all-over lace pattern. I love to wear this all year round.
Now's the time to find out if all my training will pay off. Midnight tonight is the deadline to tag projects for the Ravelympics. I found my Kori swatches on page 2 of the Vest Vault. I didn't find the Lopi cardigan in WIP Wrestling. There are 500 pages of those. I may add the cotton cardigan to that list, too. It'll force me to finish. THEN I'll be ready for St. B. I'm now on the left front of the cardigan--not enjoying switching skeins, but the end result will be worth the hassle.

New in the queue

Now that the vest is finished, I'm very pleased. It was worth all the self-imposed problems. I sewed the buttons on tonight and tried it on. Great!!! Can't wait for it to get cooler.
It's time to see what's next. In honor of the Olympics, I'll be working on the Lopi cardigan for a WIP and the Kori for a new project. I should have the pastel cotton cardigan done by the time the games begin.
September is reserved for St. Brigid. I ordered some yarn from the shop--Rowan Scottish Tweed DK in color 00019 Peat. It's a lovely brown, which will not be too dark or too light. I love tweed yarn for the depth of color. So many to choose from. This yarn is a perfect substitute for the Alice Starmore yarn, so I limited my choices to two. The neutral won, as the Herring had more blue than I thought.

OTN

THE CLOCK VEST IS FINALLY OFF THE NEEDLES!!

Winding up the clock

Finally! The vest is together (three-needle bind off at the shoulders). I feel as though I'm coming through the tunnel into the light. Any problems I had with this pattern were of my own doing. In the end it's been fun to knit. Actually, I'm glad I had to knit the back over because I used a different skein. I noticed the photos I took recently showed a distinct line of fewer tweedy flecks, which I know would have driven me nuts. I'll save the skein for the bands. This will need some serious blocking, but I know it'll be gorgeous. I won't pick out buttons until it's blocked. I know what I want and the key will be to find them. It feels good to be on the last part of a project. Bands and blocking are the easy stuff!
I included my trusty cable needle--my support crew. It can take a well-deserved rest...until St. Brigid!