BB knits

Gift Socks

2006-12-17T10:08:00.000-05:00

Back in the summer when I was learning to knit socks, my friend Christy said "I'm a size 9!" as a joke. However, I annoyed her at work a lot over the summer, and she's been a super supportive friend.. so I made a note of her shoe size and fully intended to knit her up some socks once I knew I could do it. After 3 successful pairs, I decided it was time for Christy's Socks!

Pattern: None, really. Just used past experience and "Knitting Rules!" for reference
Yarn: Regia
Other: 2.5mm DPNs, set of 4
Cast on: sock 1: Oct 13/06; sock 2: Oct 23/06
Cast off: sock 1: Oct 20/06; sock 2: Oct 27/06

New techniques learned: None, really. Just further fine tuned my sock abilities, and continued to develope my love for knitting socks and my confidence in being able to just do them, no pattern necessary.

Changes to pattern: Well, there wasn't really a pattern. I did the petticoat top again, and then mostly just used some guidelines from the Yarn Harlot's "Knitting Rules!", keeping in mind things I'd done with past socks.

What I would do differently if I made it again: If I had made them for myself, I might have made them taller in the leg, just because I like taller socks in my boots. Christy doesn't wear boots much (or at all), though, so it probably doesn't matter :P Oh, and it might have been nice if they could have been a finished product surprise... but someone blew my cover while I was half way through one sock! She got really excited and hugged me when she found out... but I think it would've been more fun to have had the surprise with the finished product ;)

finished christy sock
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

The finished sock! I think knitted socks look kind of funny off the foot...

gift wrapped socks
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

All bundled up and ready to go to their new home!

Christy models her new socks
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

Being modeled by the proud recipient! (seriously, she showed those socks off to everyone and anyone that day! She's the kind of person one loves to knit for, because she's so ridiculously happy to have recieved some handmade socks and she brags about them and makes sure eveyrone knows who made them for her :) )

Third Time is Charming!

2006-12-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

This is the yarn that inspired me to finally get off my lazy arse and try knitting socks... but of course, I couldn't start with this yarn - in case something went horribly wrong :P But I figured by pair #3, I was ready to use my yummy purple yarn!

Pattern: um..well..it started with "Petticoat socks" from Weekend Knitting...
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Amethyst Stripe
Other: 2.5mm DPNs, set of 4
Cast on: sock 1: Sept 17/06; sock 2: Sept 25/06
Cast off: sock 1: Sept 25/06; sock 2: Sept 28/06

New techniques learned: Provisional cast on, to make pretty "petticoat" edge on sock. Which is pretty much now my most favourite way to start my socks. Took care of my "too tight cast on edge" issue from previous socks. It was a lot simpler than I had thought at first glance, it's actually kind of fun, and I enjoy the way it looks.

Changes to pattern: well, I pretty much threw it out the window :P See, I thought maybe I should try knitting "not plain" socks... and these socks look nice and not too hard.. but. no. It hurt my head. I was making a lot of mistakes and not enjoying how it was turning out after day 1. I loved the yarn too much to keep on with something that was frustrating me and making me unsure... so on Sept 20th, I ripped back to the petticoat edge and just knit plain. I used the pattern for guidance on the heel and toe, as well as looking back at the last 2 pairs of socks I made, and "Knitting Rules" by the Yarn Harlot.

What I would do differently if I made it again: Not have bothered trying that pattern? ;P Generally, I love the socks. They're pretty :) And very comfortable. I've washed them a few times now, and the heels are getting a bit fuzzy.. but they're still my favourites!

Lorna's Lace Socks
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

My pretty stripey purple socks! otherwise known as, my most favourite socks in the history of socks...

Lorna's Lace Socks
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

I love how hand knitted socks fit. It's so comfy. And they are so nice and warm! I walked to an engagement party quite aways away from my house, on quite a chilly night, and my toes stayed so nice and cozy! (unlike my nose..) And then it seemed so nice to have these delightful purple toes poking out under the hem of my dressy black pants :)

My second sock(lets)!

2006-12-17T09:05:00.000-05:00

Continueing on the sock theme... my second pair of socks were more season-appropriate :)

Pattern: Alison's Ankle Socks
Yarn: Lang Yarns Jawoll Cotton Jacquard superwash
Other: 3.25mm DPNs, set of 4
Cast on: sock 1: July 29/06; sock 2: July 29/06
Cast off: sock 1: July 29/06; sock 2: Aug 6/06

What's with the excessive amount of time on the 2nd sock? Got 3 rows of ribbing done before calling it a night on the 29th... and then there was a crazy heat wave and I couldn't even think about touching any knitting until the 6th :P

New techniques learned: Not sure that there was anything really that different for these socks versus my first socks..except the lack of much leg... It was more a matter of improving on my sock skills :) The holes around the heel were less big this time ;)

Changes to pattern: Nothing on purpose... was still too new to sock knitting to trust myself to stray from the pattern!

What I would do differently if I made it again: I will admit at this point in my knitting career, I only knew one way to cast on, really. I had tried another and didn't like it, so stuck to my trusty knitted cast on. Problem? I cast on kind of tight. I've been working on that, and generally I'm getting better... but these socks are a bit tricky to get on over my heel :P So if I were to make them again, I'd try to loosen that up a bit. Also, I still am pretty crap at judging how much yarn socks will or will not eat up... I had a good amount left over, and if I were to make them again I'd have a bit more hieght on them. They're perfect in slip ons like crocs, but I would prefer a bit more height when I'm wearing my running shoes.

Generally, these socks are awesome. I wore them a lot in the summer at work (where I'm on my feet a lot), and they've held up well with many washings. And the colours are all kinds of fun :)

socklets
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

view from the top. very comfy, and came in handy on those chillier days in the summer. they matched my hot pink croc-knock-offs nicely at work ;)

socklets
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

another view - showing off the fun heels! (and my not so fun heels..ouch... long story short, I got lost in Toronto and had to walk far to much on a far too hot day. the shoes I was wearing were sensible and comfortable, but they had their limits...)

My Very First Socks!

2006-12-13T15:39:00.000-05:00

Hello! Long time no post. I have no good excuse (well, I have lots of excuses, but I won't bother you with them) Point is, I'm back.. and I have socks!

This summer I finally sat down and tried knitting socks. And I love it. Yay!
I started with the pattern, yarn, and needles my secret pal sent me in SP7 in like February.

Pattern: "His n' Her Slouch Socks" from Paton's "Pull up your socks" pattern booklet, made size medium
Yarn: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in Violet (100% Peruvian Wool)
Other: 5mm DPNs, set of 4
Cast on: sock 1: June 30/06; sock 2: July 9/06
Cast off: sock 1: July 2/06; sock 2: July 9/06

New techniques learned: Well, knitting socks! :) I've knit in the round before, and I've made mittens - so the toe part wasn't too new. But the heel was pretty much a completely new experience for me!

Changes to pattern: Nothing on purpose... but it's likely I misunderstood something somewhere and maybe didn't do it exactly right. but I did both socks the same, and they fit and look fine, so no big deal ;)

What I would do differently if I made it again: Maybe make the leg bit a touch longer... I had a good amount of yarn left over, and do enjoy tall socks. But really, I'm quite pleased with these socks!

Of course, July isn't a good time to wear thick wool socks ;) But it's been quite chilly this past month, so they have been worn a couple of times.. on the coldest days.. and they are SO warm and cozy!! They've been washed once now (thrown in the washing machine, cold water, hung to dry) and are very very VERY fuzzy.. and the heel is kind of felted (happened with wearing all day in my boots, before I ever washed them), but they're just that much cozier for it all :)

first sock progress
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

This is how far I got the first night. Very encouraging!

first heel turned!
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

Taken shortly after turning my first heel! Yay! That's my favourite part of the sock. And the toe. I like the toe part as well.

unfinished sock
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

My very first sock, fresh off the needles! The hole has grown on me ;) So squishy and comfy..mm... and purple! :)

Very First Sock
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

And here is that very first sock, all nicely finished, ends woven in. Love it!

First Socks!
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

the completed pair! Yay! They fit very nicely, and are all kinds of warm and comfy!

Something a little different....

2006-08-12T19:47:00.000-04:00

What seems like a long long time ago, Erin was selling off a bunch of stuff, and I was feeling particularly indulgent so I bought a lot of her stuff. Including a Weavette!

I've been having a lot of fun with it ever since, and am finally sharing some photographic evidence of this fun :D

making my first square!
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

almost done my first square on the weavette, using some leftover knitpicks something or other. I love the plaidiness :)

my first square!
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

the completed square! So cute! I actually made a couple squares with this yarn (I had almost an entire ball leftover from a sweater made last year..), so I could try my hand at piecing them together and such..

silk & cashmere
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

so along with the weavette, I had bought this silky yarn and cashmerey yarn from Erin. both so pretty and soft... I couldn't think of what to do with them, but I knew I wanted to wrap myself up in them....

cashmere square
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

so I decided, why not use the weavette I bought off Erin with the yarns I bought off Erin, and make a fun plaidy quilty shawl thing?! GENIUS!

close up of silk square
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

the cashmere squares are bright and rainbowy, the silk squares are chocolaty..it's a very fun mix :) And they both make very light gauzy squares, so the shawl is working up to have a delightful drape. It feels so luxurious...mmmm.....

The shawl is coming along nicely.. stay tuned for a "shawl in progress" picture :)

I'm not dead!

2006-07-01T12:42:00.000-04:00

You know, I'm not even sure how it happened that I went so long without updating.. I would think of it, but then I'd be like "Oh, I should include a picture with that", and I have like 50 million pictures on my camera waiting to be uploaded, and I couldn't seem to wrpa my head around just dealing with the important ones, and dealing with ALL of them was to big a task, so I'd put it off... and next thing you know, It's July 1st :P

Happy Canada Day :)

Anyhow, I ended up ripping back the neck shaping on my dad's sweater TWICE. On the plus side, I now am much more comfortable with ripping back my work to a certain point and redoing it... um.. yay?
The sweater is FINALLY done being knit. Now I just need to block it, and seam it (ew) and weave in ends (double ew). Thank goodness it is FAR to hot for my dad to even THINK about this sweater that was promised him 7 months ago... (I finished the knitting on Father's Day..considered arranging the pieces for a convincing photo of a finished object, but I was house sitting, didn't have my camera or net access, and was far to lazy to go home just to pretend to be actually done the sweater..)

Oh, and there's no pictures of any of this right now, because I'm at work and don't have any pictures with me here. I'm house sitting again, so who knows when I'll get on that :P

In other news.. I knit a baby sweater. In a week. I need to know more people with babies, because that was exceedingly satisfying. Especially after the never ending ribbing of hell that was my dad's sweater... I still got the thrill of a finished sweater, but in a small fraction of the time! sweet! (and it was for someone who is currently pregnant, not some crazy who wanted to sweater their baby up in July..)

Also on the needles right now is a delightful pink lace scarf made of an alpaca angora blend sent to me by a secret pal. I LOVE it. And after mucking up and ripping back too many times to admit without tearing up, I also love lifelines. A lot. A lot a lot. I'm about 20cm into it now, and the mistakes seem to be mostly done with and progress that makes me feel like it was 2 hours well spent is being made. (I was a bit discouraged the one time I worked on it for 2 hours and in the end was only really as far along as I had been before I began...)

Another thing in the works is a woven shawl. The amount of ends I'll have to deal with when it's all done makes me queasy, but I love the look and feel of it... It's silk and it's cashmere and it's so full of colours...mmmmm.

Finally, as of last night, I have finally taken the plunge and started my first ever sock. *excitement*. So far so good - I'm almost at the heel, and I can put on the progress so far and it fits nicely about my ankle.

Oh, and I finished a sweater for a friend - another much belated christmas present (also birthday - she's a december baby). That one was a quickish knit (Blackberry from Knitty. Yes, I am far too lazy to do any linking right now..), but I waited until forever (otherwise known as april) to actually start it once she picked the pattern (done in january) and I got the yarn (sometime in february). It was recieved with much joy, even if it is far to warm to wear anytime soon.

Okay, my shift is almost over... I didn't bring any knitting with me today so I'd catch up on emails, but I'm seriosuly craving my sock...mmm....

and, i'm an idiot

2006-04-17T18:44:00.000-04:00

So, I'm working away on a sweater for a friend, and I discover that I am indeed an idiot. I fail at knitting pattern comprehension.

I finished the front panel of my dad's sweater...and ran into stitch issues, and checked the pattern math, and decided it was wrong, dealt with having a bit wider top of front compared to top of back, bound off, tra la la.

Turns out, I'm an idiot. and well normally my mistakes don't bother me much and I leave them in, this mistake translates into 10 missed rows. which about the neck may make a difference in fit for my dad.

gr.

so I will be frogging back and fixing. first time i'll ever do that :S not sure if I have the patience/eye for going back just to where the 10 rows should have been, but I'll try. Otherwise, I'll just do all the neck shaping again... and remind myself that my daddy is awesome, he buys me groceries, and he's worth it...

*headdesk*

gyah!

2006-04-09T18:53:00.000-04:00

school (most noteably, final exams) are sucking my soul away.
I'm still knitting lots (need to stay sane!), but clearly my ability to blog has been compromised...

had an awesome time this past Friday at the Team Canada knit night out, which soothed my soul a bit post-histology-maggie-ass-whooping.
Unfortunately, yesterday I came down with a nasty cold :(
So I would update with some progress pictures right about now on a variety of stuff...
but I need to study for tomorrow's exam....but I want to curl up with tea, movie, and kitties, and just let this cold kill me now.

only 2 weeks left! ;P

WIP - Leo

2006-03-16T14:53:00.000-05:00

WIP - Leo
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

Working on Leo for a belated xmas present for my dad. With any luck, I'll get it done well before next Christmas ;)

This is how far I was on the back before the Knitting Olympics. As of right now, I'm done the back panel and taking a break from the neverending 5x3 ribbing before I start in on the front panel. I'm really happy with how it's going so far - the fabric is great, really nice and heavy. Will be a nice and warm sweater for next winter ;)

Cleaves

2006-03-16T11:12:00.000-05:00

All right, another pre-olympics finished object!

Pattern: Cleaves
Yarn: Jo-Ann exclusive Bellezza Collection: Cosetta
Other: 8mm DPNs, 8mm 61cm circulars
Cast on: Jan 19/06
Cast off: Feb 3/06 (in a fit of laziness, left the ends to be woven in the next day..)

New techniques learned: Well, definitely the biggest thing I've done with DPNs! Also, it was my first time joining things all up together in the round (the two sleeves and casting on for the cowl..). Wasn't to hard to figure out, though, and I really don't like seaming at all - so avoiding that was a plus :D
Not a technique, but something I learned... my gauge changes a fair bit when I switch from DPNs to circulars. Gauge was bang on for the cuff and sleeve, but for the cowl my tension got a lot looser.

Changes to pattern: Well, I only made the cuffs about 7 inches. Partly because that was plenty long for my hands, but mostly because I did a lot of the initial knitting on the plan to Saskatoon and didn't have my measuring tape... so I used my DPN to guess length, and since they're 7 inches long, that was an easy number to work with ;) Total length of sleeve: about 21 inches.

What I would do differently if I made it again: I think I wouldn't mind a little less loosey-goosey-ness about the cowl - while it is cozy comfy, it's oversized-ness gets in my way on occasion. So if I were to make another, I'd probably try a smaller size needle for the circulars, to compensate for my looser tension.

The yarn was fun, I really enjoyed the colours :) (the yarn was a gift from a friend down in California). The pattern is pretty straightforward, and the sleeves were pretty good airplane knitting. I really appreciated the lack of seams to do up!

I've worn it a couple times now, and it is very cozy and snuggly. I'd probably wear it more often if I was just staying at home more, and didn't have to worry about it matching the tshirt i'm wearing that day ;)

onto the pictures!

Cleaves
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

Here's the finished thing spread out on my bed. I love verigated yarn and it's stripiness.

Cleaves - cowl
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

close up of cowl - good representation of the colour. So pretty and shiny! :)

Cleaves - sleeve
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

close up of sleeve, and nice shot of the pretty colour stripes along the sleeve :)

Cleaves
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

This is how it's worn in the pictures with the pattern... but as soon as I put my arms down, the cowl falls to an akward and not as cozy spot, and it just gets in my way :P so....

Cleaves
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

...I wear it this way! Nice and cozy about the back of my neck, the sleeves stay up, and it's just all kinds of goodness :)

Cleaves
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

And this is what it looks like from the back :) When I wear it over a tshirt, it nicely covers up all the exposed bits to give me some extra warmth! yum.

My lovely Alpaca Mittens!

2006-03-04T17:38:00.001-05:00

Well, taking a little break from studying Histology to upload some pre-olympics finished objects. First up: MITTENS! *love*

Pattern: CJ's Fingerless Gloves with Detachable Mitten Top (sent to me via email by a Secret Pal)
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpaca, sport weight, colours 53 & 50 (also sent to me by my wonderful secret pal)
Other: 3.25mm DPNs, adorable penguin buttons I had in my collection just waiting for the perfect project...
Cast on: Jan 2/06
Cast off: Jan 12/06

New techniques learned: Kitchener Stitch. And I kind of love it! Mmm... nice tidy mitten tops!
This was also my first foray into gloves and their many fingers... not so bad! A little fiddly with the seemingly way to much needle for so little a tube... but I got the hang of it :) The hardest part was figuring out the picking up stitches and where to attach the yarn for each new finger.. I think I did okay, though.

Changes to pattern: Well, I misread part of it for the mitten top first time through... oops. Missed a bunch of rows. So I accidently made the mitten top shorter then intended :P (I purposefully repeated the mistake for the second mitten top, so at least they match!)
The original pattern calls for 3 buttons, and making button holes. My first try at the button holes did not leave me with any holes... turns out I am unable to do a YO properly when knitting in the round... something I'm going to have to work on...
However, I didn't really care, since I didn't have enough penguin buttons for 3 buttons each mitten. Also, I didn't ever intend to actually remove the mitten top - might lose it that way! So I stitched the mitten top in place, and added the penguins for just decoration.

What I would do differently if I made them again: Read the pattern more carefully for the mitten tops ;) And I'd make the thumbs complete... while tucking the thumb into the mitten top does keep it toasty, I can't do that when I need to hold something, and my thumbs get mighty cold outside the mitten top!!

I absolutely adore alpaca yarn, and am in love with these mittens. I've worn them just about everyday since I finished them! They permenantly reside in my winter coat pockets :) They wear well, and I think they've managed to get softer!! *love* They've stretched a bit, and fit more losely, which makes for easier on-and-off taking and has not impacted the warmth giving at all. Even with a several rows shorter mitten top, my fingers stay nice and toasty!

Anyhow, enough of my babble.. pictures!

KSSP Mittens
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

The mittens with top up.

KSSP Mittens
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

The mittens with tops down.

KSSP Mittens
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

Top down on the hand.

KSSP Mittens
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

Top up on the hand.

KSSP Mittens
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

Keeping the thumb warm as well!

KSSP Mittens
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

Holy flash glare, batman. But, YAY MITTENS! :)

I'm in pictures!

2006-02-28T11:14:00.000-05:00

Check out photos from the Team Canada Knitting Olympics Closing Ceremonies over here!

Crazy!

Wow!

2006-02-27T12:08:00.000-05:00

Okay, so, Team Canada's closing ceremonies in Toronto? MUCH fun!
I'm a silly enough girl to have felt like I was in a room full of celebreties ;P So many women whose blogs I've read and been inspired by.... crazy.
And so many awe inspiring finished olympic projects! Wow! *faints*

I'm already looking forward to the next Olympics, and thinking about what might be a challenge for me when the time comes! (I've grown quite a lot as a knitter in my first year and a bit... will I keep progressing in leaps and bounds? Maybe I'll continue to put of/avoid colourwork until the next olympics... seems like a good excuse to keep avoiding it ;P )

Now that I'm sitting in class, wearing my pretty purple shawl... I think I'm definitely a shawl person. Wasn't 100% sure - had never owned one, really. But I like it. It's cozy. I made a serious hardcore cozy scarf for the walk to school - all bunched up about my neck. And now it makes me feel comfy and cozy in class :) Definitely more shawls in my future...

Also, met someone at the closing ceremonies in a very cute lil' poncho/capelet thing... and you know, I think I might actually not mind one of those. Will have to maybe revisit some previously cast aside patterns... she looked quite cozy and cute in it :)

So, Knitting Olympics over... what next? Well, at the closing ceremonies, I made some good progress on the back panel of the sweater for my dad... I also have the yarn for the wrap I'm making Amanda... and I'm seriously itchin' to try my hand at socks...

Stay tuned!!

Maggie wins the gold!

2006-02-26T10:57:00.001-05:00

Here it is, my completed shawl! *cheers*

Edging done!
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

taken right after I finished several hours or painstaking crochet edging work! (I pretty much was teaching myself crochet for this one... I had only ever done a simple chain to use as a tie before... now I've mastered the double chrochet stitch, and have made a pretty scallopy edging!)

Close up of edging
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

This is before blocking..can't quite see the nice effect of the double chrochet stitch edge on the "flat" side.. but look and the bumpy triangle side! yay bumps!

Blocking
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

Pinned out on a bed in my brother's room... I finally see the wonders of blocking for myself! (I've blocked sweaters before.. but the benifits were never quite as noticeable as with this shawl!)
Can I say, I LOVE the colour... great, great yarn!

Back view
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

How pretty is that? The most pretty. I'm really happy with everything about this shawl - the colour, the size.. fantastic!
And I actually have a good chunk of yarn left..trying to think of something fun to do with that...

Go, Canada, Go!
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

All done and blocked! (okay, ends still need to be weaved in - will be done on the bus on my way to Toronto to celebrate the closing ceremonies in style!)

fallsover

2006-02-25T18:21:00.000-05:00

well, i've been crocheting like a mad woman all the live long day, and the edging is finally DONE! my fing tips hurt like a mofo... but it's DONE! and it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself :) It's my first crochet edging, and I rather like the effect...

Anyhow, it's soaking right now.. so I'm off to go finish blocking it..and then eat.. haven't eaten since breakfast! gyah..

pictures later....

Olympic update!

2006-02-24T12:23:00.001-05:00

Well, I've been on Reading Week break this week, and as such haven't been doing much on the computer (been avidly avoiding all things school related..), but I have been knitting! (pretty much that's all I do: sleep, eat, watch movies/TV, knit. It's been a delightful week!)

So here's an update from last weekend....

Halfway there!
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

I got to the end of the first ball pretty much Feb 17th, which was my goal - second half of the shawl would take a bit longer, and then there's the edging... but the second week of the Olympics was reading week, so more time to knit!

And now this weekend is looking like this...

Knitting: done!
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

2amish, Feb 24th, I bound-off! The knitting portion of my challenge is done! Still have to do the edging, which I'm a bit nervous about... but I have all weekend to tackle that! With any luck, I'll be wearing my beautiful shawl at the closing ceremonies pub in Toronto!

I've got some errands to run today.. need to pick up something for my secret pal, participate in a headache study, get some stuff from Shoppers, write a couple online quizzes (hey, been avoiding school almost all week... time to accept that I am actually still a student and will be back at it on Monday...).. but at the very least I'm going to do the edging on the long edge of the shawl today! I've bookmarked a bunch of clear tutorials on how to do the various crochet stitches the pattern is calling for... now it's time for the real challenge part of this project! (besides sticking to the same wip for so many consecutive days of knitting!! I'm itchin' to work on something different...)

Dedicated athlete

2006-02-15T10:34:00.000-05:00

Dedicated athlete
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

Monday morning, 4 hours of lectures - aka, 4 hours of knitting!

This was taken between classes that morning - people have pretty much gotten used to me knitting in class by this point! But the jersey adds a whole new level of blatant obsession ;)

Monday was funny t-shirt day, and a lot of people thought my jersey was a part of that :P But it's Wednesday now, and I'm still wearing it... some people have started taking me seriously and believe the knitting olympics to be a real thing :)

Olympic progress! (aka Watch it Grow!)

2006-02-14T23:12:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a busy week chuck-a-full of studying my brains out... and it's only Tuesday! *faints*
However, as I pretty much need to knit in class to keep awake (and I pay better attention awake and knitting as opposed to asleep and drooling on my notes ;P) I am making some olympic progress!!

End of saturday..
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

First day of real progress! (only a few rows were done the night of the opening ceremonies...)
Took a bit to get used to the boucle wool - had to get a couple inches in before I could easily tell my RS from my WS ;P And I *may* have forgotten the increase on a row or two... but yay for boucle yarn making it darn tootin' hard for me to see the stitches! ;)

End of Sunday
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

Not a whole bunch of progress - was a day full of studying and hockey games and frisbee games...
But some progress WAS made! Maybe if I was a bit more consistent with my orientation of the WIP for the pictures... ah well ;)

Monday - going strong!
Originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

Monday night's progress shot - I'm feeling really good about this! I'm hoping to hit the midway point this weekend (where I do a bunch of rows without any increases before the decreases begin). So far so good!

The library is about to close, so stay tuned for photographic proof of my olympic dedication..(and they all thought I was wearing the jersey for funny t-shirt day...;P)

Pre-games work, and first day cast on!

2006-02-11T19:26:00.000-05:00

Few days ago I wound the yarn into nice convenient centre pull balls, gathered all my supplies, and found an appropriately red & white bag to carry it all in.

Later, I rewound the yarn so that the balls were nice and squishy and the yarn wasn't getting too stressed out.

My team canada jersey arrived Friday, and I put it on right away when I got home. How spiffy is it? The most spiffy!

Once 2pm rolled around, I sat myself down and cast on for my Olympic knitting challenge. The afternoon sun behind me makes my work hard to see.. but there wasn't much to see at this point anyhow ;)

I worked on my Olympic Knitting for a little while, but then I had to put the knitting down and start getting ready for the OVC Winter Gala.. next year maybe I'll wear this shawl with this dress :)

Once I got all my prep work done - hair, makeup, getting the dress on... I had some time to wait, as my date was running late. So I sat myself down, with my jersey nearby for inspiration, and continued with my Olympic Knitting! Things are going well so far!

Knitting Olympics!

2006-02-02T10:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I love the Olympics. I love knitting. I love fun challenges, and any excuse for a new shirt!

So, I've signed on for Yarn Harlot's Knitting Olympics, and am a (eventually) jersey wearing member of Team Canada!!

FUN TIMES.

My project? A shawl. Specifically the shawl I recieved yarn and pattern for from my Secret Pal last fall. The gorgeously purpley yarn has been sitting in my project corner, taunting me, for what feels like forever... but I have yet to actually hunker down, wind it, and begin... so this seemed like a perfect opportunity!
The challenge will be that it is a fine yarn, and so it's a very repetitive and seemingly slow progress kind of job... which is something I sometimes love, sometimes hate, and usually can't finish all in one go without taking a break (took an almost 2 month break on "Lucky" from SNBN !) because I'm easily distractable. Since I have a couple sweater projects on the go as well, it really will be a challenge to focus on this one thing for 16 days! But, I'm confident I can finish it in 16 days if I put my mind to it :)
(Convieniently, I had my Reading week during the Olympics - lots of knitting time! :D )

Here's the yarn:

Yummy yarn!, originally uploaded by dottiemaggie.

delightful 100% wool, hand painted in Prince George, BC.

Planning to wind the yarn into 2 convienient balls and pack up all the necessary supplies in an appropriately red & white bag over this weekend... then try my patience waiting for the 10th to roll around!
(too bad I can't actually go to the Team Canada opening ceremonies pub in Toronto... or even watch the opening ceremonies at home! I already have my ticket to the OVC Winter Gala, which is also Feb 10th! But you know the first thing I'm doing when I get home is casting on! woo!)

BB knits

Gift Socks

Third Time is Charming!

My second sock(lets)!

My Very First Socks!

Something a little different....

I'm not dead!

and, i'm an idiot

gyah!

WIP - Leo

Cleaves

My lovely Alpaca Mittens!

I'm in pictures!

Wow!

Maggie wins the gold!

*fallsover*

Olympic update!

Dedicated athlete

Olympic progress! (aka Watch it Grow!)

Pre-games work, and first day cast on!

Knitting Olympics!

fallsover