bee sweater

I'm glad I set my Knitting Olympic bar low. Here it is day four and I've barely cast on my designated project. Instead I spent the part of the opening ceremony finishing up the bee sweater.



I am very pleased with how it turned out. I did have to learn a new technique, for the color changes so they wouldn't have jogs. I chose the technique that has you slip the first stitch of the new color (on what would be the second round of that color) and for the most part it worked. I can only see one place where it doesn't look seamless.



My daughter was also pleased and she wore it immediately to a birthday party, then wanted to know if it was out of the laundry yet for school Monday. She also decide that her 100 day collection of 100 things was going to be 100 pieces of yellow and black yarn leftover from her sweater.

But all is not real happy... we had an incident with the panda sweater in which the white yarn felted slightly. And as a result, it is now too short. I was very surprised because a) the yarn is superwash wool (knit picks swish worsted) and b) it was only the white--a color that is notorious for NOT felting. So, since I have extra white, I decided that I'll put off my knitting olympic project and take out the bind off and maybe the ribbing and extend the length of the panda sweater. I know that the yarn won't look the same, and I'm ok with that. I haven't decided if I want to rip back the 1.5 inches of ribbing or just start more ribbing until I get the length I need. I'm leaning toward ripping. It is not too badly felted at the ribbing, and I have enough length to add (would you believe at least 2 inches) that I think that might be best.

Knitting Olympics!

I so much want to participate in the knitting olympics. I've been struggling for the last 2 days about what my project should be. What will be a sufficient challenge for me to knit in the next 17 days, but won't make me crazy.
I doubt I could pull off a pair of socks. I think I could make another bee or panda sweater--although I'll be finishing the neck on the bee sweater tonight as everyone else is casting on for the olympics. So really I'll be knitting 16 days.
I also didn't want to make it too easy, which is why I didn't just want to finish a pair of socks that I've already started.

In the end, I decided, because this is a fun thing and not a SERIOUS thing, that I would attempt to knit "pretty thing" and should it prove too easy--I'll attempt to also finish that sock I've got languishing.

Let the games begin!

the bee sweater

Cinnamonamon once told me she was too sick to knit. I mocked her terribly. How could you be too sick to knit? And then in the middle of the bee sweater I was felled by some germs. Some evil germs.
I have gotten some knitting in, but not like what you would expect of someone who has spent the last 3 days on the couch. Part of it is that I am so tired, that basically I read for an hour and then sleep for an hour.



I have apologized to her. I am trying to eek out a couple of rows every day. And I'm starting, very slowly to feel better.