Sunday, August 24, 2008

Do I Get A Medal?

I did it! My 2008 Olympic Challenge is done! Okay, it's not blocked, and I was weaving in my last end as the closing ceremonies started and frantically taking pictures outside in my pajamas before the sun set, but it's done.

I started off knitting "Scarf with edging 21 and insertion 25 from The Knitted Lace Pattern Book" from Victorian Lace Today, but didn't really like "insertion 25". The border is the same but I fiddled around with some things and came up with my own center pattern. It was fun! I love knitting lace, and love knitting with soft, luxurious yarn even more. I used a size 6 needle and Punta Del Este's Mericash yarn - 80% merino, 20% cashmere. Very very very very soft.

Unfortunately, there were a few things going on in the last 17 days that tried to derail this project. My bro and his lovely wife were in town and we enjoyed a week of family time - lots of good food (chocolate pie and peach crisp in the same night!), an AMAZING concert (go buy every album by My Morning Jacket. If you don't love it, I will come smack you upside the head), and we even roasted marshmallows and went "camping" in my bro's backyard. And I got sick. By the time we were sweating by the campfire Monday night, I was in full-fledged sinus infection hell. Then it turned into an upper respiratory infection and I'm still sick. I sat on my couch all day Thursday (except a trip to the doctor) and did not knit a stitch. I must be feeling a little better, because I knitted about 15" of scarf today to finish.

I haven't posted in forever, and it's been a hectic summer, but promise to post more. My family's birthday season is fast approaching, with Christmas coming soon after, so it's time to warn my family and friends that their presents may appear on this here blog.

Hope everyone had a fun Olympics!

5 comments:

Alicia Aarnio said...

YAYYYY!! Yes, you get a medal. And you get double for posting ;P I had epic failure with my knitting olympics project.. but I have declared myself in stoppage time- I spent 4 days working on something for my mother in law, so that means I have four days to tack on to the end of the olympics, right? That's what I'll keep telling myself.. I just have the sleeves left to knit!!

I'm glad you posted something you made with the Mericash yarn.. I'm going to probably knit with that very soon, I'm in a big shawl mood or something. It looks lovely! Hope to see you soon.. School's starting back up again, so I'm pretty busy :| <3 you!

Alicia Aarnio said...

Oh yeah.. btw- how many skeins of the Mericash did you use?

esp said...

Alicia- I bought 3 skeins of yarn, thankfully, because the second one ran out with 16 rows left of the second border. Any ideas with what I should do with about 250 yards of fingering weight yarn?

Alicia Aarnio said...

Make an elephant! :) Or the Berroco Air Bear, one of my favorite plus patterns- it's really versatile, can be knit at pretty much any gauge. That would be so cute and soft, a little cashmere bear! I'm such a sucker for plush. You could probably also make some fingerless mitts, like the Nereid fingerless gloves on Ravelry- they take ~219 yds fingering weight and look kinda like pomatamuses for your hands.

Anonymous said...

A medal? How about a major award! I think this lace scarf is just lovely! 2 thumbs WAY UP!