Knitting Olympics – Team GB

Made it to the shoulders, so the main part is now all done. Next job is to stitch the armhole lines, and then cut the steeks – I’m mainly going to use the chain stitch method shown in Sally Melville’s latest “Knit Experience” book … and then I can pick up for the sleeves. I now have some photos of the operation

Before cutting, the ‘hole’ at the top is the bottom of the armhole, and you can see the moss stitch steek area below it

Here’s an improved version of the cutting diagram:

And finally, some cut edges … (if you’re really scared, apparently you can use Fray check or similar – I didn’t bother, but that’s because the yarn’s ‘grippy’)

Psychedelic stripes is now sewn together (nearly). Just the neck to finish off, so I’m leaving that until Sunday:

The next jumper has a front and a back (thank goodness for the train to London yesterday, I got a whole front/back done on that journey!) but is still lacking sleeves.

So one sleeve tonight, one tomorrow and sewing up on Sunday?!

I’m a very happy girlie )

Who takes really bad photos !!!

Managed to get the knitting and ends sewn in last night and finished the seams this morning….

Off to pack for Skipnorth, hopefully will be able to use needles bigger than 3mm and get to bed before 2am

Good luck everyone, hope you all manage to get to the finishing line without too much stress !  

http://wyesueknits.blogspot.com/

I haven’t been able to post since yesterday but something in the fiddling around I’ve just done seems to have worked…

I finished my first sleeve last night and started the second. I’m a bit tired tonight thanks to every halfwit in my workplace harrassing me today! So I think I will sew in the first sleeve and weave in the ends and have an easy night rather than doing much knitting on the second sleeve. I will probably regret it!

I’ve given in, and am now officially ill (Bronchitis). I think it was the refusing of caffeine which might have been the tip off. But the good news is, I get magic little blue pills, which will make everything feel better. (There are times when my love for penicillin, in all its forms, rivals my love for shetland spun yarn.)

That said, the Shawl (part 1) will be off the needles tonight. (Yippee! Said very quietly, as anything above sotto voce brings on a phlegm attack.) So I will sort out the provisional cast-on, and head for blocking. There is an outside chance that there might be photos tomorrow.

Thanks for all the suggestions re alternatives to knitting a lining. Still, 4 days left, so surely a lining is possibly (I now have magic blue pills to help). Okay, so that may be my oxygen-starved brain talking, but I will not surrender, nor lay down my needles, nor put away my yarn, until the flame has died! Knit on, knit on, and knit again.

So, how is everyone else doing?

I can’t quite believe I am already thinking beyond that closing ceremony.  Hope I haven’t peaked too soon!

I’ve got the pattern for the Flared Lace Smoke Ring from Heartstrings and it’s in the form of a chart.  I’ve never knitted anything from a chart before and was about to “translate” it all into K2 P2 SKPO etc when I thought I might enjoy a new challenge  

All advice would be gratefully received, privately if you prefer:  gillATthequarryhouseDOTcom  Many thanks!

 Second wristlet coming along well.  Thank you for all the support and kind words.

Here’s my slice of tree trunk so far (or not, if I forgot how to do a pic!). The Bonus Flash is for the top, I’m hoping it will look like tree rings!

http://seahorseclaire.blogspot.com/

…to quote Scooby Doo.

I think I peaked too soon.

Today I’ve been the queen of distraction. Stash organisation, chatting to mates in Oz, fabric organisation, book organisation.

Knitting? Oh yeah…

Number one sleeve. Hmmm…

Sue

When I’d reached the point of completing the centre of my Olympic Knitting shawl, some people were under the impression that I was on the home straight. Wrong, unfortunately. I knew that this was the case because I’d used less than a quarter of the yarn that I know I need to knit up before I’m done.

Anyway, I’ve now finished two of the broad borders of which there are four with mitred corners. These are sewn around the centre portion and then there is an edging to knit all in one piece (metres and metres of it) which will be sewn on to the outside of the broad border. All that knitting still to do and ALL THAT SEWING!

To give you an idea of how the shawl is shaping up, I roughly pinned the pieces together that I’ve already knitted but, if you want to see how the finished shawl will look (hopefully!) check out the photo in my post of 26th January entitled “Christening Shawl”.

The little bit of knitting on the needle in the photo is the start of the outer edging. I started this to give me a break from the pieces of broad border which are very intricate (being 68 different pattern rows on a lot of stitches)! On the other hand, the edging is a 24 row repeat going on for an eternity but on only 16 to 29 stitches (depending on which row is being worked) and, Oh Bliss, 4mm needles! I know it’s only 0.75mm thicker than the needles that the rest of the shawl is worked on but it doesn’t half seem to make a big difference. The centre of the shawl which was only an eight row repeat now seems a cinch compared to the rest of it.

DH has been so impressed with the amount of knitting involved in this project that he has offered to calculate the number of stitches I will have knitted if I ever reach the end! Well, that’s accountants for you!!

The question now is will I finish in time to collect a virtual medal? I’ll give it a good shot even though my shoulder is now aching and the closest I can get to physiotherapy is DH manipulating it as if he’s kneading dough. It’s not as if it’s a real medal after all! But, anyway, I’d still like one and I hope the rest of you will make it, too! Right, back to the grindstone . . . . .

Hazel http://knityoga.blogspot.com

Whoops, I forgot to put the picture in the last post….

http://wyesueknits.blogspot.com/