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Olympic Knitting

Posted on August 16, 2008 by auburnchick

I’ve spent so much time lately discussing non-knitting things, that I thought it was about time to catch you up on projects that I’ve been working on.

First of all, I realized that I never posted a picture of the completed bag I started on my trip to Virginia. The pattern is called A Little Slip of a Thing. You can find the pattern here. The yarn is Lamb’s Pride Worsted. The colors I used are Spruce and Dynamite Blue. The pattern was very easy…something I did not expect with the color changes. It is knit totally in the round, and you only carry one color around as you go, using slip stitches to incorporate the different colors. You can find helpful instructions for the i-cord bind off at this site.

I-Cord Bindoff

Pre-felted

Pre-felted

A Look at the Inside - Yarn Carried Over

A Look at the Inside - Yarn Carried Over

The Finished Product

The Finished Product

After finishing the bag, I began work on a series of dishcloths. I started a Knit-a-Long on KnittingHelp.com. I’ve named it the Olympic Dishcloth KAL, and the purpose is to use up the stash of cotton dishcloth yarn that has accumulated. I started out with this pile of yarn.

One of the gals who is participating worked up a pattern for the Olympic rings. That was my first dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Cornflower.

Olympic Dishcloth

Olympic Dishcloth

Since Opening Ceremonies, I’ve completed one dishcloth almost every day. All but the last dishcloth patterns came from this booklet, which you can purchase at almost any craft store:

For the Bee Stitch Dishcloth, I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is called American Stripes. It’s self-striping yarn. The yarn was very rough and thick. The pattern was easy. The rough texture will be good for cleaning dishes (yes, I do use these…what’s the point in having them?).

Bee Stitch Dishcloth

Bee Stitch Dishcloth

The next cloth is called Elfin Lace Dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Ecru. Again, the yarn is a little rough, but the color is great for knitting lacy patterns.

Elfin Lace Dishcloth

Elfin Lace Dishcloth

The next cloth is called Zigzag Eyelet Dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Tea Rose. This yarn was fabulously soft. I don’t understand how you can use the same brand of yarn but a different color, and one be different from the other. Strange. Oh well. The pattern was extremely easy, and I like the result.

Zigzag Eyelet Dishcloth

Zigzag Eyelet Dishcloth

The next cloth is called Climbing Lattice Dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream, and the color is Lime Stripes…another self-striping yarn. The pattern was easy but seemed to take forever to knit up. I like the end-result though.

Climbing Lattice Dishcloth

Climbing Lattice Dishcloth

The next cloth I knit is called Slanted Squares Dishcloth. I used Sugar ‘n Cream (big surprise, eh?), and the color is Potpurri. I really liked this pattern.

Slanted Squares Dishcloth

Slanted Squares Dishcloth

Next, I knit the Shapely Diamond Dishcloth. Sugar ‘n Cream was the yarn of choice, and the color is Ecru…again, a perfect choice for the pattern.

Shapely Diamond Dishcloth

Shapely Diamond Dishcloth

And last night, while Michael Phelps was winning his seventh gold medal, I knit the Papillon (Butterfly) Cloth. Very appropriate considering the timing (Phelps’ medal was for the 100m Butterfly). I used a new yarn called I Love this Cotton, which is sold by Hobby Lobby. The color is Buttercup. What fabulous cotton yarn! It is unbelievably soft and not as thick as the Sugar ‘n Cream.

I Love This Cotton - Buttercup

I Love This Cotton - Buttercup

You can find the pattern here, a site with many great, free patterns. The pattern was a bit difficult, for a dishcloth, and I had to learn how to p2tog through the back loop…not an easy feat. The result, in my opinion, was well worth the effort. The picture does not, unfortunately, show the color. It is a soft yellow.

Papillon (Butterfly) Dishcloth

Papillon (Butterfly) Dishcloth

Believe it or not, I still have more cotton yarn. So, I’ll continue staying up very late and knitting my little heart out as it swells with pride for the valiant efforts of all of these amazingly talented human beings.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

AuburnChick Welcomes an Old Friend

Posted on August 1, 2008 by auburnchick

What is that, you might ask. Well, it is one of my books from a class I took last year.

Why is it sitting on your table, since you’ve already graduated, you continue.

Well, if you want to teach, you have to pass various exams. I’m on the quest to NOT fail the Social Sciences test. So, I pulled out this book, which was in too poor of shape to sell, and have begun studying. Social Sciences is a hodgepodge of disciplines, and one naturally melds into the other. Hence, the volume of information to cement into this Mom Brain is ginormous.

My test date is the 11th…of August…leaving only two weeks to prepare.

I am not the happiest of campers, but I know this is a necessary evil in my quest for a career change.

Despite the studying, which began in earnest last night, I still managed to pull out the knitting and take a short break.

Over on KH, I’m heading up an Olympic Dishcloth KAL, during which I plan to use up my stash of cotton yarn.

My goal is to knit one dishcloth each day of the Olympics. Lofty, I know, but what’s the fun in obtaining the prize if a little challenge isn’t involved?

One of the gals over there designed the pattern for the first dishcloth I want to make.  You can find it over on KH or here, I think. Here’s a picture of what the finished cloth looks like.

And here’s a picture of mine…in progress…

My Little Slip of a Thing is currently blocking. Here’s a picture of the inside of it. You can see where the yarn got pulled across each block.

And here’s a photo of it blocking…

Oh, and I thought I would show you pictures of the i-cord bind off…in progress…

I have to say that the finished edge is LOVELY! I’m quite pleased with how it looked…actually like I knew what I was doing!

A note about the yarn…Lamb’s Pride…

It’s really awesome to work with. In the past, I’ve only used Noro Kureyon for my felted bags. As you know, the colors are lovely, but the yarn is rough and takes a bit longer to felt. Not so with the Lamb’s Pride. It’s very soft, although it does shed quite a bit while knitting with it, but it felts so FAST! I only had to put it through one agitating cycle in my washer before it was done. So, if you use this, make sure you watch it very carefully.

Well, I’m off to work and then to study.

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Knitting the Time Away

Posted on July 29, 2008 by auburnchick

28 hours in the car. That’s how long I spent in the car this past weekend. 14 hours each way. Three soccer games…one each day. Lots of knitting time.

I took six projects with me and finished (sort of) three. Not bad, eh?

As the organizer for the West Coast Oddball Baby Blanket project, I wanted to get a few blankets started. Here’s Grand Canyon Sunset. I used Caron Simply Soft. The color is Mango (9502), and the pattern is called Purl Triangles from the book, knit & purl.

The second blanket I cast on is Purple Mountains Majesty. I used Caron Simply Soft, and the color is Violet (9908). The pattern is called Reverse Stockinette Stitch Chevrons (from the same book).

I also managed to finish knitting A Little Slip of a Thing. I used Lamb’s Pride Wool yarn, Spruce and Dynamite Blue.

While making this bag, I had to learn a few new things. One was color work. To do this, I took an online class through the Fuzzy Lamb. The classes are free right now.

What is interesting about this pattern is that you don’t cut the yarn until the end, even though you’re working with two colors. You drop one and work with the other, knitting slip stitches as you go around. Very neat, if you ask me. I took a picture of the inside of the bag, but I haven’t uploaded it yet. I’ll post it with a picture of the finished product.

When I got to the top, I had to do an I-cord bind off. Eh? Thank goodness I have a broadband card and a laptop, because I was in the car when I hit this brick wall. I quickly googled this and found clear instructions here on how to proceed. It was awkward, but I got the hang of it in no time flat.

The I-cord handle was a breeze ever since I mastered this skill a few weeks ago. It didn’t take long to knit the nine feet the pattern recommends.

I’ll probably felt this tomorrow. I can’t wait!

After all of this knitting, I also managed to knit one pattern repeat of my scarf. At this point, I started feeling a little car sick and had to put the knitting away and take a brief snooze. I woke up to find myself almost home.

Home Sweet Home.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

AuburnChick Succumbs to Temptation

Posted on July 25, 2008 by auburnchick

BRIEF INTERRUPTION…

Littlest Chick will henceforth be referred to as Rockin Rooster. Thanks, Megan, from the Stitch-It Ravelry forum, for this suggestion! We mulled over each idea very carefully and decided that this name fit the bill nicely, being something he will not outgrow as he ages.

AND NOW, BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM…

AuburnChick has hit the road again. Soccer Chick’s team is playing in a national tournament in Virginia Beach, so we loaded up the car and headed out Thursday afternoon.

Packing for this almost week-long, 13-hour each way trip proved challenging. As fellow knitters, I’m sure you can identify with the following scene.

I arrived home from taking the kids to youth group and decided to get busy preparing for the trip. What’s the first thing a knitter packs when going on a trip? Clothes? Um, no. Toiletries? Wrong-o. Of course, it’s the knitting that goes into the bag first. Clothes and other stuff go in last, and if there’s no room, my motto is that you buy them when you get to your destination.

I currently have three works in progress. This is way more than the one I usually have, but into the bag they went, along with all possibly-needed accessories and patterns.

Next, I decided to pack yarn and needles for the charity blankets I hope to cast on this week. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but I am heading up the West Coast Oddball Baby Blanket project that’s based over on KnittingHelp.com. You’ve seen the other blankets I’ve worked on. Well, wonderful Shandeh, brave leader of the entire project, decided to split the country into regions to make the project more manageable. I was asked to coordinate one region. I’m very excited about this. I created a blog for the project, found here. My region covers the states of California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and Hawaii. If you live in one of these states and want to participate, please let me know. We have a thread going over on Ravelry in case you’re not on KH, so you can stay connected there as well. Or, you don’t have to be a part of either site. Just drop me a line, and I’ll explain how the project works. It’s a fabulous way to use your talents to benefit others…without having to make a humongous time commitment to knit an entire blanket.

Within 30 minutes, I had filled up two bags with knitting supplies. My family was not amused that half of our trunk is devoted to my hobby addiction.

Now, being the techie that I am, I also cannot leave home without my gadets. Enter in my laptop, with its 17″ screen (aka a LARGE computer bag), and my new camera.

Oh, I didn’t tell you about that yet? Well, remember that my old camera was kicking the bucket. It finally quit sputtering and completely died. I just cannot be without a camera. My blog requires the frequent posting of pictures, plus I want to capture every drop of sweat that Soccer Chick works up on the field.

After much inquiring and research, I finally went to Best Buy, where I totally disregarded everything I had previously read and fell into the tech trap that frequently engulfs me the moment I step foot into that place. To be fair, I passed by the $899 cameras. There’s a line I won’t cross, and that was it. Stepping over to the cheaper aisle, I was quickly overwhelmed by all of the shiny gadgets. I was like a kid in a candy store…I wanted everything!

Timing is everything. At that very moment, Mr. Young Salesman appeared at my elbow.

“Hello, you look like you’re confused and thus willing to spend an exorbitant amount of money right now. Allow me to lead you down the path to debt.”

Yeah, that was me alright. And boy did he lead me astray. It was almost like he had chocolate in his pocket, and my sniffers knew that and followed blindly behind him.

Sure, I’ll take that expensive camera that happens to be on sale this week (of course).

4gb memory card, that’s also on sale this week? Of course. Why not. I’m gullible today.

Extra warranty? In case I drop my camera in the toilet? Sure thing! You go boy. Ring it up!

To my credit, I bought the generic camera bag.

I walked out of there the proud new owner of a Nikon Coolpix P80. It’s got 10.1 megapixels and 18x optical zoom. No longer will I have to wait until the second half of the game when Soccer Chick is on my side of the field. I can photograph ever hair of her unshaven leg from across the park, if I want. I’m sure she’ll appreciate this comment, but since she doesn’t read my blog (thinks it’s stupid, but what does she know), who cares.

Here are a few of the pictures I’ve taken so far…

My Leaf Lace Scarf…

A Little Slip of a Thing…

Pele (Soccer Chick’s dog)…

Molly…

Aubie…

This is Ziggy, Soccer Chick’s teammate’s dog…

I plan on posting more pictures from Virginia. I can’t wait! The scenery is beautiful up there, which should give me ample opportunity to play with my new toy.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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