The Knitting Olympics

I got a wild hair and decided to join Stephanie Pearl McPhee’s Knitting Olympics, which apparently is separate from the Ravelympics. My goals were to finish the Gaia shrug and the Duckie Onesie. The Onesie, though an easy knit, requires embroidery, which I haven’t attempted for about 30 years, Seriously, 30 years!

I was expecting the Gaia shrug to be simple and quick, and I planned to use my lovely red and purple alpaca/silk handspun. Of course, I hit a major snag, which was that no matter how many different ways I measured, I could not get the patterns dimensions to match mine. This is a problem because I had calculated the amount of yarn I would need by following the pattern. I figured that I need to knit at least 6 more inches (66 square inches) to make a shrug that will fit me, but I don’t have that much yarn. Sigh. I realized this after I was about 4 hours into my knitting.

So plan B. I went and bought 4 skeins of gorgeous Malabrigo worsted in Intenso:

The knitting in the pic is a swatch, not the shrug.
I’m going to make this shrug (because 'shawl collar vest' is too long and boring a name,henceforth my version will be called Dropped Rib) , only with a different stitch pattern, which I‘ve wanted to knit for a long time. I expect it to take longer than my original plan, but wow, these colors vibrate with awesomeness and I’m inspired to knit this!

Naturally I completely neglected the Onesie (which I'm calling 'Just Duckie') while I was driven to figure out my shrug plan. Luckily it is small. I’m using a lovely yellow shade of Bliss Cashmerino DK, which immediately tangled hopelessly. I think I need one of those yarn socks to keep the ball intact.

That’s been my last couple of days. Happy Valentines Day, and good luck to my fellow Knitting Olympians!

Entrelac Stole #2 is Done!! Plus Mole and Handspun!

Yes- I finished the Entrelac Stole and blocked it today- YaY! Here's some pics:





I love it! It's a lot more colorful than the last one. At some point I will dig all the Noro tags out of the project bag and list all the colorways I used.

Earlier this week I made Mole for the first time. It was very yummy and a culinary adventure. I took several recipes that I found online and adapted them for the ingredients I could lay my hands on and the amount of work I was willing to do.
It was a little weird putting chocolate, tomatoes and chilies in a sauce together, but it turned out fantastic!
The mole, delicious as it is, isn't terribly photogenic, so I only have pictures of the ingredients:


I made fresh corn tortillas to go with it and I don't have to tell you what a treat that was.

I've also started swatching my alpaca, silk handspun, and it is luscious! Here's a picture (sorry it's sideways):


I feel like I've had a very creative week already, and it's only Wednesday. I wonder what else I'll do?

New projects and Old WIPS

Last week flew by in a blur of activity. I completely missed my intended blog post in the rush. That's when I realized that I can only count on having time over the weekend. So, it's been a little less than two weeks since my last post, but much is happening.
I came to the sinking realization last week that my hooded scarf was not fated to be, as evidenced by my lack of yarn, and my inability to acquire more, as I had spun it from a kettle dyed one-of-a-kind. So, I unraveled my work, and came up with these pretty pictures of curly recovered yarn in the last of the day's sunlight:

It's going to take a hot bath, then I'm going to knit it into Lee Meredith's Skoodlet.
This design uses the right amount of yarn, it's a style that I like and it's practical. YaY!I love how her designs feature innovative construction, and she's not afraid of bright colors.
I worked on my Entrlac stole, and I finally got a decent picture. Witness:

For comparison's sake, let's look at the one I took indoors:

Yuck, the color is all yellow and icky.
The stole is so pretty, and that picture is so not.
Now I'm only a few rows from done and ready to block, which is where it becomes a silky, drapey beauty.

I sewed the buttons on my Veyla mitts(Rav), which I finished knitting a few months ago:

These were knit from some of my earliest handspun, and my first merino attempt. I love them.

On top of that, I'm beginning to knit a baby onesie, for my dear, brave and beautiful friend Molly, who is about to become a mother again. I swatched some Bliss Baby Cashmerino, and it will be perfect. It's my first baby garment,
and I couldn't be more excited. I get to be an Auntie again!

Also this week I swatched some (more)lace, and I'm starting to get quite the collection of purty swatches. What should I do with all of them?

My last bit of news: I'm trying to fight off a bout of startitis. I've never had it before, so my immunity is low. So many projects are so appealing right now. Must stay focused!

Have a great week!