Day Sixteen

Finished, finally! I cast off the second sock during the closing ceremony rebroadcast, so I guess that almost counts! I cut the amount of ribbing down to save time because I thought it would look better with one inch rather than two, and I'm pleased with the result. I'll block them properly on the weekend. My SnB girls want me to bring them along tomorrow to show them off :)

Well done to everyone who finished, and to everyone who took part!

Sorry I haven't been around much, my life has been taking a couple of interesting turns and unfortunately knitting and blogging have both sort of fallen by the wayside. I've really enjoyed this experience though and watching everyone's progress, and I love that I've found a few new blogs to read!

Even though the Olympics are over, I'd love to see everyone post their finished objects up here when they do finish (for me that might be a while away, I think I need some instant gratification projects right now).

Anyway, thanks guys!

so close...

...yet so far! I stayed up til after midnight last night trying to get my socks done, my elbow was aching, my back was sore and the stitches were blurring in front of my eyes! There was only about another hour's work to do on them, but I forced myself to go to bed before I finished the final rib band - it's first day of semester today, so I needed to get at least some sleep. So a bit disappointing, but nevertheless I'm pretty proud of what I was able to achieve, and they'll be finished off tonight easily enough.

Hello - the mckiwi has finished too

Hi Everyone
I have finished my project (and changed my blog to typepad so now I am http://knitonlybutalso.typepad.com/my_weblog/ ), this means I have to get back to doing household things.... and wait for warm (?) Scottish weather to wear it.
Congrats to everyone out there.

Yaay!! It's a gold :-)

I finished my scarf yesterday while listening to a tale of woe from a young friend of ours. I am very sorry sbout their situation, but thrilled to have finished with a day and a bit in hand.

When I rebuilt the pattern I used the Cascading Leaves lace panel pattern from the 2nd Harmony Guide to Knitting stitches, and put a 4 stitch lace band up each side. I filled in the gaps with stocking stitch, but a funny thing has happened: it folds along the reverse stocking stitch on each side of the cascading leaves. I have now used the same pattern combination but with garter stitch instead of stocking stitch, for an Olympic dishcloth which I knitted in sunshine yellow Cotton Fields: an Olympic Gold Cloth ;-).

What a fantastic feeling to have finished this, but also to have participated in a truly international event from the relative comfort of my own home, lol.

Congratulations to everyone who's finished, and a big cheer for those still knitting: you can do it!!

Day Fifteen

Racing! I've done the heel, now it's just the hard yards of the leg and then the cuffs for both socks. Doubt whether I'll have time to block them before closing, but fingers crossed, I'll manage to get them knitted at least tonight!

It is finished!!!

I cast off my scarf last night. I am really pleased with the way it looks. Pictures of the finished object are up on my blog. I haven't blocked it, just left it sitting around, to enjoy looking at it. Now I've started putting together some squares for a baby blanket for some one. Let's hope I can stick with this project, and not get too sidetracked.
Charmaine

Day Thirteen/Fourteen

Didn't take a picture yesterday because I was so tired on Thursday (it's the start of semester at work, so it's incredibly hectic and I feel like a wrung-out sponge by the end of the day) I only got a few rows done. Last night I finished the foot and started on the shaping for the heel, but I'm really going to be up against the wire time-wise - should be able to do a fair bit tonight so I hope I'll be able to finish in time. That'll teach me for being cocky and complacent!

I should finish tomorrow

I'm hoping I will be able to cast off on my scarf tomorrow. Maybe while I watch the Super14 game. I'm on to the fourth ball, and really don't think I will need another ball. Me thinks it will be long enough. I'll have to get a picture taken, and then get it up onto my blog.
Charmaine

A bronze for me!!

Hi all,

I think it will be a bronze for me rather than a gold! I have done over 1/4 of the strips to weave. 4 inches more than above photo shows. However with all the sewing together even if I get the things knitted it will be a couple of days to sew up. Ah well it has been fun taking part. I will endeavour to get them knitted in time.

As you can see I am shaping them with short rows so they curve allowing me to be able to weave them under and over the body strips off the cape. This does mean alot of knitting tho!!

A dratted headcold has slowed me up a little. But I must admit to getting sidetracked a little today with the yarn for the next project!!

Knit on >^..^<

Day Twelve

About halfway through the foot so far. The stocking stitch underside looks so much better on this one, as I've been moving the stitches around to avoid ladders. Part of me wants to redo the other sock now, but at this point in the Olympics, it ain't going to happen!

Day Eleven

Terrible picture, I know, but I've just started the patterning of the foot for the second sock. I just hope I have enough time to finish knitting and blocking them before the flame goes out!

I'm in for the Gold!!!

I am on the home strait for my scarf, and am going for Gold all the way to the finish line!!! lol I'm onto the 3rd ball, and will probably only need one more, and then we are good to go - or finish - as the case may be. I am so pleased with the way it looks. This is a very doable - is that a proper word? - pattern, and one I definitely intend to do again. Only, not as a scarf, as a blanket.
Charmaine
Doing the happy dance in hot, hot, hot, Blenheim

Day Nine/Ten

I've now finished the first sock up to the point where I need to do the ribbing for the cuff, so I've started on the next one. I've just about completed the toe, but this morning the light was too bad to take a decent picture so you'll just have to take my word for it ;)

Plodding along...

Like you, Sarah, I can't say I'm exactly leading the field on my Olympic Knitting.

I started with great enthusiasm on the opening day (didn't you love the costumes?) only to discover that my brain would not process the Leisel Scarf stitch pattern no matter how I tried. So I whinged a bit then tried another stitch pattern in the centre of my poor scarf.

Did I mention I have started this yarn 4 times now??

It and I tottered along till last Thursday when I said to my bestest knitting friend, "What I really wanted was..." and then decided to make it happen. My scarf is now Donna's Olympic Gold Scarf (I hope!!) and I am on the downhill side, having joined in ball 2 of 2 last night while watching Femme Fatale in protest at there being no Olympics on at 10.30pm (my knitting/wind down time)

What a strange movie that was, but quite fascinating...

Anyway, off to get further down the slope before I have to go sleep some more...

Yay, Team Kiwi, we can do it!!

So I'm definitely out of the medal running. I'm the Jamaican bobsled team, the New Zealand curling team, the Michelle Kwan of the knit Olympics.

I've decided I'm just going to aim to have the front of Orangina done by the end. There are just too many other things going on for me to commit to more. I'll post a progress pic tomorrow, if I don't please poke me!

Day Eight

I didn't take a photo yesterday because I only managed to get about half an inch done on Friday night, but I completed about 4 inches in pattern yesterday despite a handicap (migraine, ugh!) Feeling a lot better today, and I should be able to finish up to 6 inches on the leg, then I'm going to move the stitches onto a circular needle, rewind the ball and start on the second sock. I found that the actual plain leg bit is pretty boring to knit - even though the shaping and stuff is tricky, at least it's interesting.

Day Six

Only got half an inch or so done on my sock last night :( Stupid real life, getting in the way of my knitting! Never mind, I hopefully will get a chance to do some tonight.

Nearly there! Part one that is:)

Hi,

Great I have now worked out how to post pictures much easier. Will have to upgrade at home!

The cape is now only 3-4 inches from finishing. Oh yes, did I say I was only planning an elbow length one. Not that mad!

Once it is long enough will knit the dark blue bottom border and then hold sitches , incase I want to alter later then start knitting the strips to weave across.

I am pleased with the progress altho seems slow at the moment. But then I am up to 190 stitches around now. Great to read of others progress and to see all the sites and pics.

Knit on all!!

Day Five

Now, to the untrained eye it may look as though I made very little progress yesterday, but I actually did quite a lot of knitting. Didn't get as much done as I'd have liked at SnB, as I was too busy eating chips and talking! Halfway through I noticed that at the base of the heel there was a large hole, I don't think I'd dropped stitch but it looked as if I might have stretched it too much or missed a pickup or something. I was told by the others not to worry about it, that I could stitch it up later, but it was really bugging me - I want to knit these socks properly, and I knew I must have done something wrong back at the beginning. So I ended up ripping nearly all the heel out *sob* But it was worth it - second time around, and it looks so much better. And I'm just glad it wasn't a hole in the toe at this point ;) I've just started the first row of the leg so now it's just pattern ad nauseum until the cuff!

A personal invite! :)

Hi all.

I thought it was about time I gave an update of my Knitting Olympic project. I am now nearly 8 inches done on the cape.

I invite you to my site to check out the picture as I have had trouble posting it here. Now at work it seems easier must up grade internet explorer at home.

The photo is definitely brighter than the "real" thing. I have been enjoy the buzz of knitting and watching the Olympics knowing that 4,000 odd others are as well!

Also good to know that I am not the only "crazy" kiwi! This blogging is as addictive as the knitting. Although I must admit it has been quieter lately. All this knitting I guess.:)

I did feel sorry for the Chinese ice skater last night!! Ouch!! So pleased she still managed to get silver, she deserved it.

Well better do some work I suppose. Break over! Would rather be knitting tho!

Knit on >^..^<

Day Four

Couldn't get the heel bit to lie flat for the photo, but it's looking decidedly sock-shaped now :) Tonight is SnB, so I should hopefully get the rest of the heel done and start on the leg. I thought I'd do about three inches of leg, then start the next sock, so I can keep them even in case the yarn runs out (I'm pretty sure I have enough for two, but just to be on the safe side...)

Is it really day four already?

Four days, and....

four rows.

Oh dear.

Day Three

I started the increasing for the heel last night. It's getting a bit too complicated to bring to work (I knit in the lunchroom during teabreaks) so I've left it at home today. Sarah's tip about moving the stitches around on the dpns seems to be helping with the laddering - thanks for that, S! I'll adjust any remaining ladders at the end.

Did anyone catch the downhill speed skiing last night? It was really exciting when the French guy won!

Tonight will be heel creation 101 for me - wish me luck!

Hi all , thanks for inviting me along

I am a knitter from Porirua in Wellington. I have been knitting since I was about 5 and for many years was into lace knitting in a big way.

At the moment I am into knitting and weaving , together that is.

I am excited about the knitting olympics but am only new to blogging. In fact created a blog to take part in the KO.

So I am still learning the ins and outs of posting, photos, links etc. So you will have to bear with me a bit.

But knitting now I love. I really enjoy new techniques and extending myself in new directions. I must admit to being a bit of a rebel as I very rarely knit from a pattern and if I do I tend to change it. I find it great that something I have done for years is now a really cool thing!

I have knitted in public for years and used to get ribbed for it a lot!! Now I hope , with the internets help we can "knit the world together"! :)

Anyway better not "rabbit" on, I am meant to be at work!

So once again thanks for the invite and knit on!! I will be with you in spirit until I get home and can join in. Must admit to a couple of rows at lunch!!

>^..^<

Go Team Kiwi!

The team just keeps getting bigger - welcome to new members and about-to-be new members! What would be really cool is if we could match the numbers on the NZ Olympic team.

If you've just come here and want to join, please send me an email at sarah.e.moore@gmail.com (thank goodness gmail has good spam filters!)

Also let me know how you found us - I'm curious!

As for my own Olympic efforts, let's just say I haven't been the fastest off the starting block... Perhaps I shouldn't have chosen to knit Orangina in "frog" green! Attempt # 3 starts tonight.

Day Two

Managed to get a fair bit done on the foot during the evening, and should be on track to start the increasing for the heel this afternoon. The pattern is coming along nicely and I haven't had to do any ripping due to stuff-ups (knock on wood!) I'm still getting the little "rivers" of loose stitches between the needles though - I've tried to take up as much slack as possible as I go from needle to needle, but they're still loose. Any suggestions as to what I should do to avoid this happening?

End of play, day one

Well, after my initial false start (where I misread Yarn Harlot's instructions and thought I'd cast on too early, so ripped out two hours' work - that's what happens when you don't get enough sleep the night before!) things came along nicely - I realised when I was redoing the toe that I'd only done 7 rows instead of 8 first time around, so I was pleased to pick that up. This is a shot of the completed toe just after the ceremony had finished.



Had to rip out a couple of times during the evening because a) I'd done one too many increase rows and had too many stitches, I forgot to count them before I started on the foot, and b) wasn't paying attention and did an extra row of knit between rib rows, only realising when the next section of knit looked smaller, d'oh! So I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped. Still, I'm going to do an hour or so now, and I'll get about 4 hours done tonight, so hopefully should get the foot finished today. Next weekend I have two Bookcrossing events to go to on Friday and Saturday nights, so I want to get as much done this week as I can.

I think something's not quite right with Orangina... it's annoying but since I got off to a late start I really don't want to rip! I think I'll push on and hope for the best. It's really not a hard lace pattern so I can't imagine why it's not turning out quite right.

wheee!

On your marks...

get set...

(what am I doing up at this time on a Saturday morning?!)

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been around much, expect me back on board by tomorrow night though.

I'm slightly worried because I've only knit about an inch on a hat that has to be done by Saturday night, which means I have to finish it tomorrow so I can get it out of the way before the Olympics! I'm also a little worried the hat will be too small and I'll figure this out after about 5 inches or so... so I might get a bit of a late start on Saturday, but I hope not! I wish I could take my knitting into arbitration with me!

How scheduled are people getting about their knitting? I haven't made a schedule yet but I think I'll try to get the first side done in a week, fingers crossed.

We've added some new members, with more on the way, so welcome if you've just joined! Please post and say something about yourself and what you're knitting. Also encourage all of your friends to join! I'd love to see some first-time knitters making it their Olympic goal to learn to knit, even if it's just a dishcloth.

good press

Someone on YarnHarlot posted a link to a newspaper article about the Knitting Olympics: currently 3300 participants and counting!

I think what is making me so excited about this is that we're all in it together and we're all pushing ourselves. Recently, I've felt disillusioned about the "real" Olympics, because it seems that big money sponsorship, politics and no-holds-barred competition has extinguished a lot of the inspirational spirit of the Games. To me, it should be individuals pushing themselves to achieve their very best, supporting their teammates, respecting their competition, and taking pride in their achievements on behalf of their country's team. Of course, in the Knitting Olympics, our competition is not other knitters: we are competing against time, the intricacies of pattern and stitch, and our own experience and skill levels.

I know that when I was initially thinking about taking part, I was worried about upcoming work stresses (the busiest time of my working year is over the next month or so) interfering with my ability to finish. The Olympic Creed states: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." We've set ourselves a goal, and we'll try our best to attain that goal. If life gets in the way and we're forced to abandon the mission for one reason or another, we haven't failed as long as we've given it 100% while we could. The only failure is if we give up without giving it a go.

Hello, I'm glad to be here!

Thank you Sarah, for the invitation, and I have passed the word along to my knitting buddy, so she may turn up soon too.

She say's she's going to do a scarf, as am I. I have some wonderful soft plummy purply winey red umm... yes, that colour, acrylic (eeek, I know, but there's a reason) to make a scarf for work. It needs to be dark enough to wear for a week, and to be able to be washed and quickly dried each weekend, both of which this will be able to do.

My planned pattern is for the Liesel Lace Scarf from Yummyarns: http://yummyyarn.indus3ous.com/patterns/MJG_Liesel.pdf

I know this isn't a big challenge, but I'm not a very fast knitter, and I work fulltime plus travelling time etc, so I figure if I finish early, I'll just enter another event, right?

training exercises

(First, my apologies for the crummy photos - my digital camera takes really bad close-ups and night shots!)

My beautiful soft merino wool arrived on Friday so I set aside some time on the weekend to get the feel of it and my new dpns through knitting up a gauge swatch like a good person.








Here is the hank all balled up and ready to start (don't know why it looks so blue in this shot.)










Here is my swatch after I finished it last night - you can't really see it very well, but I love the way the pattern comes out, subtle but neat. The needles are a dream to use. I was a bit worried about the small size, but they're really smooth, and the length is just right. If these socks turn out okay it's going to be really hard to give them up!



And finally an awful shot of the blocked swatch. It's slightly out but nothing blocking the hell of it won't fix ;) The yarn was so deliciously soft to wash, buttery like silk.

Now I can't wait to start - coverage of the opening ceremony starts at 7:45am on Saturday!

Hi all!

This is Lhizz, aka octopusgrrl, and I'm getting excited about starting the Knitting Olympics next weekend (eeep!) I've chosen to challenge myself by starting my first pair of socks, which will probably be these Roman Rib socks from Utiku Merino 4ply baby yarn in Bottle - my yarn arrived yesterday and it looks like it's going to be gorgeously soft to work with. I'm planning to knit up a swatch of it this weekend for gauge.

I used to knit a lot when I was in my mid-to-late teens but got bitten by the crochet bug and didn't pick up needles again until the middle of last year. Now I swap between crochet and knitting projects, but I'm much more enthusiastic about knitting at the moment. It's a learning curve for me: with crochet I usually freeform when creating something new, but knitting is much more reliant on pattern instructions, so I've been training myself to concentrate in that way, and I'm also thinking more about what suits which type of yarn, how the finished fabric will sit or fall, etc. I feel like 2006 is going to be a very ambitious year for me, craftwise.

Now I need to go finish some more outstanding projects that I need to complete before the Opening Ceremony!

Me!

I'm Sarah, and I will be making Orangina. I'm not sure how much of a challenge it will be, really. I haven't made much since I started knitting Continental, but I know that has sped me up a bit. The horrid metal needles I am using for Orangina will unfortunately slow me down a bit too.

I will be using a beautiful kelly green soft-as-soft baby cotton. So far I have done a little bit of training - just a swatch, which came out ok!

Right now I'm starting on a couple of in-between projects to fill the time. But really, it's all about the Olympics, baby.

Next task: see if I can get my tv tuned in so I can actually watch the Olympics while I knit! I think the aerial on the roof is stuffed.

Ready, set...

Welcome to the official Team Kiwi blog! Team Kiwi is the New Zealand team in the 2006 Knit Olympics. For more details, check out the entry in Yarn Harlot's blog that started it all. A list of all participants and the rules can be found here; email the Yarn Harlot if you want to join and then email me if you want to join Team Kiwi! I'm a complete Blogger novice though so please bear with me as I figure this stuff out...