Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Alexander's Birthday

OK: Games ’08

For the first time I can remember, both knitting categories are attractive. They are: “Knitted slippers” and “Sweater with motif”.

There was a wonderful slipper pattern in VK once, and, astonishingly, I have kept a note of where it was: Turkish slippers in Winter 98-99. I haven’t looked at them yet – I just found the reference in my electronic Filofax (Lotus Organizer). My husband is still asleep in the room with the stack of VK’s.

One of the most successful sweaters I ever knit was VK’s dinosaur sweater, Holiday ’87, for Thomas-the-Elder. I hit it lucky with yarn, Jaeger Spiralspun I think, and Rachel was able to hand the sweater down through subsequent children where it continued to excite admiration.

But that has more than one motif, and the rubric in the Games programme is clearly in the singular. I may do it anyway, unless someone comes up with a better idea.

The moral is, keep notes. I thought I would be days hunting for those patterns. I’ve just looked up “Turkish slippers” in Ravelry. There are some nice ones, but nothing as good as I remember the VK pattern to be.

Gansey

Barring disaster, I will finish a skein of yarn today – the second of the three designated for this sleeve. In length, I am only just beyond half-way.

I have already decreased 35% of the original sleeve stitches, and of course the decreases continue. The second skein contributed about 8” to the desired 25” total – obviously the third will have to do better, and obviously it will. The arithmetic is beyond me; I’ll just have to plough on. The difficulty is that the final seven inches are not-to-be-changed: an inch of separator-band, three inches of plain st st, three inches of cuff. So if there isn’t enough yarn, fairly serious frogging looms.

Maybe I’d better stop right now and follow your advice, Tamar: on to the neck ribbing, and see what's left of the skein designated for that.

Comment

Shandy, I was desperately touched by your comment yesterday, and moved to write an essay on the Philosophy of Blogging. But I’ve left it too late, and must get on with Wednesday. Tomorrow, I hope.

6 comments:

  1. Hi, Jean

    I mostly lurk but I after reading Shandy's comment and remembering something I heard this morning, it seem like I ought to de-lurk more often if I'm enjoying a blog. (unless it routinely gets hundreds of comments) The statement I heard this morning was in relation to a fundraiser that needed 559 more donations in the next hour. The commentator said, "so if you think it will happen without you, you're wrong." Decent life philosophy.

    I'm curious about those turkish slippers. Has the Ugg boot craze hit your shores? There was a felted pattern in IK a few years back that looked like fun. but I can't remember enough specifics to know if it would suit.

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  2. I read your blog every day, Jean, and it makes my day... I'm not a very good commenter either. I'm sorry about that.
    I always look forward to seeing your progress on the Gansey... and before that, the Princess Shawl.

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  3. You mention the Games in '08. Are you thinking something like the Knitting Olympics? I don't recall reading about that before and am confused. Please elaborate.

    Very lovely shawl.

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  4. Anonymous8:53 PM

    Is there someone involved with the Games competition that you could ask for a clarification of the rules? Sometimes people are unnecessarily terse. Would it make a difference if the "sweater with motif" had the same motif repeated?

    Sometimes I comment, mostly I don't because I'm trying to make only useful comments. I urge people to check out Shandy's blog. There are some good posts there.

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  5. If we had summer games where I lived, for the sweater with motif, I'd knit Franklin's little Democrat sweater! Most apropos with the gansey. :-)

    Commentary on all the news programs/ Sunday morning political programs are in overdrive on debating strongest campaign, it is over for Hillary, etc. Conventional wisdom here seems to believe that Hillary must win both Texas and Ohio to remain in the race. Latest polls seem to show Obama taking Texas. I can't watch this stuff without thinking of you and what opinions you would have on viewing it all.

    Ralph Nader announcing his presidential campaign on Meet The Press this past Sunday has barely caused a ripple.

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  6. Anonymous10:04 PM

    So far, I don't comment on accounts that require that I have a Blogger or Google account. I don't comment anonymously, but I don't have or want to sign up for an account just so I can leave a comment.

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