And They're Off...

Enchanted Knoll Farm, Superwash Sock in 'Emerald Lake' was the clear winner from my little vote. I think it was the gorgeous colour that swung it. I know it will go nicely with my hair colour and think it will really stand out from my back winter coat.

The pattern is the Ishbel scarf from Ysolda Teague's Whimsical Little Knits book. I really love her patterns and her books are always so well put together, thought out and generally nice to look at. For this pattern, which has had over eleven thousand projects made on Ravelry, she gives the option of written instructions or a chart to work from for the lace pattern. It's really nice to have the choice and so far it's been a really nice project to work on. The knitting is really flying too. I'm already on the lace pattern and I didn't even cast on until the day after the opening ceremony because I fell asleep somewhere around Cameroon parading out.

I have been putting a little more effort into my knitting as this is meant to be a personal challenge, so it has come out and about with me this weekend and I've been knitting a few rows here and there. Unfortunately this has meant a certain small person has become increasingly interested in my stitching. Consequentially I found Flo pulling the stitches off my needles yesterday morning as she shouted "I do it Mummy!" She got quite a shock when I shouted at her very loud to put it down. She obviously doesn't understand my extreme attachment to my knitting yet!

Decisions, Decisions.

From left to right we have:
Artists Palette Yarns, Sweet Feet in purples and greens
Nimi Torva in deep purples
Enchanted Knoll Farm, Superwash Sock in 'Emerald Lake'
The Natural Dye Studio, Dazzle Sock in blue
The Yarn Yard, Toddy in 'Probably Jane' (grassy green)
Artists Palette Yarns, Sweet Feet in greys and blues

Help me! I'm trying to make a decision on which yarn to use for my Ravellenic Games project and they're all just too gorgeous!

I am going to make Ishbel by Ysolda Teague which has been in my queue for a long time now and so the personal challenge of the Ravellenics seems the perfect time to get stuck into the project. The project will work with any of these yarns as I'm going to make the smaller, thicker scarf version. I just need to decide which one to go for.

If you don't know what the Ravellenics is, it's a personal challenge that knitters can take on during the 17 days of the Olympics, which this year is just down the road from when I live in Stratford! As it is all about a personal challenge you can pick any project you want, it's all about challenging yourself. The only rules are that you can only cast on once the torch is lit in the stadium and the aim is to have finished (whatever your definition of that is) by the time the flame goes out on the final day.

I'm opening the voting to you and I shall be checking back tonight to see who's the winner during my knitting group! I will then wind the yarn in preparation for the big cast on on Friday. Woo!

To cast your vote just leave a comment here and I'll tot up the votes, along with those of my knitting group tonight at about 8.30pm (GMT).

Commence the voting!

What a Difference 11 Days Make

11 days! Thats all it took to cast on, knit and sew up this beauty! And I'm unusually pleased with my sewing up which is not something I am famed for. However, putting in that extra effort to do it right really paid off and I think it looks great.

I even sewed in one of the labels my Mum had made for me at Christmas, so I'm feeling extra proud of this knitty achievement!

This swift time trial bodes well for my next adventure for the Ravellenic Games. I'll never get used to saying that!

Starr light

Look! Look! A different project!!! This is Starr by Martin Storey from the Rowan Miniature Classics book I bought at Liberty a few weeks ago. While I was there I also 'accidentally' bought this Rowan Handknit Cotton which was in the sale for just £1.90 a ball. I only wanted 4 balls to make this jumper for Flo, but the cashier informed me that they only sold them in packs of 10. What a shame, I had to buy them all!

This project was knitting up so quickly I finished the back in just a few days of knitting on the train to and from work. Then I made up most of the front during my knitting group the other night, My knitting needles were on fire! Talking of needles - look how nice these ones are! I bought them on a work trip to LA a few years ago and this is the first time I've been able to use them. PRETTY!

Then I got to the part of the pattern where it says "Place star motif". So I'm looking, looking, looking and thinking, where the hell is this star motif? Eventually I went online to find that it wasn't me descending into madness but rather Rowan that had forgotten to add the motif chart into the book. Well, it's only the main point of the jumper ay Rowan. Not like you need that essential chart in the book or anything. I got it printed off and was back on track.

The jumper might actually be finished by the Olympics! Then I get to start on my Ravellenic Games project. Yes, you read correctly - Ravellenic, not Ravelympic. Apparently the Olympics committee have decided it's illegal to use that word. Idiots.

Oh Happy Day

I took the opportunity while the Mr was out the other night to totally blitz the blanket and voila! Here is the finished article! This blanket took almost 4 months to finish, so no deadline knitting for me for quite some time I think!

I am so completely glad that it is finished and just in time for the new arrival. I celebrated with a trip down to the Southbank with the Mr and Flo who saw an enormous puddle and decided that it was perfect for splashing in. She might have ruined her trainers forever but it was worth it.

We found the gorgeous roof top garden at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and these daisies summed up my sunny mood in an otherwise dull wet day.

The garden is well worth a look, even if the weather doesn't perk up. It's full of wild flowers, little benches, sculptures, vegetable patches and probably the scariest scarecrow I've ever seen. Plus there's a bar, so what's not to like?

When we got home that night I cast on a new project and felt a real "ahhhhhhhhh" of relaxation run through me. The feel of a different fibre through my fingers, different needles in my hands and most of all the reassuring thickness of DK yarn as opposed to 3ply. Bliss.

Now the only question that remains is: Will it be a boy or a girl?

Almost there!

I have now finished the middle part of the baby blanket for my Sister in Law's imminent arrival. WOOO HOOOO!!!

My excitement/ relief is short lived though as I slog on with the never ending border. Thank the Lord I decided to leave the 2nd border out of it otherwise it would never get finished!

I showed my Sister in Law the progress on the boarder last weekend and she was visibly shocked how long it was and how much more I had to knit (about another 100cm). It's also really difficult to tell how far it will go once sewn on as it stretches like Mr Stretch Armstrong.

The baby's ETA is the end of July so I'm cutting it rather fine now but with a few more hard-core train journeys and mindless TV programmes I think I will be able to muster up the knitting time to finish this monster!