Yay! First Knitting Olympics Event Completed!

Hoorah!

Yesterday I set aside the day to work on my Knitting Olympics events. Little did I know that Event #1 - Finishing my Corset Pullover - would take the entire day.



But it was worth it. My Corset Pullover fits me and it looks fab! (This mannikin is not quite the same size of me, by the way).



It has also inspired me to try and make more amazing knitted garments. I wish I'd sewn it up sooner!

The one thing remaining to do is to make a decision about the arm straps. I've put them on for the time being, but I'm not sure whether I'll keep them. I also need two extra D-rings (one for each of the arm straps)... but obviously only if I decide to keep them on.

T-minus 15...

(what does that even mean?)

Today I took receipt of one batch of newly bought stitch-markers. They aren't the ones I'd planned to use for my shawl (yeah, yeah, excuses excuses), but it means that if the second batch don't turn up sharpish then technically I have no excuse not to cast on!

And talking of technical things - it has been brought to my attention that some of my old posts are turning up in RSS readers. I have no idea why this is happening, but I'm not editing old posts right now. I will be soon though - I plan to start using the label function in blogger - so that's a head's up.

Oh, and Gods of Knitting Fate strike again. In my Start-itis post I mentioned that the Corset Pullover is languishing in my unknitted pile, despite the fact that I have the yarn for it and I even swatched (though it was so long ago I'll have to do it again). I've just found out that this week on Knitting Daily it is the week of the Corset Pullover. Think someone's trying to tell me something?

Start-itis

This weekend I may not have posted any more FO reports - but I have finished two more items! Yesterday I finally finished my Alien Illusion scarf! It's been on the needles since 2005 - so I've finally freed up my US5 Denises (I realise that they're Denises so I could just change the tips, but this is an achievement ;) ) ready for my Forest Sun shawl.

And then today I sewed up my new mittens. With the current weather, I may need them sooner rather than later!

I've noticed that I've got start-itis at the moment. I have start-itis for pretty much anything that isn't the Swallowtail Shawl knit with my Forest Sun skein. I find that I tend to do this whenever I'm gearing up to knit a major project. I did it the other year with the Corset Pullover (which is still not started). I think I'm just trying to put off the major thing, because I'm worried it'll end up all rubbish :-/

I mean, it's summer, I've just spun some delightful fibre to make a shawl... so why was I knitting mittens out of acrylic oddments?!

Last night I cast on for the Fairly-Easy Fair Isle cardigan from Stitch'n'Bitch Nation. I spent about an hour swatching and calculating, then cast on. After 5 rows, when I realised that what I'd knit so far was long enough to wrap around my body twice, I realised I may have made a teeny mistake in the figures, and decided to go to bed. This morning I recalculated, and it's looking a lot better. At least, a lot smaller.

The cardigan can be my brainless stockinette project (now I understand why people have these!), while I start on my lace shawl. Which I will do.

When the stitch markers I ordered from the US turn up.

Definitely. I'll start it then.

Honest.

I want to knit

But I can't. Sigh.

I didn't knit whilst we were in the Peak District - I read (Garth Nix's Old Kingdom Trilogy is well top) and did jigsaws. Still managed to have twinges though - I think it was possibly holding books open *rollseyes*

Then on Saturday 22nd April I knitted during Dr Who (45 minutes), then a couple of hours later I knitted during Green Wing (just over an hour, with breaks in the adverts). Then I began knitting during a Mary Renault documentary and half an hour in felt the worst thing possible: a twinge in my right arm :-0 Inner forearm, just by the elbow.

I haven't knitted since. Right arm has been OK, left arm is twinge-happy. I've hardly typed either - 'luckily' my Latin revision calls mainly for long-hand writing instead.

I went to the doctor for a repeat prescription for my anti-inflammatory gel, as I think I will run out of what I currently have before my exam. I saw a different doctor this time, and let's just say she was in a rush. I have my repeat prescription though, and she said she would put me on the list for physiotherapy.

My chiropractor has now moved on from suggesting x-rays to suggesting an MRI! If I go private it would be £200 though, and I'm not overly sure what it would achieve. I think I'd rather go for x-rays first if I do have to have any tests.

However, as well as the twinge I am now getting pain in my left elbow. The edge of the inner bone pretty much hurts constantly, as if it is under intense pressure. Occasionally I can flail my arm about just right and it will make an almighty crack, but that only relieves it for a few seconds, and most of the time the flailing doesn't work.

I want to knit because it's fun and I enjoy it. I want to finish Friday's other glove as it's his birthday in about a week. I want to finish at least one opera glove to see if it works (I'm not sure my yarn is stretchy enough). I want to finish blasted Tempting - the idea was to wear it for a wedding at the end of May, but with at least 10 rounds of 200 stitches that's not going to happen. I have some beautiful plyed merino handspun waiting to become armwarmers... And the Corset Pullover! I keep fondling my swatch...

But I can't. I really really can't. Absolutely no fibre arts (so no spinning either) until my Latin exam on Thursday 25th May. I can't risk having arms that don't work for that! I'm going to struggle as it is as my vocab knowledge is pretty poor, never mind not being able to write!

After that... Who knows.

I don't actually think anyone reads this, but if you do then I'm sorry for not posting in a while. I do have to show off some FOs'n'stuff, and I have a pic of some really cute little lambs...

Thinking positive...

Score!

I just swatched for the Corset Pullover; had to drop a needle size but I've got the gauge pretty much spot on!

The cotton is a dream to knit. It flowed like butter off the US8s, and isn't too bad off the US7s either (which is good, as that's what I have to use). It's not as stiff as the original jumper is, it's just lovely. I'm enjoying swatching! I'm now trying out the twisted rib stitch...

Oops I bought a stash...

At the weekend Mr Bee and I went back to Manchester to visit our families, as we each had sisters with birthdays.

I was planning to go to the fabric shop I always used to frequent (to buy fabric) to check out whether they had any yarn on sale. They mainly sell balls of novelty yarn, but they had one huge unit full of packs of regular yarn, and it was cheap - plus I got a student discount!

So, from top to bottom:

• 10 balls of Sirdar Nova (50% wool, 50% acrylic) in Navy - £1 per ball
• 10 balls of Sirdar Nova (50% wool, 50% acrylic) in Hot Pink - £1 per ball
• 10 balls of 'mixed fibres' (looks a bit like mohair, but probably mainly acrylic) in a magenta shade - 58p per ball

Yes, admittedly I did have to buy a lot to make the savings, but I think it is worth it, given that they worked out to less than a ball of acrylic would be. They did have a pack of beautiful bottle green 'mixed fibres', but it was a lot thicker and way scratchier than the magenta. The Nova stuff is chunky as well, which I like as it means a quick knit!

I don't have any plans for them yet, except I'm thinking of the Spider-Web Capelet from Stitch'n'Bitch Nation for the magenta.

I also went to the charity shops in the suburb between my parents' house and Mr Bee's parents' house. Found some cool jumpers to frog as well...

From the top:

• Pale blue jumper, high lambswool content, size 12-14 and not-me enough for me to definitely frog it: £2.49
• Smokey electric blue shrug (a bit like Blackberry, but sooooooo wrong), mainly acrylic with sparkles, size 12-14 so so so bad in it's current state it's definitely being taken apart: £4
• White jumper, 100% acrylic (yet still handwash only!), size 10-ish. I haven't tried it on yet, but I do like it. I might be tempted to keep it as a jumper unless I can find something nicer for it: £2.99

I think the shrug is going to become Hug from Magknits - that's by the same designer as Blackberry as well (I should email her and tell her she's fab!). I haven't made a decision about the others, but thought I should get them as they were cheap. Both blue items were originally from Primark, so they probably didn't cost much more to begin with. I'm surprised that they have a wool content and proper sleeves to be honest, but then I imagine Primark uses sweat-shop labour :( Ah well, this way I'm supporting charity shops, not horrid companies. I think if reknitting charity shop jumpers works I will try and get all my yarn from there.

I also found a cool knitting book for £2.99. The patterns in it are mostly awful (it's late seventies early eighties), but the best part is the first half is basically a stitch directory! Can't wait to try them out.

One thing I didn't buy was what would have been the best stash-bag. It was a large red hemp 'toy bag', with snail or a caterpillar on one side and a bee on the other! It also had two inside pockets, but sadly no covering flap. Unfortunately it was £12.99 - it was in a charity shop, but as a new product. I decided not to get it, but to think it over and potentially go back. I thought about it, decided I did want it, but when we went back the shop had closed. Sigh. Other branches will possibly have it, but there isn't one in this town. There is one in the next town where we sometimes go to the cinema, so maybe I'll try there. However, after having looked at my bank balance today, maybe I don't need it after all (even if it did have a bee)!

And today my order from Wingham Wool Work arrived - now I can finish my Ultramarine project! I've also bought 150g of Petrol (a beautiful deep jewel green) merino, and 300g of their cheapest sheepy stuff to continue practising with. I'll probably spin up the rest of the Ultramarine tonight - it'll be nice to actually have a completed project!

I did work on Tempting over the weekend - I've attached the sleeves and am about an inch into the yoke. The 2x2 rib is hard going though, and I did have wrist pain issues. It's being done slowly but surely though! I also finished one blue'n'pink slipper and am quite a way into the next. I need to finish those before I can get started on anything else (and I want to swatch for the Corset Pullover! I unravelled a sleeve to make yarn for it on Sunday). The good thing about my Denise kit is that I can't have too many Ws-i-P: I don't have enough connecting cords! Admittedly Tempting is using up 3, but still I need to keep my Ws-i-P down, and this is as good a reason as any.

WANT IT NOW!

The other day I came across this gorgeous creature: Interweave Knit's Corset Pullover. It is bee-youtiful. Admittedly not very corset-y, but lovely in a mediaeval way. I spent a lot of yesterday searching blogs about it, to see if I could pick up any hints and tips, especially about which yarn to use. Well, I dicovered that the actual pattern yarn is for sale on a US website - it's really cheap too (for 'proper' yarn)! Until you factor in postage... Also, as the yarn is discontinued, the remaining colours are pretty bleh.

So the question was: do I want to buy the proper yarn from America, but have it in a colour I don't really like, or do I try and find a substitute? Well, duh! So, I went back to all the blogs to see who made it in what. I noticed that Rowan's Calmer was mentioned: Rowan is British, I am in Britain. Aha! I searched online, the average price is £6 a ball, and I'd need about 6 balls. £36... it's still a lot. It's a lot when you have no income and usually buy your clothes in charity shops! If I normally shopped in TopShop then £36 would be great, but I don't.

However, it is a beautiful pattern. Hmmm.

I had a chiro appointment this morning, so I headed into town. I decided to support my LYS and see if they had the Rowan (you know, just to see. *Twitch*), and to pick up some cheapy acrylic to finish off the Alien Illusion. Now there are 3 places that sell yarn in this town. Two are general craft shops, and one is a regular yarn-only place. None of them sell any Rowan at all! It's all Sirdar and Wendy.

I did get more yarn for the scarf though - I can't match the green so I'm switching to a vibrant purple, and continuing with white. I got two small 25g balls for 49p each. I was worried I'd have to get huge 100g balls that would last for ever! I think the 25g ones will be fine.

So anyway, no Rowan. I don't seem overly upset do I? That's because I had a trawl round the charity shops, ostensibly looking for balls of yarn (ever hopeful I'll find a 10 pack of some amazing wool for 50p or something ;) Never going to happen...), when I realised I could look for jumpers.

Ta daa!!!



It's huge, a size 16, so there should certainly be enough. It's 100% cotton, like the original yarn, and the gauge it currently has (I got my tape measure out in the shop) is 21 stitches and 28 rows - not far off! It's a nice olive green as well, which will suit the pattern. It's from Marks and Spencers, so it should be good quality (there's a small amount of pilling going on, but should be fine), and it's wrong enough that I won't be tempted to wear it rather than frog it ;) Oh, and it was £3.50 :D

Of course, it may be completely impractical. I'd like to undo part of one sleeve first to swatch with, as I could always knit it back and give it back to the charity shop if necessary. First I need to wash it though...

Well, FIRST, I need to finish Tempting. That is the goal. And I can't continue with Tempting until I have finished the slipper-presents, so we're talking next week at the earliest.

I hope it works out! :)