Ravelympic Gold!

(this post was started ages ago but blogger wasn't letting me upload the photos- fourth time is a charm apparently!)

Notice my new badge? I finished my ravelympic shawl! Here is the ramblings I had on my raverly project page... (note- usually ramblings on projects pages are much much shorter than this- one liners or nothing at all at times... this was special)

from Ravelry

Started: August 7th, 7am
Finished: August 16th, 4pm

Pre-Ravelympics: Holy Crap this snuck up fast! I need to start training now!!!

My goal is to use up nearly the entire skein of seasilk- however much that is. If it isn’t enough and the shawl is too small I will do the edging in Koigu probably but I don’t think that will happen. I will leave myself some room for leftover yarn since I don’t know how much to leave for the edging. My ravelympic dream will be realized if I can wear this shawl to my Grandma’s birthday party on the 23rd.

Day 1: One center repeat
Having difficulty with the pattern and spent a lot of time tinking. Finished the neck chart and one and a half of the middle chart.

Day 2: Three center repeats;147 stitches
Woke up feeling daunted by the scope of my project today. Nina (Nanaboo) is helping calm me down. Was able to finish another one and half center charts taking me to three center repeats. Am at 147 stitches. I’m worried I may run out of yarn too quickly so I’m thinking of going on a search for more seasilk but we’ll wait and see I guess.
Day 3: Four center repeats: 193 stitches
Finished the fourth center repeat and a few rows today (also did report cards so all in all a busy day). I grew so concerned I was going to run out of yarn I ran over to Birkeland after stitch n bitch and bought a skein of seasilk that is more solid coloured but is based on the same colour palette as mine, just no purple. Then I got this skein home and was reading the pattern that came with it and it said that the yarn will grow 15 to 20% after blocking so now I’m so confused. I’ll just keep knitting. And also, I have no idea where I am at with this. Am I close? Am I far? Ugh. I’m going to bed.
Day 4: Only finished 9 rows today as it was a very productive day non-knitting wise. The rows are getting longer but now that I ‘know’ the pattern it’s become easier to work on it while doing other things, which is good because the only time I did get to work on this was during coffee with a friend. Pictures tomorrow!

Day 5: 5 center pattern repeats, 235 stitches (approx-all these stitch counts are approximate cause they are quick and only done once), 104 rows

What’s interesting is that now that I can actually just knit this without concern the rows are so long. My first day I spent most of it tinking rows back and they were so short back then! :) Anyhoo, still unsure about the yarn and unsure about my progress. However I am sure I am going to kill the neighbours across the alley if they don’t shut up soon. Back to knitting, okay yeah- did a lot today and kinda decided that a) it doesn’t matter how much other people are knitting, this is about me and b) even if I don’t finish in time I’m amazed at how much I have knit on this and how I have stuck to it! I have never been so loyal and steadfast to anything in my life! Hoping to finish the sixth repeat tomorrow. Tata!

Day 6: One purl row short of completing the sixth center repeat but am so tired I am making mistakes. The picture is off the disappearing seasilk (where is it going?) since the shawl is getting so large it’s hard to take a picture of it without risking it falling off the needles.

Day 7: Six center repeats. More stitches than I’d like to count.
Finished the sixth center repeat and halfway through the seventh. No day seven picture. Was too tired to turn on camera and click.

Day 8: Seven center repeats. 295 stitches.
Finished the seventh center repeat while at coffee with friends. A small amount of the first skein remains but it is so not enough for another repeat nor the edging so I’m adding the second skein for the edging. Lots of details tomorrow as the past three days have been busy and I am tired. The end is in sight! The day eight photo is the one underneath the day seven. I wasn’t too tired to click but I was too tired to find paper and write on it.

Day 9: Finished! Seven center repeats; 325 stitches 156 rows

I wanted to start the edging last night but I was so tired I didn’t want to risk making a mistake. I woke up early for some reason this morning and started knitting and could not be stopped. I had to stop for laundry, coffee, and more laundry but I finished the edging and cast off at 4pm! The shawl has been blocked to an inch of its life and will hopefully be dry tomorrow for a photo op. I love the edging contrast colour. It’s a little small (hence the aggressive blocking) but it will be okay. Next time I will use larger needles.

So I have a confession. I’m a moron. I was so stressed out about this shawl because I thought you needed 29 repeats of the center pattern. After last weekend only getting 3 done I was freaking out because I didn’t know how I would ever get 29 done! But I kept on knitting and around Wednesday started to think… my goodness that shawl the designer made must have been huge- maybe I’ll only make mine 20 pattern repeats. And on Thursday I decided I simply had to go back to the pattern and look at the instructions again because I realized that a shawl with that many repeats would double as a queen sized bed spread. Yeah, most of you have probably already guessed… the instructions said to repeat chart 2 9 times. I am a moron. I am happy with my seven since my original goal was to use up all my seasilk and I used up even more than that!

And this last picture was taken August 23rd at my Grandma's 75th birthday party with my dear little nephew Anthony (my cousin's baby but same diff).