a personal best

Minutes ago I crossed the Ravelympics finish line. My event - the Bag-n-Tote Backstroke. My BYOB bag is done - knitted and ends sewn in. Phew! What colour is the medal for 82nd place, anybody know?

Okay, okay, 82nd is not exactly "owning the podium". But in a field of 432, it isn't a bad showing for my first competitive knitting event. Who knew I could start and finish a project like this in 9 short days! But more to the point, the bag looks terrific. At the outset, I got more practice at correcting my gauge. To begin the sides, I faced my fears about picking up stitches. Through the open panel I explored left- and right- leaning decreases. And then at the handles, I learned to "wrap-and-turn" my short rows.

It feels great to have done it. And I can't wait to cast on something a bit more challenging for my next project. If I keep working at it, maybe I can crack the top 50 in 2012!

the finer points

Until recently my needle collection was comprised of straight pair, circular and double pointed metal needles in various sizes. In fact, almost all were in matching red plastic sheaths from the Aero company - good quality at a sensible price. And what more could I want?

Nowadays, you can choose needles of metal, brass-tipped, plastic, hardwood or bamboo. And within knitting circles there seems to be an endless variety of opinions. At the Knit Cafe Mom and I learned to appreciate plastic dpns for socks - lighter and warmer than metal, and slightly more flexible. In my last minute preparations for the Ravelympics, I picked up bamboo circs at the Naked Sheep - and did enjoy the feel of them as I knit the bottom of the bag. And apparently, there are lace projects you don't even want to try without really fine brass-tips.

But for the openwork on the sides of my bag I'm back on my old Aero metal circs. And that's a good thing, because with yarn this thick I'd have snapped bamboo needles many k2tog's ago.

getting it right

As the sides knit up, the blue is really taking over and my concerns about the red and yellow are subsiding. I'm calmer with every round as the bag starts to look more like I imagined.

The openwork on the sides should be easy - on odd rows, *K2tog, YO, K1, YO, SSK*, repeat to end of round, and on even rows, just knit. Simple enough, right? But I keep doing it wrong! Not sure why, but I keep skipping the second YO. Yikes! If I don't mind my stitches, my rounds'll get shorter and shorter ... and the columns of openwork won't line up.

I'm gonna have to keep checking and fixing to get it right. Because with this pattern a mistake will stick out like a sore thumb. A bit of patience now will have its reward in the end.

giving in to temptation

Mom and I had been looking forward to the SpinRite tent sale in Listowel for weeks. But, although we bought bags of yarn - like Patons Classic Wool at $13 for 5 skeins - we were both a bit disappointed. Oh, there was lots to choose from. But mostly novelty yarns, some cotton, and a few yarns with small amounts of Bamboo or Cashmere fibre. 

While at SpinRite, we peeked in the factory outlet store. And didn't leave empty-handed. We couldn't resist the sock yarns, so my stash now boasts some Regia and some On Your Toes Bamboo. It'll probably come in handy when the next Sockalong is posted in a couple of weeks. At least that's what I told myself as I carried it to the cashier. Because it would've been shocking to spend that kind of money if I hadn't needed it.

not exactly how I pictured it

As a kid I was fascinated by the Consumer's Distributing catalogue. Hours were spent examining product photos to visualize the things exactly - how big, how attractive and how useful. Photos can be very deceptive, and often reality fell very far short of my imaginings.

As a knitter, I do much the same thing. Based on pattern photos I try to visualize a finished product with the textures and colours of the yarns I'm using. And sometimes the results aren't as hoped ...a terrible disappointment considering the hours invested in the project.

No final judgment yet - it's too early to tell. But, it really looks an awful lot like a rastafarian hat. And not so much like a market bag.

a good little Jedi

Among the things my sister taught me about driving, the lesson about "using the force" is one of the most memorable. With a general idea of where I want to get to, I can usually find my way by clearing my mind and driving along or turning wherever seems best. Kind of like taking a multiple choice test - go with the first answer that pops in your head.

After finishing the base of the bag, I steadied my nerves and readied myself to pick up the stitches for the sides. Without any confidence, I decided to "use the force" and just go for it. And it worked! Okay, I ended up a stitch short and had to go back a dozen or so to get that one more, but I ended up with the right number of stitches as evenly as I could have ever hoped.

Of course, the lesson about "the force" did nothing for my parallel parking. That was tedious hours of Gavin patiently instructing ... " move a bit forward ... begin to reverse slowly ... turn your wheels this way ... now straighten ... " Thanks to Gavin, that works too.

day 2 and the knitting is easy

My Ravelympics knitting began with reinforcements for the bag handles - 4 row rectangles of seed stitch folded onto themselves to create double-thickness. The weight of groceries would otherwise strain the stitches where the handles join the bag, so this'll really help.

Now I'm knitting the bag bottom. Working with small needles, a thick yarn and a tight seed stitch pattern all contribute to a nice dense fabric for the base. I'm halfway and should finish the base tomorrow morning. With very little shaping, it's easy knitting.

For the sides I'll be picking up stitches around the perimeter of the base. And this can be challenging and frustrating - any unevenness here will show in the final result. But I'm going to focus and work hard to meet this challenge. And rip out and redo as many times as I need to. It's the Ravelympics - now's the time for a personal best.