Finish Line

WIP Wrestlemania 2009 ends today. I am happy to report that I met all my knitting goals for this competition. Sadly, some of these items ended in the frog pond.

I completed a total of eight projects. Even though four of these projects were frogged, I still have a great sense of accomplishment. WWM09 gave me the courage to rip projects that were not working and the incentive to complete those that had been languishing.

You have already seen photos of Hey Teach and the Raindrops on Roses Bath set. Here are my latest completed projects.

Swan Lake aka Mystery Stole 3
(it's blocking so better photos will have to wait till later)


and Big V Vest


I frogged

1. Soljoy Potamomus because the yarn needed to be reconditioned after remaining partially knitted for so long.


2. Prince of Wales socks- the light sucking splitty yarn was more than my eyes could handle,


3. Firestarter socks - got tired of trying to adjust the pattern to match the gauge of the yarn, and


4. Diminishing Rib Cardigan - the yarn was just not compatible with the pattern.
   I will spare you any more photos of wiggly yarn.

Now I find myself in the curious position of having no project on the needles. My needles are all naked. Oh dear, what shall I do with myself?

Halfway There

Today is the middle of my month-long struggle against the WIP. I am happy to report that not only is half the month over but half of my WIPs have been conquered.
I originally listed 8 WIPs that I wanted to get off my needles this month. I am happy to say that as of today four of those WIPs have been beaten into submission. You have already seen Hey Teach and Firestarter. Here are my latest FOs

Another Bath Set
Raindrops on Roses

This one have been OTN since September. Not a world record for knitting speed on this project. But it is complete and ready for gift giving.

Prince of Wales Socks
FROGGED

Just cannot deal with this Black Hole light absorbing yarn. It is also splitty so the combination has made for endless hours of frustration. Time to set this yarn free.

Here is an update on the remaining 4 projects

1. Mystery Stole 3. Now 75% complete. It is moving along very nicely. I hope to have it ready to block by the weekend. I decided not to rip back and change the transition rows for two reasons. 1. I didn't want to recondition lace weight yarn. 2. I lost the pattern for the variation for the alternate transition. I am thinking that eyelet row is not as bad as I had originally thought.


2. Big V Vest. Back is complete and Left front in progress. Pretty fast knit so I might actually complete it by the deadline. I have been reserving this for TV and travel knitting


3. Potmatomus Socks. Still were they were. Haven't started working on this one yet. Worried that I will have to recondition yarn to reknit the section that I plan to rip.


4. Eggplant sweater. Still were they were. Haven't started working on this one yet. Still dreading that tubular cast off.

Princess Buttercup also completed another project. She made a scarf for her doll Amanda.


Amanda is rocking that scarf

But the sheep likes it too


When I wasn't knitting or reading for the summer reading program at the library, I have been sewing. Here is a dress I sewed for Princess Buttercup

WIPping out some photos

We are now 9 days into WIP Wrestlemania 2009 and I actually have some completed projects.
Here is Hey Teach all completed



Yarn Valley Yarns Goshen.

I gave up on Firestarter. Ripping was starting to wear out the yarn as I tried to get the pattern gauge adjusted to the yarn gauge. This yarn basically doesn't want to be socks. So I am frogging this project until I find a wrap pattern that makes the yarn happy.


Princess Buttercup has been taking part in WWM09 too. Here is her first project completed.


This is her own design. She calls it Playful Possum. She is quite fond of its prehensile tail.


I have also finished the Bath set I had OTN but I will wait until it is blocked before I post photos. Next project to conquer is Mystery Shawl 3. The mystery is why it has been on the needles for so long.

WIPing Along

Week 1 - WIP Wrestlemania update.

• Hey Teach is knitted. All it needs to be complete is the seaming on the left side and to have buttons sewn on. Should be complete and ready for photos by afternoon. I found some great buttons for it. It looks great and is going to fit nicely. I am going to be really happy with this sweater.


• Raindrops on Roses bath set is about one-third to one-half complete. It should have it off the needles in plenty of time for that bridal shower.


• Firestarter socks - Frogged. ☹ I am tired of fiddling with gauge on these socks. This lovely yarn will discover a new life as a shawl or scarf. I am thinking about Clapotis or Lace Ribbon unless someone has a better recommendation.

All other projects are patiently awaiting their turn for my attention. I should be starting back on MS3 this week.

Back and on the Attack

Wow! The month of June has flown by. July is here and I am off and running on another knitting challenge but I am getting ahead of myself.

For those who are bored beyond imagination, here is a brief recounting of the month of June at Casa de Tabitha.

We started the month with Vacation Bible School or as I like to call it Week of the Screaming Hordes. There is nothing more fun than spending a week of your life sugaring up a room full of overly excited kids. Fun, fun, fun. Took a week to recover from that torture

Then we had to celebrate a kid birthday. That required weeks of trying to decide what said kid would like for her birthday and lots of covert shopping trips. It also involved a trip to the local science museum, and her favorite restaurant then coming home and baking a cake - from scratch. Another week of recovery was required for that.

We have also been taking part in the summer reading program. Princess Buttercup and I have a private competition going to see who can read the most books during the program. She had already won 4 prizes and I won one.

The rest of the month was consumed with gardening. We have harvested summer squash, cucumbers, green beans, peas and finally tomatoes. The veggies have helped immensely on the grocery bill.

Some of my lovely green beans.

That about catches me up. July will be spent in the throes of WIP Wrestlemania 2009. This is a friendly competition to see how many WIPs we can turn into FOs by the end of the month. I have decided to try for the Piledriver Event in which you attempt to complete every project that you have on the needles. Fortunately for me, I had already reduced the WIP count a bit but here are the projects that I am attempting to complete in July.

• First up and Oldie but a Goodie
  Soljoy Pomatomus
  
  Cast on in March of 2007 hangs head in shame. I got to the foot on the first sock when I realized that I didn't have enough yarn to complete the pair. It got pushed to the back burner while I decided how to remedy the lack of yarn. I have decided to rip it back and convert it into fingerless mitts.


• Next oldest UFO is this lovely lace
  Mystery Stole 3 aka Swan Lake
  
  Cast on in July of 2007, this project had a bumpy beginning but moved along quite nicely until I got to the end of it. I was never happy with the look of that eyelet row that connects the main shawl with the wing at the end. Fear of ripping lace has kept me from ripping back to that eyelet row to reknit the eyelet row or substitute a different transition. But I have the courage now. I am going to fix this baby or frog it.


• Another Oldie
  Prince of Wales Socks aka The Neverending Sock
  
  This pair started life as a pair of Christmas socks for my hubby. I messed up the pattern and had to rip. They were reknitted as Earl Grey but the light-sucking black yarn and I are just not mixing well. These babies are destined for the frog pond. Sorry honey. I will knit you a pair in another color.


• The more recent WIPs
  Firestarter Socks
  
  Outrageously lovely yarn but I am having trouble getting the correct gauge for the pattern. The designer used heavier yarn than this Schaefer Anne. I have ripped and reknit twice and I still don't have the gauge right. This yarn may find a new life as a scarf or wrap. Clapotis, perhaps.


• 
  Raindrops on Roses bath set
  
  I started a couple of these for myself back in September but I made a mistake in one of them and had to rip and I let the ecru set fall by the wayside. It will make a great gift for the bridal shower that I have to attend in a few weeks. Better get knitting.


• Yet another WIP
  Eggplant Diminishing Rib Cardi
  
  No photo of this one. Cast on in January 2009. The project was moving along nicely until I got to the bind off. The tubular bind off was messing with my mind so this project has to spend some time in the time out chair.
  


• Proof that I am a Cast-on Monster
  Hey Teach
  
  This one was cast on in May but with the hubbub in June it got neglected. I plan to be wearing this very soon.


• And last but not least
  Big V Vest
  
  I only just cast this one on so if I don't get this completed in July, I won't really consider myself a failure. But it would be nice to be able to wear it this summer. If I don't complete it, this will be my first project for August.

There you have it. My incredibly ambitious WIP list for July. Think I can do it???
Well I am ready to rumble.

Grrrrrrr!