Sunday 14 August 2016

Working My Way to Gold

How are you?  I hope that life is treating you well.  Have you been watching the Olympics?  I've tried to catch as many events as I can but it's a pretty packed programme so it's difficult to fit everything in.  There's been some very impressive performances, you've got to take your hat off to the dedication and hard work that all the participants have put in.

I thought about trying to have a themed knitting and crocheting event to coincide with the Olympics, but in the end I decided I just needed to get my works-in-progress progressing!  As it turns out, I'm actually doing a triathlon.  I have three projects I'm working on.

The first of my triathlon projects is a knitting one.  It's my Fair Isle cardigan.  I'm trying to get this off the needles because it's a summery cardigan and I'd like to be wearing it sooner rather than later.


It's slow going but I've reached the armholes on the body and one of the sleeves.  I need to work out my shaping of the armholes and hopefully hit the home straight soon.  I have a horrible feeling that I'm going to run out of my main colour but I'm putting that to the back of my mind at the moment and just concentrating on getting as much progress made as possible.

My second triathlon project is a crocheting one.  My Mandala Madness blanket has been hibernating for quite some time now.  I put it to one side whilst I had a sock blitz and then there was the stash busting blitz, so it has been sadly neglected.


Having picked it up again, I'm loving working on it.  At the moment it's my project of choice.  Such fun picking the colours for each round and seeing how it all comes together.  There's still quite a long way to go with this project, but it's a super way to use up my acrylic yarns, so it all helps to reduce the stash.

Finally, the third triathlon project is a crochet pattern I'm hoping to publish shortly.  It's for a colourful mandala that I designed last year.  Grace kindly tested the pattern for me  but I've been very dilatory in completing the pattern.


At the moment I'm working through the pattern again and taking round by round photos to support the pattern.  Every time the pattern has been worked, the variety of colours used creates a unique interpretation of the pattern.  It's such fun to play with the colours and see the effects produced.

All these projects will take some time to complete so there will be nothing off the needles for some time.  They will eventually make a significant dent in the stash, so that's good news.  I did finish my August socks last week.



Again these are toe up socks - firmly established as my favourite way to knit socks.  The pattern is called Fine and Dandy and you can see full details of this project on my Ravelry page, here.

So, now I'm back to my triathlon projects for the duration of the Olympics.  I hope you have a good week and I'm looking forward to picking up my gold medal shortly!

13 comments:

  1. Wow - you certainly beat me. That said I have got loads done the last two nights with all the action going on at the Olympics.

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    1. Thank you. Olympics and crafting seem to go together well.

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  2. We did manage to catch up with some of the Olympic events over the weekend, prior to that Children/visitors took priority. Three great projects, you certainly deserve a medal. Love the Mandala madness blanket, looking forward to seeing how that all comes together. Take care.

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    1. Thank you. The Mandala Madness is a fantastic pattern and I'm looking forward to making g good progress with it.

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  3. Your are such a fast crafter! It took me a couple of weeks to finish a jumper sleeve. Love the cardigan, is it Jamieson and Smith yarn that your'e using? The new yarn shop by me is stocking it and I'm visiting it next week. No stash busting here anytime soon xx

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    1. Thanks Jo. Yes, it's Jamieson and Smith yarn, one of my favourites for Fair Isle knitting. I'm jealous that your new yarn shop is selling it, I've only been able to buy it online. Although if I did have a local shop selling it, I may need restraining.

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  4. You make some amazing stuff, I especially love the fair Isle items

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  5. *Love* the colours you have put together in your Mandala Madness

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  6. Oh,my goodness! I LOVE the work you have been doing-such pretty colours! The Fair Isle knitting is gorgeous- and very daunting looking to an inept beginner knitter like me. The crochet mandalas are more in my line. They are beautiful !

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  7. You deserve a gold medal your work is lovely, I'm sure that cardigan will be off the needles in no time I hope you have enough yarn! I love the Mandala madness and toyed with making one myself but have started working on another CAL which I'm loving, I may do the mandala one later. Your mandala is beautiful the colour possibilities are endless I'm looking forward to the pattern. Enjoy the olympics it's lovely to see team GB doing so well.:) xx

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    1. Thank you Linda. There are so many lovely crochet CALs at the moment, it's tempting to join in with them all.

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