Okay . . . here we go!
I took the oath with Stephanie, our leader, this afternoon, and borrowed this button from Carole. And so, I'm ready.
I didn't cast on until I sat down in front of the television to watch the Opening Ceremonies at 8:00. Although, for some reason, while the Olympics coverage on NBC began at 8:00, they didn't start showing the actual ceremony until 9:00. I think the program directors of the Olympics are sadists, actually. No matter what the time delay, they manage to air all the interesting stuff so late at night that I end up awake at midnight, and bleary-eyed the next morning. You'd think, what with Italy being six hours ahead of the Eastern coast of the U.S., they'd think, "Oh good. We'll start a little earlier, so people who have to go to work the next day can get some sleep." But no.
Anyway. (Shaking head to clear it.) That's not why you're here. You want to know how much knitting I got done tonight, right?
Well, here it is. The top of my sweater.
Gold ribbing around the neck. I was going to stitch that up for a solid crewneck, but I kind of like the split-neck. And it was comfortable when I tried it on, too.
And then, green and blue vertical stripes, which will blossom into some design a little later on. The blue actually looks really subtle against the green, but the flash pulls the color up quite dramatically, as (I'm sure) will direct sunlight. There won't be any more gold until the cuffs of the sleeves--it's just an accent, don't you know.
I love the feel of this yarn and the way it knits up. (Yes, Risa, very "sproingy.") And the feel of the knitted fabric is plush and lush and lovely. I can tell already that I'm going to love Karabella's Aurora.
(Which reminds me--there's a sale on full-bags of selected colors of Aurora 8 here. You know, jus tin case you're interested!)
The one thing I'm not 100% thrilled with? That little jog in the green where the center-front collar joined. There are two rows of green on one side of the join, and three on the other, and while that's not a terrible thing . . . I kind of wish there'd been some way to position that at the shoulder, but . . . I did a couple of short rows along the back, for some neck shaping, and there just wasn't any other way to do that--or that I thought to do ahead of time. Still, I like this, and am happy so far. So much so, that I've already woven in the ends (or, rather, the beginnings). So, you know, I'm committed!
And, I mentioned trying it on? How cool is that, huh? My first top-down sweater, and I love that already. The only problem? I'm now on the 24" cable, which is what the rest of the sweater (not the sleeves) will be knit on, and it doesn't fit over my head, without risking the stitches popping the point protectors off. To try it on, I had to move some of the stitches to the 16" needle . . . kind of a pain. Of course, if I had a 29" needle, I wouldn't have that problem, but . . . this is a needle size I use so seldom, it doesn't seem worth it to spend $19 or so on another needle, just for this sweater. The yarn cost enough!
Oh, speaking of that. At the point I'm at, I haven't yet finished any one skein of yarn yet. I didn't ask at the yarn shop, but I'm hoping that, if I have extra, i can return some--get some of that $$ back for, you know, OTHER yarn!
Okay--tired now! Full day of work. Walk with Chappy. Out to dinner with Mom. Two hours of knitting. Blogging . . . time for bed, so I'll be rested for more knitting tomorrow!
Game On, People!
Almost forgot--look at this beautiful Olympic sky! Taken from the parking lot of the restaurant tonight, just before sunset. Mom pointed out how pretty it looked, and, well . . . she was right! Gorgeous, huh?
Your sweater looks great so far - I'm looking forward to watching your progress :o)
Posted by: JessaLu | February 10, 2006 at 11:44 PM
Oooh - is that a coming snowstorm? It seems to be missing us in the far southwest corner of Ohio.
Your sweater is looking great. I'm on a 32" needle and I don't think I'll be able to try it on the whole way down. Not as a pullover anyway. My stitches are already a little squishy on the cable.
Posted by: Beth | February 11, 2006 at 12:27 AM
Glad you like the button. The sweater is looking great, so far!
Posted by: Carole | February 11, 2006 at 06:09 AM
I'm with you and pretty darn tired this morning. I stayed up until midnight watching the opening ceremonies myself. Your progress is amazing and that sweater is going to be downright gorgeous. I'm glad you're enjoying the sproingy yarn. It squooshes nicely doesn't it? I do think they will at least give you a store credit for any additional yarn.
I cast on 291 st last night and managed to get 9 whole rows of 1x1 rib done. Thank goodness it is a vest and I don't have to face sleeves!
Posted by: Risa | February 11, 2006 at 08:41 AM
This morning I discovered that the NBC coverage is running live on the USA network! The regular station coverage doesn't seem to be running until this afternoon!
Posted by: Nancy J | February 11, 2006 at 09:11 AM
Olympic sky, indeed! :)
Love your sweater! And you can always stitch up the split neck later if you don't like it. Or wear a pin. Although I'm not sure if the split is in the front or back or side. Of course, a pretty pin in the back is not such a great idea! ;)
I was annoyed at the blathering on until 9:00 too! Beasts!
I missed the flame, my favorite part. My eyes could not stay open one minute more!
Posted by: sandy | February 11, 2006 at 09:36 AM
Looks great! I love the colors together. It's going to be gorgeous. =)
Posted by: Bethe | February 11, 2006 at 11:06 AM
And she's off! Looks great. :)
Posted by: Chris | February 11, 2006 at 01:11 PM