The Amazing Lace: Final Challenge

Note: Right as I was uploading the pictures yesterday, my computer froze. And when it unfroze if had lost it's internet connection. Arggh!

It's been quite a summer. Kiwi, Sublime, Peachy and I have learned a lot about each other. Our final challenge was to have an unlikely model display or wear one or all of the pieces. Well, we put our heads together (literally in my case, a little more figuratively on the part of my teammates) and came up with a bear. And hey,now that we are in the vicinity of the National Zoo, why not a bear. Maybe even a panda bear!

Well, it turns out the zoo is not a big fan of letting people drape their bears (who new),not even in the name of the Amazing Lace. But then, Beary agreed to step in as a substitute model. So - here we are!

The Amazing Lace Non-Update #??

As we head towards the final challenge there is suprisingly little change. Perhaps I should follow Kaffeinated Knits and convince my knitting that it needs to show me love. But with the unpacking and more unpacking, I have heard the siren call of simple knitting, which has taken the form of a dishcloth. And okay, it has a pattern too, and it is technically longer than the stitch pattern for Sublime (who has grudgingly emerged) but I have hit a groove. Perhaps with the approaching days this will change. (Peachy and I are still in the untangling phase). Perhaps Sublime and or Peachy and I will bond as we gather together ideas for the final challenge. And Kiwi will help out with that also. We shall see.

Challenge 5 (Late): It's Everywhere

Well, with the moving and my not having scouted out the nearest free wifi yet, we missed the deadline for the penultimate Amazing Lace challenge. But Peachy and I wanted to share our entry, even if it won't be able to compete for the prize. (Sublime did not enjoy the move and is still hiding. Somewhere.)

I first experienced the "it's everywhere" phenomenon when I discovered Tetris. Having previously been primarily uninterested in video games, the experience of spending every moment not playing Tetris thinking about playing Tetris was new to me. And then, it happened. I would look at my bookshelves and start going through the pieces that would wrap around them. Ooh - I could put and L shape there, a zig zag there, or I could just stack a bunch of cubes there. And that was when I realized that maybe I needed to dial it back a little. So, while this phenomenon had not yet occurred in a knitting sphere for me, I am familiar with it. (Although the power of suggestion is strong, hmm, look at that air vent, with a dropped stitch...)

However, as you may have heard, I recently moved. So, rather than seeing lace everywhere - I see boxes everywhere. And okay, that's not entirely my imagination. But sometimes, I see things peeking.

Amid the boxes.

Wait what was that?

The Amazing Lace Update #5

Instead of packing, I'm going to tell you about the latest with me, Peachy and Sublime. Peachy and I are making great progress with our tangles - I mean issues. But we have decided to hold off knitting until we make better progress. So, Peachy joined us on our trip to Atlanta, but no new stitches were knit.

Sublime and I did make some progress. And Sublime has forgiven me for getting so wrapped up in the author discussions that I purled where I shouldn't have. (Sublime is also taking it well that I left the pattern back home. Ooops.)

The Amazing Lace Update #4

In the craziness, I missed out on challenge 4, but Sublime and Peachy have forgiven me for my navigational lapse there. So, progress - not a lot to speak of. And no pictures at the moment (I will try to remedy that tonight but no promises. As my apartment turns into packing central, what little knitting I have been doing has been on a mitred square blanket (the simplicity soothes me).
But Peachy have spent some time trying to work out our snags. And since we travel again this weekend (yes, I have a trip before I move - I create my own stress) I expect good progress next week. And yes, I have promised that Sublime will get some time on this trip - although I'm off to check the latest travel requirements to see if sublime has to get checked.

Amazing Lace Update - Take Two

Blogger ate my post!

Okay - I have just returned from a week of various travels, which accounts for the silence. Peachy has now been to Connecticut (and since we travelled - and knitted - by car and train, places in between too.) And, in case you were wondering, I was not doing the driving, so no DWKs for me. Peachy's second ball had suffered serious angst in the dying and drying process and proved to be in quite the tangle. So two lovely women we encountered in Pennsylvania took over the de-snagging process for a while and claimed to enjoy it. I never knew Peachy was such a people yarn before!

Sublime opted to stay behind for this journey. So far, there doesn't seem to be any tension over that.

Challenge 3: Disharmony

Sublime and Peachy have been feeling a bit neglected. Some very good books, some plans with friends, some tiredness, and the lack of good television, have meant my knitting pace has slowed. They knew going in that I was fickle, but I guess my great progress with Kiwi had led them to believe things would be different. And to be fair, I thought I'd be a little further along by this point too. So, Sublime and Peachy (with their various supports: resin circs, woodens circ and a stitch counter) have decided that they needed their own compositions to demonstrate their feelings. (Even though I think their themes are similar enough that they could share, but I'm trying to be supportive here.)

So, Peachy has decided to re-craft the lyrics of Genesis' "Easy Lover" into:
"Easy Knitter"
Easy Knitter
She'll tangle you up believe it
Make you bitter
Before you know it you're unraveling
She's an easy knitter
She'll start your skein but then just leave it
She's just a flitter
She's not devoted to finishing

She's the kind of girl you dream of
Dream will knit you u-up
You'd better forget it
You'll never get it
She will knit a bit and leave you
Knit you and then peeve you
Better forget it
Oh you'll regret it

No you'll never change her, so leave it, leave it
Hide your stash cause seeing is believing
It's the only way
You'll ever know

Easy knitter
She'll tangle you up believe it
Make you bitter
Before you know it you're unraveling
She's an easy knitter
She'll start your skein but then just leave it
She's just a flitter
She's not devoted to finishing

You want her to hold on to you
Knit you and to purl you
You'd better forget it
You'll never get it
For she'll say that there's no more
Till she finds a yarn store
Better forget it
Oh you'll regret it

And don't try to change her, just leave it, leave it
You're not the only skein, ooh seeing is believing
It's the only way
You'll ever know, oh(Repeat)

She's an easy knitter (she's a easy knitter)
She'll tangle you up believe it (tangle you up)
Make you bitter
Before you know it you're unraveling (you're unraveling)
She's an easy knitter
She'll start your skein but then just leave it (just leave it)
She's just a flitter
And I'm just trying to make you see (trying to make you see)

And for Sublime's piece:

"Alone"
She found me and she seemed so nice
She promised a good knit along
I thought we'd be together
But I guess that I was wrong

I saw no reason to worry
I ignored the rumors I had heard
She was so attentive at first
I thought they were jealous words

She talked me into making changes
She said that at the beach
I would not blend in well
I should let her dye me peach

That was when I should have guessed
That's how I should have known
My color turned out less
Like a peach, more a traffic cone

And then she started knitting others
But promised I was still the one
Said we needed to act like a team
And that variety could be fun

I spend more time in her purse
Than out being purled and knit
I have bonded with her keys and cell
Her gum has quite the wit

And even when we're knitting
She barely even looks
Can't remember what row we're on
Tries to knit and read a book

The Amazing Lace Non-Update

Hello! I know you haven't heard much from me (or Sublime, or Peachy) about the Amazing Lace recently. Peachy and Sublime are very excited about the latest challenge and have been busily crafting away their entries. (They say if I knitted them more, they wouldn't have so much time, but that's a long story.) So, the upshot is, we should have something shortly.

The Amazing Lace Update #4

Yes, I promised pictures of Sublime - so here we go.

Progress has slowed to what might be considered a more normal pace for someone who works full time (I knit on conference calls though, ssshhh) and still reads a lot.
I have also been taken in by the siren call of Spring Fling. Sublime has so far been okay with this splitting of my attentions. For Spring Fling I am using the TLC Cotton Plus yarn that was such a steady companion for the first project. This yarn started off as white but agreed to be the guinea pig in my yarn dying so, with the help of some so-called peach dye, is now a mix of whites, peaches and orange.

So far is has been knitting up beautifully. Further satisfying my knitting rebel spirit (who knew knitting would make me so adventurous?) I have tweaked the Spring Fling pattern a bit, using the Waterfall lace pattern, rather than the original ribbing.

The Amazing Lace Update

Well, Kiwi and I have learned a lot about each other. Our pace together has been swift - and we are hoping to maintain that pace. Kiwi has learned that while I am very good about reading directions, I don't always follow them. Right off the bat, I knit and purled the first four rows, instead of just knitting. We both agreed we liked the effect and have continued with it. Hopefully, this won't prove problematic for us in the challenges to come.

Kiwi and I also suspect that they used white yarn in the pattern picture to make it difficult to see how much bra was really showing through. Since neither Kiwi or I really like sewing, this may become a garment that is worn as a top layer, rather than just a top. We shall see.

Challenge 1: My Team

As I hinted in my knitting post (What? You found that completely oblique? Oh well), I have decided to take the plunge and participate in a knitalong. I have selected the cleverly named, The Amazing Lace.

So, Challenge 1 is to introduce the team.

First we have me. I have been knitting for over six months. I have attempted (and completed) one lace project. I went perusing through patterns and then yarn last night. I have two (or three) patterns selected but the one I am willing to declare here today is this Crest of the wave tank top. I have gone rogue and chosen this green worsted weight cotton, in part because Kiwi, as it like to be called (I keep saying it looks more like a Sage to me, but we've moved past that) was able to join me in my spontaneity. As you can see, we are in the embryonic stages, both in our relationship and in our progress. For our tools right now we have the kind assistance of a pair of circular sevens which we expect great things of. We thank everyone for their support and encouragement as we embark on this journey.