I didn't participate in the Knitting Olympics this year. February was a busy month and I didn't know how much time I'd be able to devote to knitting. I've really enjoyed it in the past. Having a deadline really motivates me but unlike a Christmas deadline, I'm knitting for myself so it's a little more relaxed and enjoyable. I knit Alice Starmore's Cornwall from "Fisherman's Sweaters" for the 2008 Olympics. I was on Team Starmore Junkies and we did a WIP down. I had about 2" of ribbing done at the opening ceremonies and was able to complete it by the closing ceremonies.
This is Berroco Ultra Light, which is a wool/alpaca blend, and was knit on 3.25s. It's mostly stockinette but the yoke is fisherman's rib, which is 1/1 ribbing but you knit into the stitch below. The result fabric is squishy and warm but the gauge is about 13 rows per inch so it burns up a lot of yarn and a lot of time. It's sort of like knitting lace where you spend an entire evening knitting and only knit about 1 1/2 inches.
It was a fun and ambitious knit and I enjoyed the whole process. I wish I had been able to participate this year and have decided to do my own Knitting Olympics in April. I'm taking at least a week off and have no plans. My sock yarn runneth over and this seems like a good opportunity to make a dent in the stash. The plan is to knit 4 or more pair of socks in 16 days. I'll do some stash diving today and start swatching so I can get right to knitting when the "opening ceremonies" begin.
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