Monday, February 27, 2006

Post-Olympic Wrap Up

Thank you all so much for the nice comments you left about my Olympic Socks. I think it was my most commented post yet! I enjoyed hearing all of the visualizations you were having . . . .confetti and fan-fare, Olympic podiums and the national anthem. I was most inspired by Sonya, who said "I'm digging Julie Mancuso's tiara and I think it's something we knitters should consider adopting". I agree with that idea 100%!!! All of us "crazy knitter" with our tiaras and pointy sticks!! With that in mind, I sat for my post-Olympic photo shoot yesterday.




Two At Once, Toe-Up Socks
Yarn: Knit Picks Parade in Checkers
Cast On: February 11, 2006
Completed: February 25, 2006



The Post-Olympic recap will now be scored using the old ISU 6.0 scoring system.

Pattern: 3.5 While I am ultimately happy with the finished socks and found the pattern easy to follow, it was not my favorite. I dislike the funny toe. The afterthought heel was fairly easy to do, but trying on the sock while knitting was hindered by the fact that the heel was not yet there. It also needed strategic pick up of extra stitches to avoid holes. Oh yeah, and I found an error in the pattern too. I should probably tell Knit Picks about it, huh?

Yarn: 5.4 The yarn is a great bargain for the price, and makes a thick warm pair of socks. I did find it a bit splitty, but it wasn't too bad. I loved the colors and the way the pattern turned out.

Socks on Two Circs: 6.0 Yeah, baby!!! I LOVED knitting my socks on two circular needles. I will be doing a lot of this in the future!!

Inox Needles: 6.0 I tried these needles for the first time because the LYS didn't have Addis in the size I needed. I was kind of skeptical, but these things were awesome. The join never gave me a single problem. The tips were nice and sharp. And they only cost $6 each!!! I spent less for the pair than it would have cost me for one Addi!

Toe-Up Socks: 5.6 The thing I liked most about toe-up socks was the freedom to knit the cuff as long as possible. With cuff down, I find myself unsure of how long I can make the cuff without running out of yarn in the foot. (I guess that's because I'm still a beginner sock knitter??)

Two at Once Socks: 2.7 It did get easier in the Long Program (when I reached the cuff), but I just wasn't fond of knitting them both at once. Although I appreciated being able to see if my stripes were lining up properly. I guess I will do two at once again, but not any time soon.

Olympic Experience: 5.8 I'm really glad I joined, because I would have thrown in the towel a lot sooner on the two at once thing had I not had my Olympic Oath to uphold. However, the pressure I put on myself to get these things knit was not always enjoyable, nor was the feeling that I shouldn't be working on any other project besides this one. But I have to say, the pride I felt when I actually accomplished the socks was the best. I picked this project expecting it would be too hard for me, but I would use it as a learning experience. So earning my gold medal is a huge boost to my knitterly confidence.

8 comments:

Cathy said...

Great Pic's - great rundown of your experience! I too like the Inox and I was surprised, I guess I just figured with all the talk about Addis that nothing else would be good enough! lol who knew! Hope you had a fun celebration - can't wait to see what you come up with next :)

chris said...

I love the sparkly tiara, too! ;-) I kept checking back today to see if you'd posted your Olympic wrap-up yet...I love your 6.0 scoring system - too funny! I really like my Inox needles, too. And you're right, they're so much cheaper! I actually prefer the Inox tips to Addi tips; I like the sharper tips. You did such an awesome job on your socks!! Heidi's going to love them! Congratulations, again on your gold- you certainly earned it!! Take care, Karen! :-)

Sonya said...

Wahoo! I love your tiara pictures! I gotta get one before the next Knitting Olympics. Nobody will mess with a woman wearing a tiara and wielding pointy sticks. We have a patron at my library that regularly wears a tiara with cowboy boots and mini skirts. *yikes*

I'm going to try the INOX needles. I love the Addis, but sometimes I need a pointier point.

Anonymous said...

Nice tiara!

knitannie said...

Well done girl, you got the GOLD. I really enjoyed the Olympic experience too. There is a thing called the Commonwealth Games coming up, so some of us that are part of Commonwealth nations might be recreating the experience. Feel free to debunk to Team Australia for that one. We'd love to have you!

Unknown said...

Love the socks! I am going to need a tiara...it looks great!

Olga said...

i love those pix! you are super cute. and i'm digging the tiara...i think i'll start wearing mine, like, all the time. :-) i also second the motion about inox. love the feeling, love the price.

Ragan said...

Your socks came out great!!!

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comment!!