I decided to sign up again for another Ravelympics!! Last time I made the Ripple Skirt and was happy I steamed right thru that project b/c of the summer 2008 Olympics or I would have never done it!

Now I plan to use this lovely yarn (gifted by my very nice boss from Xmas)
That is Berroco in Vintage Wool. I luv the color and long yardage on this yarn!

I have my 1st skein wound and needles warmed up ready to go!
For Rosamund
She will be fondly called Crimsonmund ;o) and entering/competing in the 'Sweaterboard Cross Event' :)

Hopefully we will have a great knitting relationship together and make it to the finish line in 17 days!

Casting on will begin tonight 9PM EST during Opening Ceremonies!! Yayayay!

Let me tell ya....this.skirt has a bounce and swing to it that puts a serious sway in my step when I wear it!! This.skirt makes me feel Phenomenal!!!

~ Project Details ~

Pattern: I LURVE LURVE LURVE this skirt!!!

I flagged it immediately when it came out last year in the Interweave Knits Spring 2007 issue.

It is Indigo Ripples Skirt by Kat Coyle and my first Interweave Knit!!

Can you believe out of all the issues that I have horded, not one of the designs ever ended up on my needles? Haha

For some reason I don't keep the "s" in the name of this pattern as it is plural, but as you can see there are definitely many ripples in it ;op

Size: Okay...so here is where a little bit of a discussion begins.

Let me first start off and state that....I have no waist....I have NO HIPS! Haha!! :oD

With that being said I knew I would be working the XS size........

However, on many notes/comments of other completed skirts it was recommended to CO for the size up so it can hang low on your waist. I did that starting out with a small size....I must of had a "senior moment" as I quickly forgot that I don't have any hips! LOL

That step was really not necessary for me and my waist was really loose on me. Thank goodness for drawstrings!!!
I immediately stopped making increase rounds and knitted a size where the stitch count was 20 stitches less than the XS size....so I call mine an XXS ;o)

Time: 17 whole days during the Beijing Summer Olympics baby!!

I got my gold!!!! An opportunity at the podium and my Ravthlete Badge :o)
Ravelympics was sooooo much fun and the best thing ever to kick me in the butt so I would actually do this project!!

Needles: My lovely Harmonies of course!! (my poor Denise tips have not seen the light of day since these beauties came into my life! Haha)

I went down two needles sizes and used a US4 as that is what I could get gauge on, and I wanted it a bit tighter too.

Cords 24" and 32"

Yarn: It was very different and great to finally use Rowan Denim
I featured the yarn here with all the gory details so be sure to click on the link if you would like to learn more about it (can you tell I am tired! lol).

Cost: $5 a ball and I used 8 of them so the grand total for this skirt was $40 bucks.
But I actually purchased 9 balls so I have an orphan over here and will have to figure out what I am going to do with it.

I could have saved $14 bucks as I discovered the fraternal twin to this yarn cheaper here after I had already ordered it....hmph. It is called Den-M-Nit and only $3.25 a ball!

What I learned: That I knew I would love knitted skirts!

This is a great 1st time skirt project for all the skeptics out there!! And it truly compliments ANY unique shape & size woman! Go and see for yourself over on Ravelry!

I honestly did not learn any new techniques on this project, but the Ravelympics made it a great challenge and served its purpose!! Haha! :o)

However, I did want to learn the overcast method in joining new yarn while you knit/weave in the ends at the same time...but I could never get the hang of the pictorial (and tried this one too).
And one of my Purl buddies tried to show me another way, but was quickly forgotten when I tried to do it on my own! Sigh

I need a video of it!!! Maybe I will pick up this technique next time :o)

Modifications: There was an IR Blog KAL that was great and really helped me out on the majority of my notes with this project!!

Also this ended up being perfect timing as there was a Anthropologie Knits IR KAL going on as well!
That was a great forum to chat back and forth with others who already just did it or was doing the skirt at the same time as me. I made fast Ravelry friends over there as the camaraderie was fab!

Okay....I am just going to make a quick 'knit list' of the modifications I made on MY skirt. It is important to understand that I did this based on MY size and MY height so it may not work for you but could be helpful when you get ready to start your skirt.
As these were questions I had during the progress of my ripple.

• Drawstring round: Did 3 knit rows instead of 2
• Increase rounds: Only did first round of increases and stopped after 14 additional sts (from 156 to 170 sts).
• Lace Pattern divisible by: 14 sts...had to decrease back down to 168 for the lace pattern to work.
• Check Errata!!
• Substitute all "sl1, K2tog, psso" for SSSK (easier/faster)
• Round 25: Did M1L instead of M1R
• Lace Rows: Only did 36 rounds (should have shorten SS area to lengthen lace a bit)
• Bind Off: Did the Stretchy BO as the other one was too tedious to me.
• Crocheted Drawstring: Yarn held doubled on 'G' hook

• Used 5 balls on the stockinette, 3 balls on lace/binding/drawstring
• Pre-wash: 17" Stockinette, 7" Lace, 24" Total skirt
• Post-wash: 14" Stockinette, 7" Lace, 21" Total skirt

Need to get some fray check for my woven ends to ensure things stay put.

Verdict: I LURVE LURVE LURVE this skirt! :oD
Not only does it look good, but it feels good on you too!

I highly recommend giving it a try and even in the fun denim yarn too!!

As I said earlier it looks good on any shape woman, and will make those hesitant about doing knitted skirts a believer!

Since I have been traumatized by the cramming in this project (stockinette-ville!) during Ravelympics...I doubt I will do it again but will so cherish mine!
Especially as it wears out more and gets super comfy like your favorite pair of blue jeans!

I am sleep deprived, have no more feeling in my left hand, fingers slightly blue,
my thumb is numb, and I have officially O.D. on SATC episodes Hahaha! :op
But I am DONE!!!as of 7:05AM EST!!!!!

Cute pics and of course project details to come some time soon......when I get some sleep! LOL

Some of you have asked me how was I coming along on my Ravelympics skirt. Thanks so much for caring or just being curious! ;o)

Well yesterday during my lunch hour I had a hiccup/trip on the race track!

I was plugging away on Row 8 of my lace section which is supposed to look like this:

But then noticed this one very weird spot: WITW is this?!?! A HOLE!!!!

Apparently I dropped some stitches along the way...I am thinking maybe where my needles were being held together while traveling in my knit bag??? Or possibly dropped a YO and didn't realize it....

Here was my attempt in fixing it, but those K3togs and YO made it hard to patch things up:Ur uh um yeah...it looks like crap!! I can't go out like that! Haha!

I had to RIP back!!! Thank goodness for lifelines!!! Don't ever hate on the dental floss! ;opSo I wasn't too upset as I wasn't that far along......but still!

Weeeeeeell after the emergency fix this treat was DEFINITELY in order!!! Venti!! (I never get that size)Back to sprinting to the finish line frantically!! huff puff huff

So forgive me if I get ghost on ya!! :o) I gotta get my gold!

*stretch*

*lunge*

*bend*

Yep that's right I am getting myself ready for the summer Ravelympics!! :oD

3 days until I cast on!!!

I will be in the Synchronized Flirty Skirts & Sock Put events with Team Charlotte Purls and WIPs Wrestling event with Team Charlotte Yarn!! YAY!!

I made sure not to try and put too much on my knitting plate, and thinking that during the 17 days of the summer olympics that this is doable!

The most important thing for me in training is getting my mind right. Whew!

I have been wanting to do my indigo ripple skirt forever! Got the yarn last July! Studied the KAL board, made all the pertinent notes on my pattern, and just for some reason got stuck.....never casted on.

Which is why I signed up for Ravelympics!

And since I am already doing Summer of Socks (S.O.S.) I figured I would throw in a pair halfway thru and do the Anastasia with my new Noro sock yarn! In fact, I will be doing it as a mini KAL with a mini group of great ladies! :o)

Getting a long awaited WIP off my needles wouldn't hurt either. My second Lillian tank (Tangee) is waiting to be seamed and get some ribbed borders on the neckline and armholes (y'all know how much I just love that! Haha). The 1st one I made is in the mail and on the way to the birthday girl; but promise I won't be mad if she doesn't wear it! Haha! Lets just say it was a labor of love ;op Haha!

OOh! You gotta check out my gurl Shemeka's Ravelympic stitchmarkers!! Go get ready!!

We are having a F.U.N. time over in the Ravelympics Group! Come on by and join us before the big opening ceremony bang on August 8th!!