The Oblivious One

Well true to the motivation for this blog, I am challening myself in a big way. Let's just say if I crash and burn along the way .  .  . it will be a bonfire!!!!!

First I have joined a Ravelry group, 11 Sweaters in 2011. Members of that group have committed to knitting 11 sweaters in, yes, 2011. Some of these members are about to start number 7. And 6 through 1 were not all WIPs, UFOs, or OTNs! You don't know what those mean? Learn to knit. Well I have completed one, the one in the post before this one. Thankfully the Administrator/Moderator allowed for WIPs, UFOs, and OTNs.

Okay. If that weren't a challenge enough. I eagerly "raised my hand" when it was asked who would like to test knit a sweater. I was totally oblivious to what I was getting myself into. I've only wrapped my brain around the fact that this is not your already-published, in the magazine and/or book, all-the-kinks-worked-out, ready-to-knit pattern. Well either I'm in too deep now or my pride won't let me say, sorry another time. I've purchased the yarn, ECO +. It's a bit heavier than the yarn called for but I got guage, on-the-money guage! I think I want to really stick with this because I am learning techniques I've heard of but never used before. I've never done a provisional cast on before, or a knitted in hem with or without picot edging. I am using a picot edge and it's so cute. I am familiar with charts on flat knitting, but this is the first time I had to shift my thought to follow a chart for circular knitting. No doubt there are going to be other techniques I will learn and be the better knitter for! I've had a few false/slow starts. That's good because fortunately we are doing this as a KAL and others who are moving faster are working out the kinks I will encounter, and asking the questions and getting answers for that I will no doubt ask later. So on with the challenge. Here is the link to the sweater, Samantha, I am test knitting!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91317672@N00/1463953646