whew!

i knitted literally all weekend trying to make it, and still failed to get the gold. however, i DID finish knitting while the closing ceremonies were being televised here, which i thought was a nice parallel to casting on when the opening ceremonies were televised. i may not have walked away with a gold medal, but i sure do feel olympian about this whole thing. this is the largest thing i have ever knitted, and also the second most complex (the most complex being the beaded bodice on crumpets). i started with 7 droppped stitches on saturday morning, finished the straight rows at 2:32am, and completed the knitting at around 9pm on sunday night. i knitted all night, except for a little involuntary nap at 5am. (i fell asleep in the middle of a purl row and slept for almost two hours with the needles in my hands!) i wasn't planning to block this, but i think now that i will--i love the ridges, and i think they will get more pronounced if i block. and since i can't stop taking pictures of it, i will probably post one more after blocking. i had more yarn left than i expected, probably 60-70 yards--if i had it to do over, i would knit a couple more straight sections and use up more of the yarn. and i have to say, this yarn is a joy just to handle and it knits VERY smoothly. this is the finest gauge (and quality!) yarn i have used for anyting bigger than a hat, and i love it. it's so even, and the fabric is beautifully drapey. unraveling the stitches was no picnic, but i think it was worth it!

i am sure i will be cross-posting about this whole experience over on my blog if you're interested. and in the meatime, i have a little gallery of start-to-finish pics on flickr here.