More pictures of Inspiration

I've been heckled into posting more pics (okay mom, I'm posting them!) So here you go. Here are some close ups of the completed front.



Here are the front and back








Last but not least. Here is a picture of the back, in progress, because I've had some questions regarding the stranding technique and construction. (please pardon the quality, this photo was taken with my cell phone)








I hope you enjoy these photos. I only wish I had better captured the scarf in its entirety.

Can we do it?

There is a very powerful quote from Obama's speech after the New Hampshire primaries. It is...

"When we've faced down impossible odds: Been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people... YES WE CAN!!"

I've designed a scarf around this quote for the Inauguration of President-Elect Obama. It was for a swap and I've gotten feedback requesting the pattern. What I'm offering are the charts for no charge and I'm, instead, requesting that anyone who uses this design donate what they can, either time, goods or money to a community organization or charity of your choice. This is in the spirit in which we elected Barack Obama to be President of the United States and I'd like to think that I am sparking a vein of pay it forward goodwill toward our fellow humans.

To download the charts... Right click on the desired chart and click "Save image as." This will save the chart to the hard drive as a jpg which can be printed from any image viewer.

Chugga Chugga Charts

These charts can be used most successfully with double knitting but an adventurous knitter may adapt them into stranded knitting or intarsia or some combination of the two.

I used wool-ease with an Italian tubular cast-on and then double knit 7 plain rows the caboose three repeats of the passenger car, coal car and engine and 7 more plain rows. I used a sewn cast-off to match the cast-on. It measures appx. 5" x 72" with a gauge of 5 sts per inch on size 7 needles.

Enjoy these charts but please, only use them for personal projects or gifts.

Here's the finished object!

Okay, sooo... I've started this thing and came to a screeching halt just past the start line (really? a racing analogy? oi vey). Well, I think this will be less about me chronicling my adventures of knitting while working tech support and more just a place where I can put my patterns. A lot of people have asked for some things that I have on Ravelry (ravatar bag, chutes and ladders, squiddilicious stash scenter) so I thought it'd be a good idea to make them readily available.
I'll be writing them up shortly. Huzzah!

What? Blogging? Where?

I know, I know. I said I would never succumb to the blog bug... but I did. I can't help it. I saw everyone else having such fun with it so I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Well, I've now seen what the fuss is about and really, really want to blog. More posts to follow. Must get prepared for some major blog overhaul...