Failure

Polite people would use a different word.
But let's be honest:

I failed.

My Ravelympics goal, which I knew was lofty and difficult and challenging (but that was the point); well, I failed at it. I set out to spin and knit a sweater in 17 days and I didn't accomplish that.

And that is fantastic.

The risk of failure incites action.

Without this challenge, I would have never begun. I have been talking about knitting a sweater from my handspun for months but without this challenge, it would still just be a dream.
Not only did I commit the goal, I worked hard towards it; spinning 400 yards of beautiful yarn, swatching, designing and knitting half of a sweater in 17 days!

The risk of failure creates commitment
The feeling of true commitment to something I really want feels great! By focusing all my knitting energy on one project, I've accomplished a lot, reminded myself what I'm capable of and started creating a sweater I am SO happy with.
And that was the point: to create a garment that I'm proud of, that fits well and that feels incredible. The timeline was just a little push to do it faster and with more focus.

Failing leads to success.
Failure in the Ravelympics isn't failing at knitting and spinning. It's failing at one goal. The overall goal is (still) to knit and spin an entire (wearable) sweater and that is still well within my reach. Risking failure with the Ravelympics is leading me towards success in the overall goal.

This is just a little reminder to myself and the other failed Ravelympics Ravletes (and regular athletes, too, I guess) that what we created during the Olympics could never be a failure because we were, simply, creating.

Ravelympics Update - Week One

Ravelympics Update:
I started with the Handspun Heptathlon: pre-drafting, organizing my spinning space and getting underway, while watching the Opening Ceremonies on Friday night. I kept up the pace Saturday morning and by lunch had a huge 200 yard skein.

At this pace, I could have been done with all of the yarn by Monday, but alas, I don't live in the Olympic village and was pulled away from the wheel by little brothers that had to be fed, a business that needed new yarn and various other distractions (like a visit to the farm!) By Tuesday I was back in the saddle, spinning a second ginormous skein (which is resting in it's post-spin bath).

The temptation of the squishy yarn was too great and I moved away from the Handspun Heptathlon (without finishing it!) and launched into the Sweater Sprint. While watching Micheal Phelps earn his 10th Olympic Gold, Wednesday night, I cast on for the sweater.
I promptly fell asleep, knitting in hand, so I'm obviously not much of a sprinter!
If I'm going to compete, I need to plan the schedule: T
his weekend - knit to underarms on sweater
Mon - spin last skein of yarn
Tues - Friday - finish body
Sat - Mon - knit sleeves

If you're not a knitter, or if this whole Ravelympics thing seems a bit weird, this article does an excellent job of explaining the spirit of the Games.

Challenge: Spin & Knit a sweater!

Happy Ravelympics Eve!

Ravelympics is the Olympics for Ravelers (members of the online fiber community Ravlery, if you're not yet a Ravlerer, join now!). It starts tomorrow, with the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics (8 a.m. my time) and ends on August 24 (when the torch goes out). Ravelers, like Olympians, set their own crafting goals and join with other Ravlympians to challenge themselves to complete it during the timeframe.

By the way, if I was in the Opening Ceremonies, I'd want to wear this or this, from last night's Project Runway.

I really love knitting with my handspun, but rarely get the chance, since most of what I spin goes in the shop. I've been trying to remedy that, but spinning for myself cuts into spinning for the shop and I end up selling my most favorite skeins. However, I have maintained a small stash of wool that's "just mine". Two years ago my mom gave me 24 oz. of the softest Merino wool combed top for Christmas and it has languished in the closet, because I was too afraid of it do anything with it. I've always known I wanted to knit a sweater out of it, but the prospect seemed too daunting. The Ravelympics provide the perfect challenge to get over my fear, get out the Merino and get to spinning.

My Ravelympics goal: to spin the yarn for, design and knit a cardigan.

I've "trained" by dyeing the fiber (a beautiful pale blue), pre-drafting about half of the fiber), spinning a test skein-let (I test spun a 2ply too, but realized, Am I crazy? That's three times the spinning!) and knit a test swatch. I'm getting 3 sts/in on 10.5 needles with a very softly spun single ply. I want my sweater yarn to be a little tighter spun and to be a worsted weight, so I'm not going to design the sweater just yet.

My sweater design will be similar to this garter-yoke cardigan, with the side details of Cobblestone. The challenge with spinning to knit any project is the age-old question, "How much yarn?" I found this chart, which indicates I'll need about 1,000 yards. My plan is to just spin 8-9 skeins (I normally get over 100 yards/bobbin) and then start knitting. If I've used over 2/3 of yarn for body, I'll start spinning again for the sleeves. That, by the way, is an excellent tip for deciding on yardage for a sweater you design yourself - sweaters can be broken into thirds - 1/3 for front, 1/3 for back, 1/3 for both sleeves together.

My (extremely loose) schedule is: First week - Spin, second week - knit sweater. I’ll break it up into smaller goals after I see how fast I’m spinning and how much I get done this weekend. I'll be tracking my progress, here on the blog, to keep myself accountable. I'd love to know who else will be joining me! Leave a comment so we can cheer each other on!