Faster Pussycat, Knit! Knit!

Last night I had the great good fortune to be invited to meet Miriam Tegels who holds the Guiness Book world record for Speed Knitting.  We admired each other's nearly matching sweaters, and she demonstrated her ultra-prestissimo technique to a pretty respectable turnout of 50 or so Portland knitters.  Here are some of them:

And this is our sponsor, the lovely and talented owner of Knit Picks, Kelley Petkun:

You know how in TV shows about wild animals, they sometimes have to film the gazelle, or shark, or cheetah in super-slow-motion so you can see  how they go in for the kill?  Well that is what we  need for Miriam.  The woman is a total blur.  She is a delightful, unassuming, white-hot streak of a knitter.  No lie, people:  this lady has established the land-speed standard for knitting, working 118 stitches in one minute, in an officially timed trial.  She shattered the previous records of English and American knitters, bringing home the glory to her little village in the Netherlands.  Miriam is also a wife, mother, and Yoga instructor, which I believe is a Trifecta in the knitting world. 

I met gobs of neighbor knitters, including Mims Copeland, who is adorable, and took a picture of me with my leopard project (I swear, it's almost done) for the blog she does for the Oregonian Newspaper.

It was a super evening of snacks, yarn, prizes and knitters.  What more could we ask for?

Carnage

Warning: Today's posting contains graphic images of sweater violence. Those who are weak of constitution or will should proceed with extreme caution.

Let the steeking begin!  At last, both sleeves are finished and the time has come to inflict a little damage around here.  Some people get really twitchy at this stage.  I always experience a rush like people describe getting from bungee-jumping, or eating Scottish food.

 { Insert knarly armhole steek carnage here }

Oh, The Humanity!

Hi-Viz blue yarn is used for marking purposes and picked out after cutting.  Yucky orange sewing thread helps me cut properly by being easy to see, and will be hidden under facings at the end.

This is my favorite:  Neckline Shrapnel. 

My students totally freak out when they first understand that we will be knitting the neckline with no shaping, and then cutting away the excess.  I like to bring along a little leftover scrap like this one to illustrate how very little waste there is with this technique.  Looks gory, though, no?  Now all I have to do is join the shoulder seams, pick up and knit the neck finish, and insert the sleeves. 

Tonight I am going to meet the World's Fastest Knitter.  She's in the Guinness Book and everything!  Man, I hope she has some tips for me.

No Pressure

I didn't know until today that this picture is from Norway.  That explains everything.  Clearly, this person has just been instructed to knit and then cut a steek.  Either that, or she has just  missed a deadline due to having left the sleeve she was working on behind at the office all weekend. 

The spotted sweater and pattern were supposed to be finished today, so that I can start the Next Big Thing tomorrow.  So naturally I did the only thing I could and started the Next Big Thing early.  Big is right, too.  It's going to be a man's sweater, and let me tell you:  300 stitches is a LOT of casting on.  I conquered it though, and now instead of just one unfinished WIP, I now have two.  Not the happiest place for result-oriented me:  Instead of the smug satisfaction that accompanies completion, I now have yet another process in front of me.

This is not the first project goal date I have missed.  With only 12 days allowed per sweater, my schedule is optimistic, at best.  I will be able to catch up.  Really.   No problem. 

EEEEHHHHaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhkkkkk!