the blue blog archives: rippy, part three

Back to the yoke. And this time I mean business. Rip, pull many feet of kinky yarn all the way through, pull through again and again, rip more. (This is the best exercise I've gotten all year!) Finally, using the last smidgeon of patience that the boys left me with, I got through the yoke. We got parts!

Elsewhere in rip-along-dom: Iris is having a ripfest, both Lynette and Monica are passionately ripping, Dava has begun to frog THE Red Sweater, and Cheryl, Laurin, and Peggy are ripping as we speak. Who would have thought that ripping could be this much fun?!

posted by alison at 12:15 am | in the week long frog-a-thon

Comments

A *real* swift. Why, Alison, the one you have is lovely. But yes, *real* swifts are such handy gadgets, aren't they? It's on my wish list. My rippy pictures will be on my blog tomorrow. (I'm bored/tired and doing laps through the knitting ring, hence the reason for my numerous visits here tonight.)

Posted by: peggy at January 15, 2004 1:14 AM

Alison -- I'm thinking about joining the Banff-along, even though I've never done a knit-along before. I was planning on making it anyway, and I just bought the yarn, so I thought I'd go ahead and join, but I've never even attempted to make a grown-up sized sweater before. Anyway, it's worth a go. So how does this thing work?

Posted by: Meredith at January 15, 2004 3:04 AM

heh. Glad I'm not the only one improvising without a swift to call my own. I use the back of my desk chair.

Posted by: leya at January 15, 2004 7:05 AM

I bought one of the cheap plastic swifts a couple months ago and LOVE IT. I bought it after I spent two days untangling a skein of Lornas Laces sock yarn. Worth every penny and then some!

Posted by: Kerstin at January 15, 2004 7:56 AM

Oh, you are so good. I just look at my neckband (with no elastic to rip out, no less) and immediately start thinking about other things. I can bring my winder and swift to knitting on Sunday if you can hold out until then!

Posted by: Dava at January 15, 2004 8:47 AM

I know where you could get a swift--halcyon!

Posted by: Leigh at January 15, 2004 9:00 AM

Yes a swift is well worth the investment. You will love it. Congratulations on your progress! I think I might be done-- I finished ripping the peach cotton tank top last night. I balk at the mom-knit sweater... she might never find out but then again, if she did, I'd be treated to years of tantrums. So I think I'm done for this time around. Phew! Thanks for all the fun

Posted by: carrie at January 15, 2004 9:37 AM

It's so much fun watching y'all rip your little hearts out. Kinda wish I had something to rip! Guess I'll just keep plugging along on Rosedale instead...

Posted by: Becky S. at January 15, 2004 9:38 AM

The R.I.P.'s going great. I may be finished tomorrow. In the meantime, you can see a photo of my balls at my blog. They're kinda big.

Posted by: Xona at January 15, 2004 10:09 AM

Thanks so much for organizing this rip-along. I'm really glad you have gotten me motivated to get this done. BTW, even though I have a swift I found it easier to use the back of a chair to wind the yarn into hanks, especially since I couldn't bring my swift to work!

Posted by: Monica at January 15, 2004 10:11 AM

When we moved, I lost my swift to some unlabeled box in the basement. At the time, I had an obscene amount of yarn that needed to be balled up. The Green Mountain Spinnery yarn I was using just wouldn't play nice sitting on the back of my chair so I went out and bought a second swift! I still haven't found the first one, but if I do and you still don't have one, I'll be happy to send it along.

Posted by: Amy at January 15, 2004 10:35 AM

I know that you are currently all about Ripping, but I thought I should chime in that the Ribby would have been a fabulous design on you if it had been shorter and with way less ease. Just a throught for all that blue yarn you are about to have...;-)

Posted by: claudia at January 15, 2004 1:32 PM

I realized last night that I DO have something for the Rip-Along so add me up there! When I first started knitting I was collecting small lots of angora to knit into a funky striped scarf, but soon realized that I made it way too wide and I probably had enough for an actual sweater, not just a scarf.

Now, this is 100% angora - do I get a special badge for frogging yarn that is not only somewhat fragile, but sheds furballs and gets stuck on itself constantly (LOL)? I think I could have spun a whole 'nother skein from the fluff remnants in my lap! I started the ripping last night while I rode my exercise bike - now that's balance! ;-)

Posted by: Eklectika! at January 15, 2004 2:54 PM

Sign me up for the rip-along. I'm ripping up this awful sweater I knit last spring right now!

Posted by: Sarah Elizabeth at January 15, 2004 8:47 PM

I am swiftless NO MORE!! And I wonder why I waited so long!! I was a back of the chair, knees, whatta mess girl for too long so on Tuesday I ordered a "Nifty Swift" from Needletrax.com for under $60 and FREE shipping. On WEDNESDAY (I kid you not, alison) I had my beautiful new swift and wound me some lovely, plump balls of yarn. What took me so long??? Seriously, the swift is beautiful, works like a charm, had it in ONE day and spent less than $60 total...what could be better than that? Contact Mary at Needletrax.com, you won't be sorry Alison!!! (NAYY, of course!)

Posted by: Debi at January 16, 2004 12:05 AM

Thanks for all the swift-talk ladies. You may have just convinced me!

Yay, Carrie, way to be done ripping! C'mon Dava, get going on that red sweater. ;0) Welcome to the rip-along Eklectica and Sarah Elizabeth. Looking forward to seeing pics on your blogs! Becky, no need to be jealous - it's always better to be knitting than ripping.

Meredith, I'll add you to the Banff list! I know lots of the others have already begun. Look for updates on their blogs. Feel free to stop by and post about your progress or ask questions here. And I'm sure the others will stop by your blog to see how your Banff is coming along and send encouragement. Best of luck with your first big sweater! I think you've chosen a great pattern to start with.

Posted by: alison at January 16, 2004 12:16 AM