Tuesday, August 31, 2010

How to knit a stadium in 15 days

It's finished! 

Here are the stats -
2670 yards of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky (3.5 skeins green, 2 skeins grey, 14 skeins bare - hand dyed in various patterns to simulate the crowd)


Finished size 4.5’ x 7’

Modular construction technique - field and four sections of crowd were knit separately. Crowd sections attached to field with three needle bind off with ridge on right side to edge the field.  I’ve honored our greatest rivals THE Ohio State Buckeyes by depicting them as the opposing team using grey and a touch of maroon in the away team bench and more grey and maroon in the away fan section. Apologies to all other Michigan rivals, especially the Michigan State Spartans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  Some other design features - i cord edging for stability; field knit in the round with a steek; crowd knit in garter; steek edges whipped down to provide a tidy back. No backing necessary.


So voting over on the Ravelry Project Yarnway Forum starts tomorrow and runs through September 15th. 
Have to say that this was a lot of knitting to get done in the short time period - especially since most of the yarn had to be dyed during that time as well.  Here are a few things I would do differently the next time:

1) finish all the field details (the M, end zone letters, yard line numbers, hash marks) before attaching the crowd sections.  I didn't because I was afraid I wouldn't have enough time to do all those details and so saved them till last.  But that meant that I couldn't use a sewing machine because I couldn't maneuver around all the blanket, so I was stuck sewing it all on by hand.

2) use one dye pattern consistently for the majority of the crowd - I experimented with different patterns for dyeing each skein as I went because, well, I had never knit a crowd before, and had no clue what would look best.  So each section is like a giant swatch.  I did keep good notes as I was dyeing, so now I know which dye patterns will work best (I think it's the lower side - which actually had a fair amount of black mixed in.)

I love the block M and the I-cord bind off around the edge.  


Except for the pressure of the deadline - this project was a very easy, enjoyable knit.  There was not one bit of purling in the whole thing, and the modular construction made it somewhat portable.  Would I make another one - well, I've had a request for Hinkel Fieldhouse (home of the Butler Bulldogs) from someone in the family - so we'll see. 

10 comments:

  1. You are amazing! I haven't seen the other project runway projects, but you have my vote!
    I joined that group a few months ago, but haven't actually done any of the challenges. I thought it would be really fun, but my mind goes blank when I read the challenge. Maybe next month! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks! I have had a lot of fun on the yarnway - the challenges have helped me settle on an idea and stick with it. Plus it's a nice community - and every month people come up with some amazing things.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's not easy being an away team fan mixed in with all those crazed Wolverines.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congrats on winning last months challenge. I knew you would! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks Shelly - it was an honor -the yarnway runway entries never cease to amaze me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I realize this is a two-year-old post, but when it turned up on mgoblog.com yesterday I was overcome with Wolverine knitting lust. Rarely if ever has there been an opportunity to combine football and knitting. Any chance of a pattern for this? (Clearly the custom dying would require a creative alternative on my part.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the kind words Christie. I've thought a great deal about offering a pattern for this - but I worry about licensing issues. I suppose I could offer a "generic" recipe, absent any school specific logos, etc. I have a few others patterns to get out - but I will think hard about offering something along the lines of a pattern. I'll let you know if I do.

      Delete
  7. I would also love a pattern for this, it is amazing!! You could sell it on Ravelry or Etsy if you are not into offering it for free!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi AllieM. I will think about this - most likely it will be a "recipe" so that I can avoid tripping up on licensing issues. I'll let you know what I come up with. I did keep copious notes.

      Delete
    2. That would be so awesome! As an avid knitter and UM alum, this is something I would love to make!

      Delete