Last friday saw the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. I'm a big fan of the winter olympics and always get caught up in the excitement of the events and wish I could be there cheering on Team GB. This years olympics has many serious human rights issues that deserve just as much attention as the event itself and I have joined in with Ravellenics (a Ravelry event that takes place at the same time as the olympics) in support of those who are affected by these issues. The LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community in Russia are currently subject to terrifying levels of persecution, discrimination and abuse. It needs to stop. Now.
My first Ravellenics project is Slalom Slipstream socks. This pattern has intrigued me for a while and been sitting in my queue, just waiting for a time where I can knit for myself.
The pattern is Slipstream by Stephanie McIntosh. It features slip stitch cables and mock cables that wind around the ankle and foot in a very pleasing way.
I cast these on at the start of the opening ceremony and I finished them on friday evening - so just over a week which is probably a record for me. I rarely get so much tv time to just sit and knit and I have enjoyed being able to concentrate on just one project for me.
I'm so pleased with how they have turned out. I had a couple of issues with the charts (partly because I was not observant enough to notice that the charts are listed in the opposite order to the pattern instructions) and because there are a few mistakes, but overall these are great socks and look fabulous.
The yarn is Bouncy Extra by Laal Bear in colourway Virginia Stocks. I chose it for its rainbow colours (as support for LGBT issues) and because this pattern just lends itself to multicoloured yarn. The slip stitch cables show off the colours really well. It has been in my stash for a while and I'm pleased I found such a good project for it.
My ravelry project page can be found here: Slalom Slipstream.
My next project, cast on already is going to be a super chunky sweater so hopefully I can get it done, I have just over a week to complete it. It's a good excuse to stay in out of the terrible weather we are having at the moment, watch the olympics and knit!