what's the most ambitious (insane) thing you've knit?

[clicksticks]

Right now I'm making a mitered square afghan (got the idea/basic pattern from the mason-dixon book, there are some progress picks on my blog for the curious) and I'm really starting to think I'm a little (okay, more than a little) nuts for trying it...this finished size is pretty big (queen size), and there's going to bea ton of seaming and ends to be sewn in to boot.  Oh, and I would really like to finish it before moving later this summer:)

I've definitely done more complex projects but I was looking at my stack of squares this evening and thinking that this is probably one of the more ambitious projects I've done to date, just because of the sheer SIZE of the thing.

So, what kind of crazy, over the top project have you embarked upon?  Really big, technically difficult, black yarn in a tiny gauge, whatever, it's all good.  I just need some assurance that I'm not the only one who occasionally bites off a bit more than I ought to be able to chew!

[smrjunior]

for my first attempt at a sweater (or any garment, for that matter), i took a really basic pattern and then changed everything about it.  it was a fair isle turtleneck with deep ribbing around the waist and short sleeves.  only i took out the fair isle and replaced it with horizontal ribbing, made the sleeves into puff sleeves, and changed the turtleneck to a scoop neck.  oh, and i tried to add the boob shaping from the u-neck vest in fitted knits, which made the front ridiculously wide at the top.  the sleeves are GORGEOUS, but the whole top is so huge that the poofs start halfway down my upper arms.  it's still waiting to be ripped, and i'm hoping i can just re-do the body and use those sleeves.

okay, this probably wasn't the type of story you wanted, but i had to share it.

oh, but i can add the inspirational part!  i haven't given up on my knitting, and i've even started another sweater that's almost entirely finished, almost entirely self-designed, and almost entirely gorgeous!  yay!!

[runawaytaxicab]

well, i'm pretty new to knitting....but i guess i have something to add..
my very first project was a stuffy cat, and from what i can tell, most people seem to start off w/ much more basic stuff than that...
and now i'm on my second project, which is an entrelac scarf... also, as far as i can tell, that seems to even scare some of the more advanced knitters (which was my main reason for wanting to try it...) anyway, so far so good!  i really want to try a sweater or socks next! 

[Laural]

Well I have this WIP of a blanket http://www.gallentine.org/Knitting/boysafghan.html that needs to be over 6.5 feet long. It's a long haul.

[ikillbarbies]

Hah, my senior project for art school is knitting a GIANT maze.  It will be like a hedge maze, but with knit walls instead of hedges.  I'm doing it on size 50 needles, but I need miles of knitting to do it.  I posted about it here. 

And here's a pic of the test run I did last month.  The lights are normally very dim for the installation, this was just for the picture.  Oh, and you can even see my ginourmous needles in the bottom right corner.

See the rest of the photos on my Flickr account.

I'm taking photos and measurements of the room this week, so I can estimate how much knitting will be needed.  I have until November to do it all, but it might take that long just to get it done....

[annamal]

I knit a big bubble skirt out of medical gauze.... I didn't want any seams so I used 4 pairs of size 19 circulars joined up to make one super needle.  It was big and clumsy and each piece of gauze was 4.5 feet long.  Although the pattern itself was easy peasy the materials were beastly.

I gave it a snug bind off so it bubbles underneath.  Now it's a fluffy dream.
Right now I'm working on knitting huge tubes of knits for a sculpture..... all different kinds of yarns in all different gauges.  My size 50 mohair tube is done... 6 more tubes to go!

[march]

ikillbarbies:

I love your idea and it looks like it's shaping up really well. I do have one questions though. Are you going to do anything to the floor, or just leave it?

[clicksticks]

Wow!  A knit maze...I feel positively sane in comparison:)

[ikillbarbies]

March - That isn't the room that it will be installed in, that black room is a mere 18'x20'.  The floor in the big room is gray, and I don't have plans right now to cover it (fear of people tripping as they walk through).  I do plan on putting piles of old sweaters under the walls, or in corners.  I'm still working out ideas for it.

Did I mention that it's almost completely from recycled sweaters?

clicksticks - anything to make you feel better   Just think of all the projects you can do by justifying "Well at least I'm not as crazy as that knit maze girl!"

[berol]

WOW!

All very impressive. I don't like learning how to do something, I just want a finished article. As a challenge by my boyfriend I made an intarsia scarf in 7 colours (rainbow, veritcal stripes, oh I wish I'd known about circular needles).

That's certainly my most ambitious project, although not as sizeable as most of yours!