The Perils of Travel Knitting

Thanks to all who responded about the yarn give-away.  My skeins are now happily winging their way to Australia and I hope they find a happy home there.



The honeycomb heel flap



In the meantime, I have completed one sock and one glove from the Fabel, and I am particularly pleased with how they came out.  The colorway is quite beautiful, though my photos don't really do them justice.  I picked this yarn up during a recent trip to Canada, and (gluttony aside) I wish I had bought more.  I ended up doing a honeycomb heel flap and gusset, with the cable carried along the top of the foot and the central braided cable continuing into to toe shaping.  Now one more of each to go, and I can move on to the next project.

Which brings me to my sad event of the week.  First, let me give some background.  I frequently bring my knitting along with me on business trips.  I used to bring my whole knitting bag, but it has become too big and bulky, and every once in a while you find yourself in the situation of having to explain to a customs officer why you need that many needles in your carry-on.  The Canadians seem to be particularly concerned with this.  The Germans and the English tend to let it go.  Just saying...

Now I had never had a problem until the day that I call the Sad Case of the Purple Airplane Sock.  You see, I had knit the most beautiful purple sock in Malabrigo sock, which I think may be the most beautiful yarn ever invented, which I found in my favorite eggplant purple, and made up in the perfect pattern.  Angee, from Cookie A.'s book "Sock Innovation," to be exact. And I dare say, it is the most beautiful sock I have ever knit.  It was perfect in every way.  The stitch pattern perfectly showed off the subtle variegation in the yarn, the yarn had a nice drape and shine that just hugged the foot and leg beautifully, and it was oh so soft.  Seriously. Perfect. 

I completed it on a long flight from Frankfurt to Boston during a snowstorm that shut down parts of the east coast, and even made two new friends during the flight as we discussed knitting.  About a month later, I was finishing up its mate during a flight from San Francisco to Denver.  This time, I had decided to carry only the sock, the yarn, and one pair of needles and I was just finishing up grafting the toe together as we taxied in to the gate.  I had a pretty tight connection, so I quickly grabbed the blob of yarn and sock from the seat back pocket, shoved it into my handbag, and ran for my next flight.

Halfway during my next flight, I had a sudden realization.  Was the blob of yarn and sock that I picked up from the seat back pocket heavy enough?  I grabbed my purse and sorted through it twice, and sure enough, the perfect purple sock was not there.  The new sock--its mate--was there along with the leftover yarn and needle, but my purple sock had been left behind in the upper seat back pocket of seat 6E of the previous flight.

I filed a claim with the airline, thinking that a purple handknit sock might be something distinctive that they don't find every day, making it relatively easy to locate.  Of course, when I reported it, the airline worker looked at my blankly and asked if I really needed it back.  I sat there in stunned disbelief when she said "if you made that one, can't you just make a new one?"  I think non-knitters just don't get it.  Seriously.



Detail of the second purple sock.  Not quite as perfect as the first one, but still very nice.



Well, this week it happened again.  Instead of my entire knitting bag, I now carry the current project, as spare skein, and a little ziplock bag with my 16" addi turbo US size 6 circulars, which I use to cast on for top-down socks, some darning needles for kitchener grafting of toes and weaving in ends, and some stitch markers.  Sunday night, I cast on the Fabel cable sock and when I left the plane I put everything in my purse.  I checked the seat back pocket 3 times, front and back.  When I packed at my hotel Tuesday night, sure enough, the bag containing the circular needles, darning needles and markers was missing.  I can't imagine how, but they are not in my purse or suitcase, and once again, no one turned them in to airline lost and found. 

I am not sure if it is worth replacing the needle.  I cannot knit comfortably with a short needle, and the needle portion is not long enough for me until the 24" length, but it sure was perfect for casting on socks.  And I have not yet had the heart to re-knit the purple sock, though my replacement skein of eggplant purple Malabrigo has been sitting on my dresser for months now.

So if anyone out there happens to find a purple sock on a United flight or a size 6 circular needle on Jet Blue, please keep me in mind.

November yarn give-away

Well, I did not finish the cable socks within a day as hoped, so I have decided I need to honor the nature of my goal.  So I dug deep into my closet, into one of my seven yarn baskets, and have chosen 2 50g skeins of Knit Picks Essential superwash wool in navy as the first yarn give-away.

First person to comment or email me with their address gets the yarn free of charge.  Happy first week of December!

November 30

Well, here we are at the end of November.  I started November project 4 over the weekend, but I actually had to work on my last 2 flights which prohibited knitting.

I had made some gloves for my niece Tia, and last week her dog took a big bite out of one, destroying 2 fingers.  So I am working on a pair of replacement gloves with socks to match.



I am using Fabel by DROPS superwash wool in a green self-striping colorway.  Rather than taking the easy way out and doing a simple straight knit to make the project go faster, I added a paired cable pattern just to keep things interesting.  I was improvising on an airplane Sunday night, and ended up with 2 small cables twisting in opposite directions on either side of a larger braided cable both front and back.  I will carry the cable down the top of the foot, but am undecided as to whether to carry it down the heel as well.  Half of one sock is done so far on this last day of November.  This brings my total to 4 pairs of socks and 3.5 skeins of yarn consumed in November.  So, do I count it or no?



Cable detail

So, once this pair is done (hopefully tomorrow on a plane ride home from North Carolina) that will be 6 projects down, 46 to go.

A week of catching up

I can't believe we are already to Thanksgiving!  I have spent a lot of time on airplanes over the past couple of weeks, and as a result, I had a chance to catch up on my recent projects.

Last week, I finished the second pair of little girl socks, meaning my week four project is officially done. This is my first try at the Japanese short row heel.  I attempted this because I can never manage to do a short row heel without getting at least one hole.  Even when I pick up extra stitches, and pull really tight, and this drives me crazy!  I found I did fare a little better with this method, though there is still a little hole on the last row.  All in all, I really like the wrap-free method, though I found I actually had to count to keep track of which row I was on. 



My mossy socks just before the sprint to finish sock #2



Next, I decided to return to the week three project, my moss-wall inspired socks.  Completed sock one Thursday while waiting to get a new tire after losing one to a blow-out on my way home from the airport.  The faux cable (made over 2 stitches by knitting tbl on second stitch) tended to slow me down quite a bit, so it took a while to get into the rhythm of this pattern.  I started sock 2 on Sat. and finished on Sunday. 

My favorite feature is that little bit of yarn sitting between the 2 socks in the picture.  I completed this pair with approximately 2 feet of yarn left.  I was actually able to use up the entire skein and without pre-planning or knitting toe-up--a true victory!



That meant I needed a new project to take home for my holiday travels.  I realized I had a second skein of Lang Jawoll that matched the one I used to make the Boy's socks, so now the socks for the Boy are socks for the Boy and his Dad. 

This was another basic pair done in a 2x2 rib with a heel flap and gusset, and simple toe shaping.  A nice easy knit to start the week.  Airline delays in Chicago allowed me to complete one Monday night and a second Wed night.

This means if I can knock out one more pair this weekend, I will be caught up for November. 

3 down, sort of...

Another busy week, and another week of less knitting than originally hoped for.  I did manage to squeeze out a pair of kid's socks from my Fotissima.  However, it only consumed a little less than half the skein and I had intended to do a second pair for my other niece.  So this is my first judgement call--does the project count, or the skein?

I have a long airplane ride coming up this week, so here's hoping I can knock out another pair, then I will only be behind by one project.  I sense I will be giving away a skein the end of this month.

In the meantime, I am starting to have quite a bit of forearm pain in my left arm.  I am hoping this is related to my new weight-lifting regime and not tendinitis from too much knitting, or I will never make it to the end of this project!

Second week in November

So last week's post just posted with a Nov. 8 date rather than the Oct 31 date intended.  In that week, I chose the STR rare gems in an unusual green and gold/orange colorway to start a new pair of socks.  The pattern is a modified 2-stitch cable adapted from a mitt pattern in the new One Skein Wonders Sock Yarn book.  However, a week later, I still only have the cuff of the first sock done.  So for the first time since I started this project, I am falling behind. 

It has been a pretty rough work week, and I am afraid work stress sent me running for the covers and left me not much in the mood for knitting.  Also, I am having some hand/forearm pain.  I seem to go straight to tendonitis lately any time I do any repetitive activity whether it be knitting, painting, or writing.  I have always been prone to inflammation, but it seems especially bad these past couple of years.

I actually started a new project last night even though the previous was not finished.  The new project will be sock for my two adorable nieces.  Just basic socks with a picot edged cuff made from a lovely pink self-striping yarn in the colorway Mexiko from Fortissima.  I need to make three-year-old and six-year-old socks, so hopefully this will get me back on track until I can catch up on last week's pair.  Otherwise, I might have to make good on my threat to give away a skein of sock yarn this month.

ABB

Last week's project is done ABB--that is all but buttons.  I have blocked (although I just did a wet block and did not pin it out fully) and woven in the ends, so as soon as I find some acceptable buttons, it is ready to go.

I am learning my camera just does not take good pictures indoors.  No matter how many lamps I drag in, everything looks like it is in shadows from anywhere in my house. 











Now, on to the important things--like choosing the next project...

My three yarn choices are these...



Socks that rock Rare Gems (top right) and raven (bottom right), and Spirit Trails Fibers cashmere and silk sock yarn in the Cape Cod colorway (left)

Any thoughts?