Stitch and Chat: [Cast on (off) party - depending on how you look at it.

Monday, May 22, 2017

[Cast on (off) party - depending on how you look at it.

I started this before I went on a trip, so just bear that in mind. Consider it going in the way back machine....

Before I go on a trip I spend far more time on what I will bring to knit versus the clothes I bring. This is a picture of a carry-on size suitcase filled with yarn. I was away for two weeks and needed options!

Once I finished my Spring Lake Hi-Lo Pullover, it was time to figure out what I would bring on my upcoming trip to Ireland and Scotland. Whatever it was, it had to be easy to knit and it had to be portable.

Make Ends Meet. I love the look of this cowl/neckwarmer.

I was especially pleased that it worked for this Miss Babs Polydactyl kit I bought at Rhinebeck in 2014. When I started swatching it, I ended up modifying the beginning a bit. Then there was the fact that I would have to carry seven mini-skeins with me ~ not so convenient. Next up was...

V-Neck Boxy in another stashed yarn from Rhinebeck, Miss Babs Katahdin (Fingering: 100% wool, 1750 yards). Yes, you read that right, 1750 yards. I washed and blocked my swatch and began the short-row shaping. The good news is that it would be a one skein project. The bad news is that carrying a skein of yarn the size of a birthday cake did not fit the definition of portable. Next...

Customfit Relaxed V-Neck Pullover in a fingering weight yarn that I bought at Rhinebeck in 2009! Again, I dutifully washed and blocked my swatch. While I began this project, I realized that since it is a hand-dyed yarn, I was going to alternate between two skeins of yarn every two rows to mitigate the difference between skeins. Survey says - NOT PORTABLE. And we move on...

I wanted to bring one crochet project because I have heard customers at Westport Yarns say they have had knitting needles taken from them at security. So I brought Boteh Scarf. This was a keeper.

I looked through my stash on non-wool yarn and found this beauty, Louisa Harding Yarns Anise (Bulky: 45% Acrylic, 45% Cotton, 10% Nylon, 76 yards). I treated it as more of an Aran weight yarn and brought the Seaweed Scarf to knit.

This one I actually finished while away. It's a perfect scarf for cold, rainy spring/summer days (like today).

Finally I settled on String Theory in Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles (Fingering: 100% Merino wool, 400 yards). This project was the subject of a recent blog post.