Thursday, July 20, 2006

What to pack

When travelling you need to make sure you have available certain necessities. You will nee to pack clothes to wear, clean underwear, basic toiletries, PJs (I always forget these), activity wear (for whatever activities you plan to do at your destination), some books, magazines and/or catalogs and for the knitter, sundry knitting projects. On a recent trip to Austin, TX I took the following:

1) Something simple. One needs mindless knitting to keep the hands busy while the mind is free to wander. This type of knitting is excellent for meetings, phone conversations, listening to a book or waiting to embark at the airport. This is my Tokyo Bloom poncho, stockinette with yo's -- mindless.

2) A sock. For something a little more interesting socks always fit the bill. Great for flying, commuting (as long as you're not the one driving), lines and waiting for your meal in restaurants when dining alone. An added plus, it's extremely portable. Here, we have Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. Yarn: KnitPicks Dancing.

3) Something slightly complicated. This is the latest hat for Elana. It's Norah Gaughan's Swirl Cap from VK On the Go Caps & Hats. I'm having trouble knitting hats that fit Elana's 8 yo head. So, for added complexity I'm, um, chopping off part of the swirls. That's the new chart I've devised to eliminate about a dozen rounds which will make the cap height about right. The cables and chart following makes this project great when you need to align your thoughts instead of letting your mind panic wonder about how the plane is staying up. Yarn: SWTC Phoenix.