Knitting Estivation

Estivation is a state of dormancy brought on by hot, arid conditions.  Here in my part of Colorado, it appears that spring has finally settled in.  The days are warm and mostly dry now, with the odd chance of an afternoon thunderstorm.  In other words, it’s the perfect time for my winter projects to either come off the needles or be packed away to rest for the summer.

Accordingly, I’ve blocked the Chariote Mittens:

These were a fun knit, and a great learning lesson in two-handed, two-color knitting.  I also learned how to make thumb gussets, and in the process, decided that thumb gussets are really the way to go for me, as they allow for plenty of room for my largish hands.

I also packed away Eric’s Diamonds and Rings Aran:

To ensure that I’d be able to pick this up again in September without too much grief, I placed all of the pieces together in a tote — the finished front and back and the sleeve in progress.  So that I could use the needles for my summer projects, if I wanted to, I threaded the live stitches onto waste yarn, but saved out the row counter for other uses.  On a piece of paper, I wrote down the row I was on, the increase rate I’d decided on (with a further note as to when the next increase was due), and the desired length and finished width measurements that I’m aiming for.  I put all of that in the tote, along with the pattern, and parked it for the summer.

In September, when the days become short enough that I start thinking about cool weather knits again (even before the summer heat has dissipated), all I need to do is wind another skein of yarn, pull out the tote, and get going.

With the Aran estivating, I’ve made room for summer knitting.  I made this simple dishcloth for my mom, who was kind enough to supply her own yarn:

It’s rice stitch, in case you can’t see that from the photograph.

Next up, I’ll make her a second one, probably in moss stitch.

I’m just about done with the Travelling Woman shawl:

After I finish that, I plan to get my knitting projects ready for our summer family road trip.  I’ll cast on a black crepe Shetland shawl, some mittens, and pack enough yarn for the charity scarf I need to knit for Christmastime and perhaps a baby project.  Plenty of things to keep me occupied until it’s time once more to contemplate worsted weight anything again.

The Travelling Woman Shawl Heads West

I realized that I’ve never taken the Travelling Woman shawl, well, travelling.  I thought I had, and I intended to, but with the budget cuts to business travel and all, I hadn’t been able to.  So, this was its first and only trip away.

I started the Travelling Woman shawl this winter.  I worked on the stockinette portion and finished the first of four repeats, before I decided my attention was divided among too many projects, and put it aside until I could finish a few other odds and ends.

I decided this would be my focus for our weekend away to Sacramento for my nephew’s christening. True to its name, it was an excellent travel project.  The merino-silk yarn doesn’t take up much room and is easy to knit.  The pattern isn’t difficult.  And I loved the feel of the fabric as it developed in my hands.

So, I knit some on the plane on the way to Sacramento.  I took it with me to my brother’s house and passed the afternoon knitting in my sister-in-law’s crocheting chair.  I knit in the evening until we went back to the hotel for the night.  It was as I was putting away the knitting that night that I began to fret.  Was I underyarned?

I usually take an insane amount of yarn with me on travel.  Insane, even when I’m packing carry-on only, which is most of the time.  I usually take a good 1000 m  of laceweight with me, plus an extra emergency back-up project for good measure.  This time, I’d scoped out my back-up project, but packed in such a hurry that I didn’t pack the yarn for the the second project, nor even think about it.

But here I was, closing in on the third repeat.  What if I finished?  Well, Sacramento is a state capital and all, so I figured it has to have a few yarn stores.  I soothed myself with the thought that after the christening, I could prevail upon Steve to take me to one.

On the way back to the hotel, I floated the idea: “So, if I happen to run out of yarn tomorrow, I may need you to take me to a yarn store,” I said, trying to act casual.  I sized Steve up out of the corner of my eye.

“Yarn store?” he replied.  “You don’t need to go to a yarn store.  You’ll be fine.”

“If I run out of yarn too early, there could be An Incident,” I cautioned.  I didn’t say anything else.  If I needed yarn, I’d find a way to get it, even if I had to dive into my sister-in-law’s crochet yarn stash and make something else for the next baby.

Post-christening, we all gathered at my brother’s house.  In between socializing and eating, I set up knitting in the cool quiet of their living room.  I knit and knit and knit.  I realized that I’d most likely be OK — that I’d finish the fourth and final repeat before the one edging chart, which I’d start on the plane on the way home.

I did just that — the edging is now started, and I hope to have this off the needles soon.  Lesson learned, though — To keep from underyarn anxiety, I need to have that extra project packed and at the ready.

I’ll post photos in the next few days — promise.

Sunday Miscellany

1.         I spent a fun weekend at Keystone, working on my family photo albums for 2000-2002, which is the last of my pre-digital era photos.

2.         If you hate photos of yourself, just wait 10 years.  You’ll be amazed at how wonderful you and everyone else looks.

3.         Putting together photo albums from 10 years or more ago provides a certain perspective.  Enough time elapsed that in my family, I saw people divorce, go through early post-divorce negativity, and finally made peace with each other.  If I had put an album together during the negativity period, I’d probably have left out all the photos of the ex.  As it was, I felt able to include at least some photos to recognize that part of our family history.   Time brings balance.

4.         Label, label, label your photos.  I wound up with commingled Christmas photos from 2001 and 2002, and had to resort to looking up in my old journals what gifts were exchanged during those holidays so that I could properly sort the photos.  I’m glad that my digital photos all bear the date stamp on them.

5.         Despite the diversion that scrapbooking provides, I have done some knitting, as well.  This is Prickle, a mobius cowl which is almost done.  Alas, it is not photographing well.  I’m hoping that it’ll be more photogenic when I finish it and model it.

6.         And this is a rice-stitch dish towel for my mom, who has kindly provided the cotton yarn for the project.  Not my most exciting project, but practical, nonetheless.

7.  I’m hoping that I’ll be able to tell you in my next post that I’ve finished the Prickle cowl.  And with that, I’m off to go work on it.  Have a good week, all!