Preparing for the Grand Tour

In less than two weeks, Taylor and I will embark on our Grand Tour of Europe.  We will visit Spain, Morocco and Great Britain.  We are both very excited and have made "To Do" lists, and checked off most of our items.

As a knitter I have my own list of what to do to prepare to leave home for a month.  The first, is to complete the projects that I have on my needles.  I'm making good progress on this front.

This set of baby hat, socks and onesy is in the mail to welcome William Michael Roeder to the world.  I did not make the onsey.  This set is hand dyed by the The Twisted Sisters.  I love the way the Oracle yarn and onsey are dyed to complement each other.

This is the Gnarled Oak Cardigan designed by Alana Dakos.  It's in the Coastal Knits book.  I've been working on it since last fall.  I made a tiny version for a baby, and fell in love with it.  The yarn is Madeline Tosh Sport.  The pattern was very well written, so there are no problems to report with this.  It is a Once Knit sweater.  The yarn was a pleasure to work with.   I'm pleased with the way it turned out.  It's a warm sweater so it is ready for next fall.

My final project on my "To Do" list is this pair of two at a time, toe up socks.  I started this project with a group of new knitting friends at my local yarn shop, Yarntastic.  A handful of regulars decided to learn how to make socks two at a time.  As an additional challenge, we added the toe up technique.  My socks are not finished, but they are close.  I'm actually on the second pair of them (remember, this blog is Twice Knit).  The first pair was too tight - I couldn't get them past my ankle.  So.................I unravelled them and started again using more stitches to start.  I'm past the heel and gusset now, so it's possible that I might be able to finish them before our trip.  It would be nice to know that I don't have to come home and continue working on them.  I'm definitely getting my money's worth out of this lovely yarn -Manos Del Uruguay Alegria.

There is one more knitting item on my "To Do" list:  I have to audition and select the project that I will take with me!

Knitting on the Road

The crisis has been averted, but................I'm still not happy.

About a week after I ran out of green yarn for the shrug/vest, the ever brilliant and conscientious Tangled Web ladies presented me with the skeins of yarn that I needed to finish the project. These women are indeed geniuses who somehow searched the country for the two different skeins that I required. I piled said shrug and requisite yarn in the car with a few other knitting projects for our trip to Savannah and Charleston. After many unsuccessful miles of working on my diminishing rib cardigan, I was in need of positive reinforcement so I took up the shrug to complete on our second day of driving. I finished the knitting, sewed up the seams and stuffed it back in my bag.

When we reached our destination I tried it on and.........................yuck, I don't like it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I simply don't have the shrug type body. Why did I not notice this before starting this project? Oh I know why: I wanted a simple project to do while waiting for my cotton bamboo, AND the shrug looks great on the midget size manikin in the Tangled Web window. Well.............it was simple, I finished in less than two weeks, and it too would look good on a manikin.

So, I'm letting it sit for a while and then I think I'll rip it, rip it, rip it, and make either Elizibeth Zimmerman's Rib Warmer from her Knitting Workshop, or Sally Melville's Asymmetrical Vest, in Book 1: The Knit Stitch.

Continuing on our low country sojourn, and still in need of some positive reinforcement, I started knitting Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Sweater on Two Needles from her Knitting Workshop. I knit this several years ago with great success for baby Chloe, and I thought it would be perfect for the new baby, Alice Mae. And, isn't it adorable? It is perfect for Alice Mae who was born on April 7, one day after my birthday. Alice Mae is named after my mother, and her own grandmother. A very special baby indeed.

The sweater, however, caused me some grief. Since I had knit it before I didn't bother checking the glossary for special instructions and just started knitting. After finishing the yoke, and about an inch of lace, I realized that the increases looked horrible. I had done all my M1s by picking up the horizontal bar. When I finally checked the glossary I saw that EZ wanted me to make a simple backward loop for M1. Rip, rip, rip. It's funny how, when following directions, things often work better. I also have to admit that it isn't the sweater that caused me grief, it's my own impulsivity (not checking the directions).

After the initial blunder, the sweater knit up well and by the time we got home I had finished the yoke, a bit of the lace and one arm. I did branch out from the directions on the arms in that I knit them in the round, thus avoiding sewing seams. I was happy for this improvisation and I think EZ would have approved. The next day I finished the second arm, and a few days later the rest of the sweater was complete. I've washed it, blocked it and sent it off in the mail for little Alice Mae. I'm hoping she hasn't out grown it by now - you know how babies do that?