Back from vacation with knitting done!

Almost back to normal after a two week vacation. I got my fall color fix.

   

The kids are back to school, (our elementary is on a modified year-round schedule), the last loads are in the wash, the crock-pot is bubbling on the counter and my photos are downloading. We flew the width of the continent from San Diego to Norfolk VA, then drove a 1200+ mile loop from Richmond, VA to Louisville KY and back to Richmond via the Cumberland Gap and Abingdon VA. Lots of family and friend time, an evening with David Byrne (if his new show comes to your area GO!!!), hiking in fall colors and a finish at Colonial Williamsburg. Even tried one of Thomas Jefferson's grapes.

Visited LYS in three towns and stocked up on sock yarn. Lots of knitting time while the pilots and DH did all the driving. More on the trip after I've sorted through photos, but overall it was a great trip and it's great to be home, which is about perfect in my book.

Here's a taste of crafty endeavors since my last post. Lots more to come.

Loppem from Norah Gaughan's booklet in Berroco Palace. Yep, same yarn and color as the photo -- just loved it as it was.  I started knitting like a fiend in the week before we traveled, then realized that it wasn't going to be suited to wearing on the trip, so I backed off and packed it up for travel knitting. This was how far I'd gotten before the trip. The color is pretty close to perfect in this photo - the silk makes it glow.

 

Just a note:  The charts are right, but the legend for the charts is missing one of the directional twists. After studying one of the two charts against the legend, which only showed one example of that cable stitch, I'd just assumed it was the same cable on both sides. Should have known better, but I did most of this work in fits and starts during a busy week. At least it's consistently wrong. Usually I mark the cable stitches with different highlight colors, but this seemed so easy. Famous last words in knitting huh? So ... check the errata like I should have!

(Following is copied from Ravelry. I know many of you are on Ravelry, but not everyone...)

Final comments:  Loved knitting this yarn and at this moment it's blocking well. I got and held gauge on the recommended needles, which is rare for me. If I find an issue with the wear I'll note it, but right now I really like it. The sheen is fabulous and it flies off the needles.

Used the Knit Picks harmony wood needles for the first time. I really liked them with this project. They have sharp, sharp tips and a nice smooth finish. No yarn splitting, but the cables were easy to pick and knit cleanly.

The pattern is cute and well written. The only alteration I made was to add two more rows after the last button hole so that the button I wanted to use wouldn't lay above the neckline and to be sure it wasn't too wide on my small shoulders.

I put 6 balls for my usage because I only used a few yards of the 7th ball. If I hadn't added those last two rows and been a bit more conservative with my ball changes I would have finished in six easily. Since I bought 8 I'll be making fingerless gloves.

I really do like these Harmony wood tips - better than Knit Picks' regular metal tips, which just don't replace Addi for me.

By about halfway through the trip most of the knitting was completed. Waited to pick up and knit the sleeve edging and weave in the ends until I was cozy and calm on my own sofa. Finally got it soaked and blocked today. Since it's raining I may have to wait until tomorrow for it to dry completely.

 

Time to pick up the kids and vote. I'll close with the message I found in my inbox this morning from thinkarete.com and one of my moss-obsessed photos from a hike in Appalachia.

"Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival."

~ H.H. The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama also reminds us that “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”

Comments

[Jolanda]

Welcome home! I love the autumncolours.

[Risa]

Welcome home.

Love the sweater! I like the Harmony's too, but didn't love them for my cable-y sweater. I'd rather a more giving wood, like bamboo, than the stiff laminate.

[Nancy]

Thanks Risa. I still love bamboo too and I agree, it’s much more giving. Another plus for the Harmony tips is that they’re very quiet while giving the slippery feel of metal. I spent a lot of time knitting next to people on this trip and it was nice not to be making a noticeable clicking. Sometimes I prefer the friction of bamboo, but with this yarn the smoothness of the laminate was perfect for me. Yet another reason to collect needles -- like I needed one!

[marissa]

Sounds like a wonderful trip, and I love the new sweater.

[Pam]

Love the color of the trees and great sweater.

[moni]

I love that quote. I've been needing to hear things like that lately. I also LOVE your sweater! I want one now!

[Jaime]

All of the pictures are lovely and it sounds like you had a wonderful vacation. :-)

I can't wait to see the sweater being worn, it's very pretty. I like the knitting bag nearby too, did you make it?

Thanks for the quotes, they were much needed optimism.

[Marina]

Where can I find some of the den-m-nit dark indigo yarn to make a sweater??? HELP!!! Thank you so very much, Marina