The Travel Knitting Dilemma

Work is progressing nicely on my Gatsby Girl as well as my Ridged Feather Socks. Yesterday we went to visit our kids at camp and that meant a 3-hour+ round-trip car ride. I worked on Gatsby Girl on the way up and Ridged Feathers on the way back.

I am almost done with the rib and cable section of the back of Gatsby Girl, and will soon be ready to start the lacier bodice. I am going to use a ball of yarn of a different dye lot for that part as I think the different stitch pattern will help to hide any slight differential in color. I am really loving this pattern so far. I hope the finished product is as nice looking as the WIP!


As for the Ridged Feather socks, they are growing on me. The "In-Place Afterthought or Forethought Heel" was a new experience for me. I am fairly new at provisional cast-ons and that was the most challenging part of this heel. That, and the fact that I had not circled the # of stitches to cast on provisionally for my size, and after I had knitted a few rounds of the heel, I noticed I was short 11 stitches and had to rip out and start over! But the heel turned out lovely, and I now have a new heel in my repertoire. Gotta love Charlene Schurch! I must get her new book.

I am almost down to the toe on these socks, which is good, because we leave for a 10-day vacation in a few days and I need to be strategic about my knitting: what to take on the plane (probably the socks, so I'd like to be well into the leg of Sock #2), what to pack in the suitcase (probably Gatsby Girl, with enough yarn of each dye lot so I won't run out), and perhaps for safety's sake, my Midwest Moonlight scarf, which I haven't worked on much lately but is very portable.

Since we'll be away on August 2, I also mailed my Sockapalooza Pal's socks off to her with the adorable label that Mad Caterpillar designed--thanks, Danielle--it was the perfect way to finish off my project. I can't wait to hear how my pal likes her socks when I return, and I hope I get some too!