there and back again

October is my favorite month. It is when the weather starts cooling down, the leaves turn bright colors, people start wearing scarves, if not coats, and everything is right with the world. Except not this year. My October has been an insane mess of preparing to travel, traveling, coming back to follow up, preparing to travel again, traveling again, and coming back to follow up. It is like an insane fever dream from which I cannot escape.

I'm missing Rhinebeck, some of Spanky's friends who are visiting, and my own bed. I've gained, so far, a new appreciation of the praline and the streetcar as a form of sophisticated travel, and a sober view of the damage of Hurricane Katrina.

Let me explain...

1. First, I spent a week in New Orleans. It was hot and muggy when I got there, and pleasantly mild when I left. I made some new contacts, sold 17 books, and reconnected with some colleagues.

2. I was home for five days. I finished a lot of knitting in that time, namely


a. Stella's Bark Obama sweater. Yes, I did give in. All the proceeds go to help Obama! I knit most of this during my time in New Orleans, but I finished it up this week.



Pattern: Bark Obama by Mysavannahcottage.
Yarn: Knit Picks Merino Style, less than one ball of each color
Needles: Size 6 straight needles
Notes: The pattern was pretty straightforward. I really liked the instructions for the leg holes, and indeed, they fit Stella fine.



The one thing I would do differently next time is increase the number of rows between the neck and the armholes somehow. The sweater ended up being very low on her neck, as you can see. I might have even made it longer, since when I put her harness over the sweater, it did bunch up a bit. All in all though, I think this sweater is going to serve its purpose.


b. cache coeur malabrigo


I finally finished this!



Pattern: "cache coeur bergamo" by Veronik Avery from Weekend Knitting
Yarn: Malabrigo, 2 skeins
Needles: Size 8 and 9 circulars



Notes: I thought this would be an easy project, but OMG it so was not. It has a lot of intense instructions, and the edging almost made me quit, until I changed to aluminum needles. You have to wrap the yarn several times around the needle and drop it later, to make those loops on the edge, and they do not slide on bamboo, my friends. But you know what? When it was done, I was so excited! Those pictures are all taken before blocking, which is probably a good thing, because I think it grew a bit in the blocking process. Also, today was a bit chilly, and as soon as I put the vest on over my t-shirt, I was instantly much warmer. It really does work. I can't wait to wear this over all kinds of shirts. And the colors, which were kind of iffy in the skein, remind me of watermelon, so yay for that! It's a watermelony camouflage effect. And I love the ties, although they're just pinned on in the picture. Somehow I knew better than to block those.

c. garter stitch fingerless mitts, which I am almost done with, made out of this really garish color of artyarns supermerino that I just could not face making socks out of. I was able to squeeze both out of one skein, so with the other, I think I'm going to make a cowl, although I haven't started it yet. I don't have any pictures of these yet, but I will when I get back from Salt Lake City.

3. Which brings me to my next point--I'm on the way out the door again, this time for Salt Lake City. In what part of the country does one put Utah? It isn't the Pacific NW, or the Midwest, or the Southwest, so what do you call it? Just the West?

Anyway, I'll be there for a week too. I'm taking the second sleeve of Spanky's sweater, some really funky yarn from New Orleans, and those garter mitts to finish. I don't think it's going to be enough, but I hear they have yarn stores in SLC, so I think I'll be ok.

Any yarn I get on this trip can be excused as both souvenir yarn and also something to keep me sane, but after I get back, I'm going back on my yarn diet until next year's Rhinebeck, which I am not going to miss. I swear.