I think I have said before that I have a tendency (as do most of you) to over pack stitching projects when headed on vacation. It is just really frightening to imagine being without knitting, should I somehow knit through all of the yarn that I brought. Today I leave for Prague (yay!) for a week. In addition to the 8 hour flight to Munich and then one hour flight to Prague, there are all the cold nights in bars and restaurants to fill with good solid stitching time. I have narrowed it down to four projects…I think:

Socks

Sock projects fit into small purses and pockets and are super handy for discreetly stitching during a tour of a brewery, for example. I rummaged through my sock stash last night and selected one skein of String Theory self striping yarn in the fibre space colorway that we had awhile back and one skein of a sport weight hand dye that I picked up at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival a few years ago. I figured that if the tiny needles on the first one make my hands hurt, I can change to the US#3 and sport weight yarn. Both will be simple ribbed socks, so no pattern involved here.

Sweater

Photo by Brooklyn Tweed

Nothing says vacation like a new sweater project to cast on. I am teaching a lace pullover class on the Peabody sweater from Brooklyn Tweed and really should get it knitted soon! I wanted to use one of the new colors of LOFT, so I am double stranding it. My first swatching attempt resulted in a horribly tight fabric on US#6 needles…which I shouldn’t have been using anyway because the pattern calls for #7. i have no idea what I was reading. So now I have to try #7 needles. This will probably happen on the plane. At least my husband won’t be there to yell about my need to soak a swatch on an airplane. Traveling with other people who carry sharp pointy things can be handy. They don’t judge.

Mittens

Yeah, remember those fair isle mittens that I was knitting for this trip? They look exactly the way they did when I posted about them last. The fair isle mitten curse continues…it is my hope that I will knit a thumb and part of the mitten on the airplane. The handy fold down tray thing is pretty well positioned for fair isle chart reading. It’s not like I have anything else to distract me for 8 hours.

The other random thing

The problem now is that I am here at the shop and tempted to grab more yarn and throw it in my bag for some last minute emergency project to knit to keep me warm while in Prague. I already did this two nights ago when I whipped up a pair of One Cable Mitts in BSA Worsted Hand Dye. It took about two hours. Right now I am thinking that the Elizabeth Hat by Jane Richmond would  match them nicely and give me a “set” in theory..not that I have ever had a matching set of anything. I can have dreams though, right?

Elizabeth by Jane Richmond

Burnham Mitten pattern by Brooklyn Tweed in LOFT

Since new Year’s Resolutions never seem to work for me, can I claim a resolution that I have already fulfilled? I can say that my resolution was to do something new. I cast on for the Burnham mittens (seen left) that I talked about a couple of weeks ago. Shortly into the pattern is a Latvian braid…something that I have never done. It isn’t actually difficult at all, just annoying for the most part. It makes the yarns get all twisted up but if you leave them alone, they untwist on the next section of the braid, which twists back in the opposite direction.  So I have officially completed a Latvian braid this year and we are only 6 days in.. The second “new” thing that I have done is to finish a fair isle mitten. Those of you that have followed the blog for awhile have probably seen your fair share of fair isle mittens come across the screen. I have yet to finish a single mitten, let alone a pair. I really really want to say that I have knitted an entire matching set of fair isle mittens. So here is my best attempt. Most of the fair isle was knitted on one Sunday while sitting at the shop. This means that I should be able to knit a pair of fair isle mittens in a weekend, but I know this can’t be true. If it were, I would have lots of fair isle mittens.  This one is almost done. Mostly done. Just about an inch for the thumb. Does this count?

As you can see, the dogs are “helping.”

Do you knit holiday gifts for your co-workers? Do you feel like it’s a chore you have to do or have you found a way to make it fun?

At customer Trish’s office they have a Santa hat contest every year so that one of her lucky co-workers can win a handknitted hat!

They play games like “race to wrap a present”, “pin the pom-pom on Santa’s hat”, “complete the Christmas song lyrics”, and Christmas trivia to pick the winners.

Wrap faster!

Here are a few determined competitors in the “draw a Christmas tree & ornaments with the paper on your head” contest!

How does my tree look?

Want to make your own Santa hats for your officemates?

Lucky winners!

The two hats here are (on the left) Penny’s Santa Hat, knit in aran weight on US 9 needles and (on the right) our very own Whimsical Holiday Hat which knits up SUPER fast on US 17 needles!

Happy knitting to all! Eat a bunch of Christmas cookies, have some eggnog, and don’t work too hard!

Artfully Chocolate 2003 Mt Vernon Avenue

Many of you know that I have a love affair with Artfully Chocolate. When Eric opened in Del Ray a few years ago, I was smitten…he sells chocolate for petes sake! We have partnered on several events, and I think this has resulted in a few more converts to the world of fine chocolate. Knitters seem to understand why a high quality chocolate is better..it’s like a high quality merino. He has this chocolate bar with almonds and sea salt that may have helped me get this store open. I think I ate two a week.

So since Eric used to host our classes in his DC shop, I have owed him a knitted prize for quite some time. He is a large part of how we became fibre space.™ Today I finally got his gift done – Men’s Cashmere Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I used Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes. I think I even have enough leftover to whip up a pair of the free “One Cable Mitts” pattern from Blue Sky. (something to keep around for emergency gifting needs).

Cashmere Men's Scarf in Worsted Hand Dyes

I blocked it today during our “emergency last minute knitting and crocheting” at the shop. Every Thursday night we will have our iron and blocking mat out to help you quickly steam those items that you are furiously finishing up for the holidays. There are two Thursdays left! (We had Eric’s amazing cocoa here tonight and promise a treat next Thursday too….)

With this project done, I can now say that I am finished with my holidays. Done. Cards in the mail. Gifts finished and wrapped. DONE. I don’t even know what to do with myself now..I guess I get to start more projects…or finish all the ones sitting on my dining room table. Balance the checkbook? hrm.

Burnham mittens by Leila Raabe - pattern at shop

When I knit things to keep my appendages warm. (well, correction. It is the time of year that I START to knit things that keep my appendages warm. I don’t seem to finish too many). I am currently adding classes like crazy to the winter schedule so part of my project selection is based on what I intend to teach this winter. I am feeling the need for a rather pretty pair of fair isle mittens and the edition of Brooklyn Tweed LOFT to the shop has really made the temptation even worse. I am thinking Burnham by Brooklyn Tweed, worked in one skein of the color Hayloft and one skein of Plume. I like the two fair isle motifs (front and back) on the mittens and the braid of color around the cuff. It was a lot of fun picking from all 32 colors of Loft too! Now to sort out which color to make dominant and which to make the background…

I am headed to the tree lighting ceremony tonight and we have to be there super early! So of course, I will take a project with me. I should take my husband’s Christmas socks but it is entirely too tempting to take these mittens. I already printed the pattern…so yeah, I am kinda screwed on this one.

The Foxhall Glove pattern by Sally Rainey

Sally Rainey of the Rainey sisters just sent me an amazing new glove pattern that she designed in Brooklyn Tweed Loft as well. It is a download on Ravelry. So awesome!!

Don’t ask me how my Loft sweater is coming along.

Brooklyn Tweed Loft - Plume

Brooklyn Tweed Loft - Hayloft

This is the time of year knitters and crocheters look forward to—when we can really justify wearing our wool shawls, cashmere socks, and slouchy hats. Not that this stops me from dressing in handknits the rest of the year, but when the mid-Atlantic chill hits, I especially cherish my craft. This year I’m craving pieces that I can pair together, mostly because that means I can show off more of what I’ve made! I also love the idea of creating unique combinations that can only happen when you make it yourself.

handmake your own luxury

One of my favorite trends is a play on the turtleneck: a pullover with a matching cowl. This textured pairing by Laura Grutzeck, Pullover with Cowl, will keep you warm and chic. When you step into a heated building, simply remove the cowl! Stop by the shop for the pattern and yarn from St-Denis. Knit this in the US-made Nordique for an elegant set in any of our 22 versatile colors. For a hand-dyed option, Miss Babs Yummy 3-ply is a lovely superwash merino yarn in gorgeous, nature-inspired colors.

State Street Cowl by Raveler Botzy

Unite a geometric stitch pattern with the State Street Cowl and Monkey socks. I’d love to knit this cowl in the light and fluffy Sirdar Big Bamboo. The stitches appear to float in this yarn, and the misty color palette is perfect for misty weather. This is going to be one of my gift-knitting favorites—super chunky, machine washable yarn is crucial this time of year! Knit coordinating socks in gorgeous SweetGeorgia BFL Sock, as the saturated colors are sure to brighten your day.

One for you, one for me

Stitch something warm for you and your favorite person with He Said She Said. This design features a swirling stitch pattern, and two skeins of Sublime Chunky Merino Tweed will make a couple almost as cute as the two of you.

The Nae shawl and Kozue hat duo has been created with a dilemma in mind: you need two skeins of sock yarn to knit the shawl, but you end up with half a skein left over. Make this beautiful, quiet shawl design in our new arrival SpaceCadet Celeste, and whip up a matching hat with the rest. Stop by the shop to check out these yarns in person!

Last weekend the wonderful ladies of Kelbourne Woolens, authors of Vintage Modern Knits, were in town for a color work workshop. Having totally failed to complete any of the plaid projects that I had planned to complete before this workshop, I spent Saturday morning tearing apart my sweater stash looking for something appropriate to wear. I came up with several hats designed by either Kate or Courtney and several sweaters knitted in their yarns, but I couldn’t quite put my hands on the sweater that I thought I owned. I had vague memories of having knitted something from their book in Terra but couldn’t figure out what it was and was thoroughly confused about it not existing in my closet. After about 40 minutes of putting on various outfits and not really finding what I was wanting, I realized that the sweater that I was thinking of was the Brigid Jacket that we hosted as a knitalong back in February. I found it in one piece in my yarn stash, the sleeves set in and one of the two side seams seamed up…but no button bands. I gathered the silly thing up and went to work and set out to finish it before the ladies arrived. I did have to sew on the buttons while we were standing in line for lunch, but it is done!

Several rather dedicated folks did finish and wear plaid things that day and brought them all upstairs to show off to Kate and Courtney. The hats that Trudy, Lesley and Jane are wearing is the Bismark hat by Kelbourne Woolens – available at the shop. It uses two skeins of Road to China (yum!) and is worked in the round. The sweater that Jennifer is wearing is a completed Emerson (also available at the shop).  She is the only person who actually finished this sweater. It is most definitely not worked in the round. Flat fair isle is not for the weak at heart. I appear to be weak..mine is in hibernation until further notice.

I don’t usually recommend that a bride knit items for her wedding. I was talked out of this very activity a couple of years ago when I had the grand idea of knitting my flower centerpieces. (well, mostly by my stepmother who insisted that a wedding wasn’t a wedding without real flowers). I imagine though that the knitting world would probably have tried to convince me that it was a bad idea as well. The last thing we need when planning a wedding is a high pressure knitting job too. So when Sarah told me that she was going to make shrugs for her brides, I probably gave her a big speech about it being a terrible idea. But she just sent me the photos from the wedding…and I must admit that I was wrong.

No matter how much stress or work or whatever this may have (or may not have) caused her, it was absolutely worth it. These photos are stunning. She created an amazing one of a kind gift for these ladies and added a unique and stunning element to her wedding. And the COLORS! I love the colors, I love the vintage vibe of her dress which matches the bolero so nicely. I love everything about it…makes me wish I had actually had a wedding with bridesmaids.

Sarah used the ruffled bolero pattern available from Ravelry. The flowers were the peony from 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet. The yarn is Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK by Sirdar which is a wonderful blend of merino and bamboo that is machine washable and has a nice shine to it, like a silk blend.

Fair Isle floats when you are lazy.

I may have convinced a few folks to knit the Emerson sweater with me. I got very ambitious and started with the left front section, instead of something easy like the back or a sleeve. The fair isle on this sweater is only on the left and right fronts, making nearly two thirds of the sweater rather fast and straightforward but also making the fronts just not fun, as they are fair isle worked FLAT. This means changing between colors while purling. If you hate to purl, try doing it with one color on each hand. It requires patience and concentration. I don’t have either.

After looking at the chart, I thought that floating the yarn across the 5 or 6 sts that it would need to float wouldn’t be all that bad and besides, it was just one less thing that I had to worry about on those fun purl rows. (I am a lazy colorwork

Back of Emerson sweater about half way finished.

knitter) So i rocked about half the left front without wrapping the two colors or catching the float with the other color. Then I realized what a mess that was making. So I started to grab the floats for the remainder of the left front. (See this tutorial on how to catch the floats.) The fabric so so much better now. It will probably be noticeably better even after I block it, so that portion of the sweater may end up with a big ol pocket on it…pockets are great for hiding things. I got the back of the sweater cast on and after a grueling 4″ of 1×1 rib, we were off to the races. Sadly, I had to put the project aside for a bit to focus on more pressing matters:

So remember my debate on what to knit while in Seattle, and the battle that occurred in flight when my husband wouldn’t let me block my swatch for the Shadow sweater? Well the class that I am teaching on this very sweater is now frightening close, and I have to knock out a bit of it before class starts Thursday night. yikes! So I put away my Emerson for a bit and got about half of the sleeve done last night. Fortunately, the cables are actually super easy to memorize and I haven’t needed the chart for awhile.

Shadow in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter

Shadow - Wool People / Brooklyn Tweed

Class details:

Cabled Pullover – Thursdays, September 22, 29 and Oct 6th (second session starting in October!)

Experience required – previous experience knitting a sweater. Ability to work in the round, increase and decrease. Cabling experience is also helpful but not necessary.

Tweed Baby Blanket pattern by Jared Flood in Cascade Eco Wool. Pattern and yarn available at the shop.

yet I can’t seem to product sweaters. I have half of the left front done on the plaid fair isle thingy that I managed to convince several of you to knit with me. Are you doing any better on it? In the meantime, I finished the top secret blanket project for my uncle and his new wife. The natural wool colors and blanket itself were picked out by a good friend of theirs who has seen their condo and knows their taste better than I do. I am pretty happy with the finished results, although picking up the one million stitches around the outside for the feather and fan border was not my cup of tea. And it was only two months late…

Wool Leaves by Jared Flood in Berroco Remix. Pattern and yarn available at the shop.

I also knocked out the Wool Leaves pattern in Remix for my friend in England who is due…well, right this moment. I think she is now overdue. (a good thing since it has to fly the whole way to England…) I used two strands of Remix held together and dropped the needle down to a US #10.5. While it worked out really nicely, holding two strands of a cotton blend yarn together wasn’t super fun. It doesn’t have a lot of give. The second time around on this one, I think I would probably switch to lace pointed needles so that the PSSO and K2tog weren’t as annoying. The yarn is wonderful though and will be machine washable and super soft for baby. It will blend nicely with Katie’s sheep themed nursery. I did soak it for quite awhile and dried it flat but the leaves still wouldn’t lay flat. So I brought it into the shop and steam ironed it on one of those handy Block and Roll mats. That seemed to do the trick! So it went out in a nice little box to Katie and her new little one. I also sent along two fabulous sheep from the Spud and Chloe on the Farm book!

Spud and Little Brown Sheep in Spud and Chloe Sweater.

Bismark by Kelbourne Woolens - available at the shop

So last week Jane decided to knit this adorable beret from Kelbourne Woolens. She comes in and says, “So I am knitting this plaid hat” and I said, “what plaid hat?” and she said, “This new plaid hat from Kelbourne Woolens” and she showed it to me. So I declared that I would knit this plaid hat. So I grabbed some yarn and needles and took it home immediately, intending to knit it up in a night or two. Of course, I got distracted and it is still sitting at home. Jane has already finished her plaid hat and taunts me. In the meantime, I realized that the same stitch pattern was also on another Kelbourne Woolens pattern, Emerson. I ordered both patterns last week so that we would have TWO fabulous plaid patterns at the shop.

Emerson pattern from Kelbourne Woolens

Today I found some suckers fellow knitters to join me in knitting this sweater, including Jane (might be payback for her getting me all excited about the plaid hat). Without a fire under my butt, not a whole lot is getting done these days in the way of sweater knitting. My inability to finish things is so chronic that I have actually started two sock projects in the last five days. Great. I have no shot of finishing socks either.

Here are some color selections that folks have already picked out. (Folks that I may have forced to knit this sweater with me)…I am going for the purple and red in Thaki Donegal Tweed and Lesley already has a sweater quantity of Organik in Atoll, so she is going to use that from her stash and just pick up the white. Jane chose the brown and green, mixing Donegal Tweed with the softer Tara Tweed and Michelle is using the Donegal Tweed in the same purple and a fab green. So if you also think you need a nerdy hip cardigan, grab some yarn and join our knitalong! I really really want this sucker done in September. If it isn’t, it might drag on for months. I also think it might be fun to show up to the Kelbourne Woolens workshop all dressed in our Emerson cardigans…with pencils and rulers and pocket protectors.

Project Details

Necessary Skills: knitting, purling, increasing, decreasing, fair isle

Yarn: Fibre Company Organik (100 yards) in MC: 9 (10, 12, 13, 14, 15) and in CC: 2 (2, 3, 3, 4, 4) skeins

To fit bust: 30 (34, 38, 42, 46, 50) inches

Gauge: 20 sts and 21 rows = 4″ in Fair Isle on larger needles

18 sts and 22 rows = 4″ in stockinette stitch on larger needles

Needles: US #8 (5 mm) needles and US #6 ( 4.25 mm) needles and 40″ circular

Notions: stitch markers, tapestry needle

Optional notions: pens and pocket protector

A lovely customer stopped by this morning and asked how we all were doing, as she had not seen a post from us in quite some time. I didn’t believe her until I opened up the site and saw that our last post was a full ten days ago…I guess last week was a little nuts? I wish that I could say that an earthquake and hurricane meant that lots of stitching happened, but that would be a lie. I hope that the possible end of the world proved to be more successful for the rest of you. The only thing that I have to show for it is a completed Albers Cowl..something that I have had completely done for at least a week or more but just hadn’t seamed up. Like any last minute crafter, I was motivated to finish the darn thing last night with only a few minutes to spare before we left for the Cirque de Solei show in Baltimore. I thought it would be quite festive at the show and would help keep me warm in the cold arena. This isn’t the first time that I have skipped putting on makeup or properly styling my hair because I wasn’t completely done MAKING my wardrobe  for the evening. I once made two out of town guests wait for me to finish knitting a ribbed sweater so that I could wear it out that night. I freely admit that I get a bit fixated on a project needing to be done for a certain occasion and then force everyone around me to wait for me finish it before said occasion is allowed to begin.  Hey, at least it forces me to finish things…as we know that is a problem.

So here it is, my Albers Cowl in all its glory. I loved this project! I have no idea what all of these yarns are…they were all scrap pieces in my stash. I know that there are several colors of Neighborhood Fiber Company. The great yellow is Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock. The pop of red is Dragonberry from Dragonfly. The deep rich purple is Wollmeise (aka unobtainium). Ok, so it looks like I DO know what all of the yarns are!

Yesterday when our order of Malabrigo Rasta arrived, I was doing ok. I didn’t even open the bags. Our staff put out the boxes at 10% off, and people started coming through the door and rummaging through the boxes. Then Marsha came in. She started making a pile. She said that she likes to keep the Rasta in her stash for emergency knitting projects. She had recently been told that she was attending someone’s birthday party and needed a fast gift. Rasta could be worked up into a scarf in just a couple of hours. She said it was “stockpiling” (since that word sounds so much better than “hoarding.”) Those of you who know me well, know that I am the polar opposite of a hoarder. The same anxiety that causes someone to hoard is what causes me to purge. I can’t keep things. If something has been around for too long and I have forgotten that it exists, it gets pitched. Then later I will regret having tossed or donated the item, but the need to purge is strong. So for me, “stockpiling” Rasta has never occurred to me. But Marsha has a point…I am often in a situation where I wish I had something pretty and superbulky to work up fast for a gift. Since the Rasta never sticks around for more than a few days, Marsha got me to “stockpile.” I have made myself quite a pile in my red cube…so much so that my purse doesn’t fit in there this morning. I know that much of this will end up back out. Or someone will come in desperate for a hank and I will give up one of my squirreled away hanks…but it is a nice start to my “stockpile.” This is why we keep that Marsha around. She is a smart lady.

So this pile of Rasta got me to thinking…what else can I do with one hank of Rasta on the fly for a gifty? Certainly, no one needs to knit more Marion Cowls. Here were some ideas:

For Baby – Shrug Bug

Paid Ravelry download

Photo by Gina Bonomo

For adult hands – Super Funky Bulky Mitts

Available as a free Ravelry download

Photo courtesy of Amy Swenson

For adult neck – Cozy Cabled Cowl

Available as a free download on Ravelry

Photo courtesy of Amber Adrington

For Baby’s Head – Lele Baby Hat

Available for free on Ravelry

Photo courtesy of Vania Jenny

For adult head – Speedy Cabled Beret

Available as a free download on Ravelry

Photo courtesy of Paulina Chin

So then part of me wants to grab a bunch of the black and knit this from Teva Durham’s new book…but I don’t think that will fit in my cube.

Photo from Loop-d-Loop Lace

I have now been back from Seattle for one or two weeks, who knows. I have completely lost track of time lately. I don’t care to get on an airplane again for months.

Albers Cowl project on the ferry to Bainbridge Island

While in Seattle, I made a point of visiting a couple of yarn shops, of course. Mostly as an excuse to buy sock yarn…which I feel is the perfect thing to purchase while traveling. It fits well in a suitcase and there is usually some sort of locally dyed yarn to snatch up. My first yarn store pilgramage was in fact, quite a pilgrimage. We boarded a ferry and traveled across the water to Bainbridge Island to Churchmouse Yarns & Teas. The shop is another of the Brooklyn Tweed SHELTER stores, so I feel like we are sister shops in a way. I met all of their staff, including their wonderful owner Kit. The store is just lovely. It has soft lighting and huge comfy spaces. The fixtures are all wood and feel like furniture pieces. They have a fabulous selection of Habu Textiles and a great little display for this lady’s book..who may look familiar to some of you. Our shops couldn’t be more different in look and feel, but I just loved the place. I could spend a bit of time with a cup of tea in one of their comfy chairs with some knitting needles.

Olga's Book and Habu Textiles at Churchmouse Yarns & Teas

I picked up some Socks that Rock while I was there, of course. It is still my favorite sock yarn base. I have an entire collection of the yarn and eventually will actually knit socks with it. Because I fell down and had some sort of money spending accident at the Fleuvog store in Seattle, I now have three new pairs of shoes that show off hand knit socks quite well..so some motivation to start making some!

My yarn score at Fiber Gallery in their bright lounge and classroom space

My next yarn shop was the Fiber Gallery, which is just north of the city but a short car ride.  Loved this shop. Their inventory is rather similar to ours actually. They carry quite a bit of Blue Sky Alpacas, Spud and Chloe, Malabrigo, Madelinetosh, Berroco and Cascade. Even some of our smaller companies, like O-Wool, were represented there. I picked up these two skeins of sock yarn from Hazel Knits, a local company. Lovely stuff. The owner was marvelous. Definitely a must see when you are out that way.

While we were in Seattle for a wedding, we did manage to get quite a bit of sightseeing in. We did the “adult version” of the underground tour, which was spectacular. We had a cheesey guide who told silly stories, but seeing the underground of Seattle was really cool. If you aren’t aware, Seattle actually has an entire story of buildings under the sidewalks that they built on top of…it’s a little odd. While on the tour, we spotted this very yarn bombed park, which totally made my trip. Every tree and lamp post was covered in brightly covered wraps. Amazing.

Overall, the trip was really fab. I did get a lot of work done on our fall schedule too! So be sure to check it out. I am still adding thing today but a great deal of classes are already posted. I also managed to get my albers cowl almost entirely finished and will post pictures of that this week. But I think I did also purchase more yarn than I knitted with..which makes it seem like I moved backwards a bit.

Yesterday was a long long day. I didn’t realize how long it was until I added three to the time in Seattle and came to the realization that I had been traveling for nine hours. Seattle is really really far away…in case you weren’t aware. I definitely wasn’t aware until now. Also, for more math fun, subtract 30 from the temperature in DC right now and that is the temperature here. I am actually freezing here. I should be in sweaters, hats and pants. Instead I am walking around like a confused tourist in flip flops and a t-shirt…shivering.

Swatch for Shadow pattern from Wool People / Brooklyn Tweed done in SHELTER Pumpernickel

Anyways, our first flight was at 6 am so there was not much knitting happening at that hour. By the time we endured a two hour layover in O’Hare, I had almost completed my swatch for the Shadow Sweater, which is ultimately what I decided to knit while I was gone.  I also took along my Albers Cowl project, which hasn’t been touched since I returned from Mexico. So anyways, after we reached the second plane and finally got to our seat, I needed to block my swatch and was anxious to do so. The didn’t want to lose my momentum on the sweater and really wanted to cast on right away. I asked my husband to please let me out so that I could ask for a cup of water to block my swatch.  (the plane wasn’t going anywhere for awhile and were just sitting there waiting for everyone else to board.) He was horrified. Really. Quite horrified. He told me that we “aren’t flying on fibre space air” that the plane was “not my personal yarn shop” and that there wasn’t “a swift and ball winder in the cockpit for me to use either.” He absolutely insisted that I could not leave my seat to go get a cup of water to block a swatch. He acted like I was insane for even asking. I found this to be rather unreasonable so I tried to flatten the swatch by smothering it with my hot sweaty hands…which didn’t work at all but did keep me from getting violent on an airplane with my husband in order to get him to move out of the way. So I just got frustrated and put the project away and worked on the Albers cowl. Silly husbands and their unreasonable expectations. Don’t they know that knitters are nuts?

First of three squares for the Albers Cowl