Holiday Knitting - Lake District '09

This evening J and I are leaving for a week in the Lake District and so I have been carefully choosing the contents of my knitting bag.  I have taken most of my Manos Wool Classica in Olive for knitting a vest, some Socks that Rock Mediumweight sockyarn in Kaw Kaw and a skein of laceweight merino, silk and alpaca blend in a berry colour.  So a real range of yarn types and weights to keep me going.

Obviously I am taking all my needles and other notions since you never know what you might need!

The plan is that it shouldn’t take more than a couple of days to finish the two pairs of socks I have on the needles since I am on the second sock in both cases, they are fast knits (historically) and I should get them both finished early in the week.  After all we have several hours of car travelling and at least one sock should get finished in that time.

So I am really looking to start one maybe two projects up in the Lakes.  

There is the Hilja Vest which I really want to be wearing right now at work with a nice white shirt. It has lots of stockinette knitting which should be fast and satisfying.  I think I have been putting it off because I might have to do some conversions with gauge and measuring myself but actually a quiet week away with lots of time to work out the maths is probably perfect.

Next there is the Socks that Rock – I love this colour and I love the base yarn.  I have been looking at completed photos of STR projects on Ravelry for weeks whilst resisting the urge to cast on.  I am taking two different patterns with me that I might use – first the Gullywash socks and secondly the Nutkin socks.  I am considering making a pair for my Mum I think she would love the colour as well and she has already dropped a few hints that in the cold weather my socks are the only things that keep her feet warm. Of the two patterns Nutkin would probably show of the yarn better and isn’t toe up like the other one (I tend to prefer cuff down and yet more than 50% of the socks I have knit so far this year have been toe up!), both of them have a short row heel but this might not bother the recipient as it does me and I do have the technique of creating hole-less wraps pretty much down and perfect now.

Lastly I am taking Victorian Lace today.  Whilst the Melon Stitch Shawl is on hiatus (awaiting the arrival of replacement yarn from Oz) I am not sure I am minded to start another lace shawl project.  However I have two in mind to make for gifts this year and I might discover an urge to get started.  The advantage of starting the gifts now is that a relaxing holiday is a great time to get stuck into the rhythm of a complicated lace project.  Only I will have to be extra careful about the yarn quantities here as I do not want to get stuck again like I did with the Melon Stitch Shawl – running out of yarn mere meters before the finish line.