{"id":599,"date":"2015-08-11T10:52:25","date_gmt":"2015-08-11T17:52:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/?p=599"},"modified":"2015-08-11T10:52:25","modified_gmt":"2015-08-11T17:52:25","slug":"roadworthy-knitting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.tangledstrands.com\/?p=599","title":{"rendered":"Roadworthy Knitting"},"content":{"rendered":"

I know, I know!\u00c2\u00a0 I promised you an update on the knitting.\u00c2\u00a0 Then Son went back to school and I puddled up for a week.\u00c2\u00a0 And this week I’m fighting off a cold.\u00c2\u00a0 I know what you’re thinking.\u00c2\u00a0 “Didn’t she knit an entire cabled sweater the last time she had a cold?”\u00c2\u00a0 Yeah, I did, but the meds don’t always affect me that way.\u00c2\u00a0 Sometimes I just have a very long, very loopy nap.\u00c2\u00a0 Which is the case this time.\u00c2\u00a0 Unfortunately, that means a crash in productivity too.<\/p>\n

So…road trip knitting.\u00c2\u00a0 What sort of projects lend themselves to knitting in planes, trains, and automobiles?\u00c2\u00a0 Small projects like socks, hats, mittens, and shawls.\u00c2\u00a0 I have a purse with a roomy center pocket that is perfect for stealth stashing small knitting projects like these.\u00c2\u00a0 The muggles don’t know I’ve brought my knitting along – until I pull it out to knit a row, of course.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_20150108_141723_clr_sm\"<\/a>For this summer’s excursions I decided on socks.\u00c2\u00a0 I pulled a pretty wild skein out of my stash and wound it up into two little balls.\u00c2\u00a0 Two balls, instead of one, because I work my socks two at a time from the toe up on two circular needles.\u00c2\u00a0 It makes for some interesting conversations during a plane flight, though probably not as interesting as the ones with knitters who work using five double-pointed needles per sock.\u00c2\u00a0 (Porcupine anyone?)<\/p>\n

“What are you knitting?”\u00c2\u00a0 “Socks.”\u00c2\u00a0 “Oh that’s great!\u00c2\u00a0 I’ve always wanted to learn to knit socks.\u00c2\u00a0 But you are doing them differently…multiple long needles.\u00c2\u00a0 That looks confusing.”<\/p>\n

vs.<\/p>\n

“What are you knitting?”\u00c2\u00a0 “Socks.”\u00c2\u00a0 “Oh, but there are so many points.\u00c2\u00a0 That looks scary!”\u00c2\u00a0 (Runs away, looking back at the knitter suspiciously.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I cast on during the flight to Memphis, knit a little bit during the week at the lake,\u00c2\u00a0 then more knitting on the flight back to Seattle.\u00c2\u00a0 The socks still weren’t finished, so I took them with me to San Francisco and back, finishing them up at a knit night later that week.\u00c2\u00a0 There were car rides and train rides interspersed in there as well.\u00c2\u00a0 Lots of prime sock knitting time.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_20150715_113415_sm\"<\/a>I used up as much of the yarn as possible.\u00c2\u00a0 This meant that I didn’t stop the cuff just under the bulge of my calf, as I usually would.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead I worked a few increases to accommodate and kept right on going, working the ribbing when I felt like the yarn supply was sufficiently low to warrant an ending to the socks.\u00c2\u00a0 Along the way I marveled at the short color changes and the difference between the tiny stripes on the foot and the large zigzags on the legs.\u00c2\u00a0 In my opinion, socks are allowed to be crazy.\u00c2\u00a0 They’re stuck in shoes most of the time, hidden away.\u00c2\u00a0 I would never wear patterns\/colors like these nearer my face.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_20150720_150434_clr_sm\"<\/a>As usual, the new pair of socks are my new favorites.\u00c2\u00a0 Now to sit patiently until boot weather comes along so I can wear them!<\/p>\n

For the knitters:<\/p>\n