Just a Quickie

This will be just a quick post as we are going back to Wyoming tomorrow to pick up the 2 younger boys that have been staying with Grandma and Grandpa since school got out.
And yes, I am making sure that I take several projects to work on in the car while we drive to get the most out of our travel time. If I don't keep my hands busy making something, I end up sleeping alot on the road. When I was school-age and we went on long car trips, if I wasn't sleeping, I was getting sick all over the car. Well, enough of that. I seem to have outgrown alot of the motion sickness business. I have learned not to turn around to look at what is going on behind me too much (like when you try to tell the kids "It's okay if he touches you, just as long as he doesn't hit you!"), or try to read or do any hand work on curvy mountain roads.

I have been working on the Tangled Garden Fair Isle socks. Doing Fair Isle is a challenge and needs to be spelled off with easier projects. I have made some progress though, and am almost to the heel.

And this is the wrong side. I have had a good teacher that has told me how to carry over the yarn on the wrong side, I think it's looking pretty good.

The right side of the sock is definitely more appealing.

I have also been working on the Leaf Lace Shawl byFiber Trends. This too is something that cannot be worked on continuously, or in very distracting circumstances. I have also found out that it is best not to knit on lace when I am too tired, and to count the number of stitches that you have on your needles at the end of the row and see if it matches the number of stitches you are supposed to have at the end of the row. I also learned early on that it is very difficult to knit lace on Addi Turbo needles, the stitches just want to keep on sliding right off the needles! So I am using Bryspum circular needles instead. They seem to hold onto the laceweight yarn enough so that I don't lose everything.

The last time I showed a picture of it, it was only about 1 inch long. I have completed up to row 40, now I just have to keep repeating the last 10 rows with the increasing increases until it is the right length - which should be about 18 repeats of those 10 rows for a total of 427 stitches on the needle. WHEW, that sounds like alot! I sure am glad there isn't a time limit on this thing.

And to your left, a close-up of the leaf pattern. I am soo excited. I have never done anything like this before. I hope and pray for the endurance to see it through, and the ability to keep the stitch count correct!!

I am taking these 2 projects with me to work on during the two day drive out and back. But if they prove to be too much for a car trip, I have a baby hat and matching socks to work on (a gift for a friend), and a sock to finish up for a birthday gift.