Letters
Time Travel and Travel Knitting
Dear Ann,
Necessity is the mother of invention. Nature abhors a vacuum. What I’m saying is that when you didn’t plan well and you don’t have the right knitting with you, you get ideas. And sometimes these ideas lead you back in time.
Back in my apartment, with a rapidly diminishing skein of yarn that will not get me to the finish line on my current project, and will certainly not get me from New York to Nashville and back by Saturday (whee—I’m flying around like it’s 2019!)—I started looking around for potential projects.
The Candidates
Eight squares from Julia Farwell-Clay’s Picket Fence Afghan from MDK Field Guide No. 7: Ease.
Been holding onto these since 2018. These were the squares that didn’t make the final cut for the photography sample. We had several knitters making squares for this one, and whenever you have several knitters, you have several gauges. This is not a problem, because if they are arranged strategically, they can be joined with a three-needle bindoff and play together quite happily. (OK, maybe not the pink one. I was definitely the knitter on the pink one.) I need to make at least four (ok, probably five) more squares to achieve afghan size on this one.
Status: Considering/haven’t ruled out. I do have a some balls of (tragically!) discontinued Rowan Denim in reserve, and I also know that in Nashville, there is plenty of Rowan Handknit Cotton, so making those squares is within range.
An entire sweater I had no earthly recollection of making.
This is Jen Geigley’s Main Squeeze Cardigan from Field Guide No. 12: Big Joy, modified to be a pullover, sans pockets, sans ribbing at cuffs and hem, sans everything but the stitch pattern and the raglan sleeves. All that needs to be done here is graft the underarms and weave in the ends.
Status: Rejected. There is not enough work here to get me to the airport, let alone to Nashville and back. Plus, summer is nigh. I will await the motivation of autumn’s chill, and rejoice that I have an instant sweater.
Two Felted Boxes containing remnants from other projects.
On the left, bulky yarns that are left over from a group-knit blanket. On the right, partial balls of sock yarns from every sock I have made in my entire life. I kept them together for purposes of a magnificent scrappy project (to be determined).
My trusty robot Loome Tool. I briefly considered making pom poms with these leftovers, because who doesn’t want to be that lady making pom poms on the plane?
Status: Like a cat who plays more with the box the toy came in than the toy itself, I have a strong urge to make a new set of Felted Boxes. They are so great! So many people have made them!
I made these two, and many others, back in the early oughts. They were for our first book, and I finished them so close to the deadline that they were still damp in the photos. I’ve used them all these years. They are the best type of catchall basket—sturdy but soft, so they can sit safely on any surface.
Sudden flash of inspiration: wouldn’t it be fun to knit a nesting set of Felted Boxes using a Kiki Mariko Rug Kit? Both the rug and the felted boxes call for the same exact yarn (Lamb’s Pride Bulky), and by using one of the kits, I’ll get a pre-coordinated set of colors.
But which kit colorway? Original? Blue? Heather? Upon arrival at MDK World Headquarters, I’m heading straight to the Kiki Mariko aisle. Problem solved—prepare yourself, washing machine!
Late Breaking Development/Disinterment
Well, would you look at this fine fellow. She popped out of a cupboard, all tidy in a Field Bag with the needles and yarn in it, and that copy of Field Guide No. 7 I thought I’d lost.
It’s a Sail-Away Shawl, God’s perfect travel knitting, off to a good start, and many soul-soothing rows to go.
Thanks, 2018 Kay, for setting this travel knitting up so nicely for me. If I’d finished it then, I couldn’t be knitting on it now, which is why I never judge myself harshly for letting projects marinate.
Love,
Kay
OOOOOOH, that Sail Away is lovely! Blue and white stripes ARE summer, aren’t they?
That pink square is my fave, Kay 🙂
I love the one pink square in there also.
I’ve just been going through the same dilemma. A very good dilemma to. I’m going to Greece and that’s a lot of knitting time. I’ve decided on the Picket Fence Afghan as the perfect Each square is an easy, manageable unit, but there are lots of them
I love that pink square mixed in with the others, and the one with the purple stripe. They would make a fine afghan together! Don’t leave them out!
SaraDembo, are you a knitter? Me, too! Come see me when you are in Nashville.
As you are adding more squares, you can add more splashes of color. Sorbet orange, apple green, lemon yellow, the purple from the other square.
I really like the pink square! But the idea from Mandasmom makes it an intentional idea. You could limit to 3 of the 12 squares ( from Japanese needlework idea of using odd numbers of motifs ) Or, if you have the right yarn, make a bigger afghan with more color.
I feel this post so much! I’m traveling for the first time since 2019, and spent twice as many days worrying about what I’d bring for travel knitting as I’ll be away. (I settled on bringing 3 different WIPs…2 months’ worth of knitting…you know, in case I get stranded somewhere, LOL.)
Project packing takes some thought! I love the felted boxes and have been pondering the math to make one the right size for all of those folders that I have stacked and stowed.
Have a great time in Nashville. xo
Folders!!! Oh my gosh I never thought of using them for folders. And I am in the midst of a paperwork-organizing mania.
I love the colored squares I absolutely love the little felted boxes and I have that field guide so it’s on the agenda. What I really love is that you can find projects tucked away and you shouldn’t feel bad that you left them because they will come to you at the right time!
Funny! I love your articles and the way you think. You made me laugh this morning. Yes! Who doesn’t want to be that lady on the plane making pom poms!
Please! A video of that lady making pompoms in the plane!
I discovered MDK when my grandmother give me your first book as her very last birthday present to me. The felted box was one of the first things I made! and now I just finished a Kiki Mariko rug for one kid and I’m working on one for the other kid, so I have a ton of different colors of lamps pride bulky. Looks like some more felted boxes are in my future! Sounds wonderful.
I kind of love being the person knitting on a plane. That is another thing to look forward to post pandemic!
LAMB’s pride, Siri!
I love your thought process Kay! That pink square though, lovely! Don’t exclude it.
Oh, can I come with you, to fly away ? (+back of course!)
Many great ideas here in this post. I immediately went to my craft library (ha-ha bedside bookcase) and got both of your books, so lovely they are, and looked up the felted boxes, and then saw more felted items.
There is leftover “Kiki rug” yarn in the omnipotent stash, so there it is – a good summer project since flying away is still beyond-but-sometime-later in my to-do-wishes.
My biggest decision when traveling is what knitting will I bring. Having a variety of WIP’s helps!!
It’s so comforting to know others find these bags or stashes with the missing needles not seen in forever as well as the pattern book. I guess that’s all part of the knitting life.
Bring all the projects, just in case. That should be enough to get you to Nashville. Pack a few sandwiches, too. A sudden blizzard might leave you stuck on the tarmac somewhere. . .
That Sail Away will be beautiful.
This post really made me smile. It’s been awhile since I left a project hanging for years, but I have definitely done that!
Kay, As soon as I saw your first photo in this post, I was taken to some felted boxes I made for four friends (plus one for me) from that book. And, yes, more would be good. Thanks for the memory!
Contemplating cruising again, and think I may take an extra suitcase with ALL my unfinished projects, in case we get quarantined somewhere…
I made a medium size felted box with leftover yarn from my Kiki Mariko rug. Just enough yarn to make each side a different color. It’s quite colorful and sorta cute. It will hold a small project.
I’ll need to get more yarn to make more boxes.