what I knit on my vacation

I brought two projects with me: a larger one for knitting at the campsite, and a small one for knitting in the car. That seemed to work out well.

My big project was the Mrs. Darcy cardigan, which I found through Ravelry. This pattern is so cute, and I have high hopes. Did I mention this is my third attempt at a first sweater? I did a gauge swatch this time, so apparently I can be taught. So far I have finished the back, and the size looks good when I eyeball it. Fingers crossed.

My small project, besides the cotton washcloths that I always keep in the car (heaven help me if I ever get pulled over; I'll open my glove compartment and out will fall skeins of Sugar 'n' Cream), was a pair of plain stockinette toe-up socks. I made them as plain as possible, and I'm not doing both at the same time, because I've always had a tendency to get carsick. J became the master of the quick pull-over when I was pregnant. I finished the first sock, but I will probably end up ripping out the last few rows. I did a picot edge and I think I screwed it up, plus I made the sock really short due to my pathological fear of running out of yarn. My plan is to rip back to before the edging, knit the second sock to the same point, then wind what's left into two balls and make them as long as I can.

I just realized both of these projects are using alpaca yarn. There's a fair bit of alpaca joining the stash too . . . perhaps I have a problem.

And, lastly, how I knit on my vacation. Daylight knitting time is at a premium when camping with children, and the campfire doesn't provide much light. (I haven't yet mastered the knitting-without-looking thing, even for stockinette.) What to do?

It worked rather well. Until the moths came out, anyway.