How Low Can She Go? Plus, International Knitting Adventures!

I am projectless at the moment. At least, I am as projectless as a knitter can ever be. Let me rephrase. I am stuck in Knitting Limbo--the time when, after having both celebrated and mourned the end of the last project, the knitter dabbles in an aimless sort of way through a variety of UFOs and UFOs-to-be--seeking purpose, substance and sustenance in a hefty project of shawl, sweater or blanket proportions.

I have stash. I have patterns. I have even tried matching stash to patterns with little success, although that could be a subconscious passive-aggressive ploy to buy more yarn. I have one thrummed mitten finished, and 9/10 of a mitten to go. I do not like thrummed mitten knitting. It is very hard on the wrists and hands. Whine.

I am preparing for the beach, which means I must prepare my travel knitting arsenal. I placed a rush order from KnitPicks last night for Options US4 and 5, plus a copy of Cables Untangled, or something like that. The size 4 needles are (cross your fingers) to get correct gauge for Bryan's Beanie. They are also for the Crinoid Shawl (which is sitting next to the stash, looking forlorn, gazing up at me and saying, "knit me. Please knit me. I'll be so sad if you don't."). The size 5 are my insurance policy in case I guessed wrong about the 4s. The book is for seaside reading.

I'm not sure how well knitting and sand are going to go together. I have a feeling I need to get a new, beach-ready tote. I don't want to get my favorite (and only) knitting tote sandy.

Last year I finagled internet access at the beach by reprogramming some defaults, fiddling with the router and resetting some passwords. I do not know what awaits us this year, as we are in a new house. I also do not know how long I will be at the beach, so... if there is no blogging for a couple weeks... I'm sure your drug yarn of choice will help you cope.

Side track:
One of the upsides of Knitting Limbo is that I spend more time reading random knitting blogs, linking to links of blogs I like and having a grand time of it. I recently came across Bagatelle while searching for help translating this pattern, and am now damned curious to try Evilla 8/2. I'm not normally one for variegated yarns, but I love the transitions and blending. And it's Icarus, and I have a pattern for that! I still think I'll make Icarus in Suri Elegance as suggested; I like the stitch definition. Or, perhaps, Silk Maiden, or whatever it's called, from Hand Maiden yarns, after seeing this rendition. Ah, Handmaiden Lace Silk. What appears to be a full line of Evilla is available from wollsucht.de. My German is a bit rusty--but, you know, love makes all things possible, and boy do I love buying yarn. Also check out the evilla website... some of their projects are marvelous, especially in the "pattern pullovers" and "hats, gloves, scarves" categories.

In closing, you know you have a knitting problem when:
-- before you leave for vacation, you search for yarn shops near where you'll be staying.

I found three.

This should be a good vacation.