Okay, there is no way I am going to finish my Scandinavian Sharf for London.  Even if I did nothing but sleep and knit between now and when we board the plane next week (well, maybe if I did nothing but sleep and knit – but that is not going to happen!). 

Deep sigh.  Move on.

Really, the important thing is that George and I are going to London to see our son Geoff.  In light of that, the sharf is just lovely (and slightly regretted) froth.  And I remind myself that I chose to finish the Lily of the Valley Estonian shawl last month – setting aside the sharf so I could do that.  And I did that – finish the shawl, I mean.  And I will be taking it to London.  So, really, I am okay with the situation.  And I can work on the sharf with less stress and more enjoyment (and someone would probably point out that enjoyment is an integral part of lace knitting – good heavens, it is not like we eat or breathe lace! okay, sometimes I do, but…).

Moving on.

It is time to make some serious decisions about what knitting projects I will take on my trip.  The sharf will stay home – not out of any “sour grapes” attitude on either of our parts, but because it is not a good travel project (a complex chart, long rows that one should not stop in the middle of when one is instructed to board an airplane, long thin wooden needles that might snap if stuffed into a bag abruptly when one is instructed to board an airplane…).

I am bringing the Pineapple Bag – which I had chosen as a good travel project and which has accompanied me on a few sojourns already this Spring.  And I am bringing my Mermaid Socks since socks are good travelers, too. But a third project?  (and, yes, I do need a third project – heck, I usually take 3 projects any time I plan to be gone from home for more than an hour!).  The other projects I have going right now all have characteristics that are detrimental for travel knitting – too many balls of yarn, too much designing involved, not here right now (Sarah is bringing me a couple of our joint projects to work on, but they won’t be here til she is! after we return from London). 

Actually, with Geoff’s Hipster Hat done and my Twinkle top nearly complete (it will be coming to London!), I only have maybe 5 active projects going, counting the ones I mentioned. 

Fortunately, I had “summer and travel” knitting in mind during the South Sound Yarn Crawl and I have my “Color Affection” project waiting in the wings.  A lot of garter and the yarn is pretty compact.  Perfect!  And, good heavens, I just pawed though my needles and found a US 6 32” circular ChiaGoo needle still in the package!  Clearly, it was meant to be.  Okay – gotta go wind some yarn!