Spring Travel Knitting

I can’t help but over-pack knitting projects when I travel. What if there’s a problem with the project I packed? What if it isn’t suitable for the activity I’m taking part in on a given day? What if I want to keep knitting, but my hands need to work with a different size needles?

For my recent trip to Minnesota, I decided that I didn’t want to pack one of the two sweaters I have on the needles because they would have taken up too much space in my suitcase. Since I didn’t have any small projects going, I hit my ravelry queue for a project that I already had stash yarn earmarked for. And ended up with three.
The first is La Parisienne Beret [rav link] in Noro Silk Garden Sock, which I’m working from both ends of the skein. I cast on the ribbing during my first flight of the trip, and the beret would be finished by now if I had been paying attention–I managed to knit an extra inch before beginning the crown decreases, so it’ll be a little slouchier. I’ve been recovering from comprehensive exams by spending a fair amount of time lounging on the couch, and this has been a nice, easy knit to accompany me.

I chose this project back when I was working at the yarn shop and Missoni was a big deal because of the Target collaboration. I had originally thought this hat was for me, but once I began knitting I realized it was actually meant for someone else. I have a few friends in mind–we’ll see who ultimately gets it.
The second project, which I cast on while watching TV with my parents, is a lace scarf called Kernel [rav link] from an old issue of Knitty. I’m knitting mine out of a Three Irish Girls fingering weight yarn, but I’ll have to report back on the exact yarn and colorway in another post. This scarf is supposed to have beads in the garter band between the edging and main lace pattern, but I omitted them to make this project more travel friendly (and because I was leaving the next morning). I had a great time knitting on this project while chatting with my grandma and aunt after Easter dinner.

The third project needs some sorting out, perhaps due to pattern errata, thereby definitively proving that it is, in fact, necessary to bring three knitting projects with you on a week-long, jam-packed trip.