After a long travel day Friday, we’re back home from our cruise. Getting through Seattle traffic back home was the worst part of the trip. We got off the ship around 9:30, and didn’t get home until around 5PM (usually about a 4 hour drive). We stopped in Bellingham for lunch, which accounts for part of that, and also picked up Lewey, which was a bit of a detour, but the whole trip back was just painful. Traffic around here is painful at best, and on Friday afternoon turns into horrifying.
I did stop at one yarn shop in Bellingham, but I swear I didn’t buy anything. I wasn’t really even tempted. Next week I’ll hit 150 days with no yarn buying, and the six month mark is coming up.
We didn’t do any significant shopping on the trip. I bought a few books in a shop in San Francisco. How can you NOT buy books in a nice bricks and mortar book shop with real people running it? Of course, I don’t need those any more than I need more yarn. It’s those little personal recommendation cards written by the book shop staff that get me every time. And yes, I have a Kindle, and use it, but there is something about “real” books that I adore.
Here are the other things I bought. We did a tour of the Queen Mary in LA, which was a bit cheesy, but fun.
A Queen Mary tea mug, and Queen coasters!
And what is that little blue thing peeking out in that photo? Could it be a finished Hitchhiker?
Why, yes!
Project Details
Yarn: Wollmeise Pure, color Bluebell
Needles: 3.25 mm Knit Picks Harmony
For: Me
Started/Finished: Started 2/16/16 Finished 4/20/17. Yes, I know that’s ridiculous. It was in time out for months.
Modifications: None
What I Learned: I am likely the last person ever to have made one of these. As of right now, there are 26,921 projects listed on Ravelry. I can see why. This is a great pattern for fingering weight sock yarns, and it’s very easy.
I also learned that my drug dealers scale doesn’t work on a rocking and rolling cruise ship. I was trying to use as much of the yarn as I could, but my scale wouldn’t give me a readout so I just guessed at how much yarn I needed for the bind off. I thought it might be dying on me, but when I got it home and tested on a solid surface, it works just fine. As it turned out, I could have knit a few more repeats, but it’s long enough.
Pattern Rating: ***** This is a well written pattern, no errors, and very easy to follow. I will definitely make more of these, since it’s not like I don’t have any sock yarn hanging about here.
You aren’t getting an action photo with me wearing this for now. The other fun souvenir that I brought home was a wicked upper respiratory infection. I’ve been sick for the past 4-5 days, and I look (and feel) like something that a grizzly bear dragged around the back yard a few times. I’m just hoping this is better tomorrow, since I’m supposed to be back at work. I’m one of those people that tries to drag myself to work even if I don’t feel good, but if it’s something infectious like this, not so much. All my little old people patients really don’t need to catch this. It sort of figures that I’d make it through our horrendous cold and flu winter season and then get this in April on a cruise.
Sigh. I’m off to make a cup of tea for that pretty mug up there.
Author: Lorette
My name is Lorette. I learned to knit in 1999, and took up spinning in 2009. I'm a physician specializing in internal medicine, and live in the Pacific Northwest. Enjoy my blog!
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Awwww….so sorry you caught a bug/virus. Take care of yourself, and feel better soon! How about some honey, lemon, hot water with a little whiskey in there…..wouldn’t hurt???!!!! I so love your posts….all the specs on your finished projects, tidbits of your trips….always enjoy them! Thanks…..
Sorry the bug got you. I hope you heal quickly.
In other news, I need one of those mugs and the coasters. My husband’s pet name for me is Queenie. I have to admit that I come by it honestly.
Books from Book Passage @ Ferry Plaza Bldg? Great, great bookstore.
Going on a cruise ship is kind of like visiting a kindergarten or elementary class room in the fall – guaranteed to expose you to something you haven’t had before.
It’s worth cruising anyway!
and congrats on your first Hitchhiker – they are addicting (and also will consume that 4oz of fine handspun that just isn’t enough for….
I’m with you on the wonderfulness of the Hitchhiker pattern. It seems like I almost always have one on the needles, and yours is especially lovely in that Bluebell. They are addictive, so I bet you’ll be starting your next one soon. Hope you feel better soon!
The shawl and souvenirs look great! Do you have your land legs yet or the cold messing that up?
and now you know why the Hitchhiker is such a great travel pattern.
And if you need more CA souvenirs (grin) just let me know – I would be more than glad to toss them into the mail (yarn? You want yarn?)