Busy Knitting

I've been a very busy girl this last ten days. I may have been on vacation, but well, that's a vacation from housework and motherhood, NOT ever a vacation from knitting. When we go on vacation, we go to relax and enjoy ourselves and do what we like, right? Well, I like to knit. I don't mind going to the beach as long as I don't have to drive. The long car ride is a pain in the butt if you're driving, but if you are a passenger . . . . well, it's lovely knitting time (provided you don't have issues with car sickness, which I don't). So I knit for six hours on the ride down and another six on the ride back (well, unless we run into darkness coming or going).

So, on the ride down there, I finished the green hedgehog but then had to rip it back out because the double stranded fun fur was too thick and I was sure it wouldn't ever felt properly. Then I reknit it. Lovely trip. Then while down there, I always get at least an hour in the morning while Hubby goes to the gym and works out - and sometimes it's two or more hours. Then he comes home and we go to the beach or pool which is good for another hour or two (sometimes even more). Then it's back to the shack for an afternoon rest - which is prime knitting time, usually two or more hours or as long as it takes to fall asleep - he usually goes to the pool and the kids play gameboy or read. Then out to a lovely dinner and as long as I haven't overindulged on wine, I'll get another two to three hours when I get home.

Needless to say, I like going to the beach and I like vacations. I carry a LOT of yarn with me - just in case. Funny, there's no local yarn shop at the beach - the lady who used to run the one and only in town told me that nobody that far south ever used wool, so she didn't carry it. Any wonder that her shop went belly up? There are a couple 30 minutes or more away, but I'm usually not interested in the drive in a town I am not familiar with, so don't bother.

Anyway, on this trip, I cast on and knit about 6" on the flat feet (shown above). I'm now ready to turn the heel. It's another new pattern that I made up and I kinda like it, so I just might write it down. I also turned the heel on the Austermann Step socks after knitting them to the turning point, ripping them back almost to the toe and then reknitting them to the turning point. Now it's up to the ribbing and then they are done - but it's lace and I need to move stitches and I can come up with ten more reasons to let them sit for a while. I also knit two hedgehogs on this trip - one green with green fur and one beige with brown paws and beige/brown/many colored fur. They are currently indisposed (read: in the washing machine) so cannot have their pictures made. I'll need to order eyes and noses as they cannot be found locally, so they'll be a few days in seclusion before they join their little brown & beige pal.