Talking Knitting

One follow-up thought to the moving thing: The current plan is that I will put most of my stuff in storage when I move, and stay with my mother for a few months while we figure out What's Next; that means that I will have to decide what I want and need to have with me at her place, and not put in storage (not that I won't be able to get things out of the storage, but I doubt it will be simple, so that should be planned on an as-needed, not as-wanted, basis). And I realized recently that, since I am going to Florida for Christmas, I can take advantage of that trip to bring a second suitcase full of stuff to leave there, since $35 to carry 50 pounds worth of stuff is a pretty good deal.

So, now all I have to do* is decide what to bring. So far, I'm thinking some yarn, a few books, and maybe a few pictures, things to make it feel less like a visit and more like my home. Obviously, it can't be anything I'll still need here in MA until I move, so it's a bit of a balancing act. But I'm open to suggestions: What do you think?
*Well, other than buying another suitcase, and some space bags.

It's funny, I can accept that there are roughly 10,000 steps involved in this move more easily than I can accept that I don't know what they all are. Yet.

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Now, it's time to talk about what I've been knitting lately! Given how crazy October is, it's not surprising that it's been a month since I have done so, and I know I've mentioned it here and there, but let's sum up.

So, what am I working on?

Socks, of course. The Bruins socks are still in progress, having been put aside before the trip in September, and only worked on a little since then. In the purse socks, I have finished the first, and started the second. In the world's-least-gradienty-gradient, the toe got ever so slightly darker, but you can only tell if you really look.

Honestly. It's nice yarn, but too gradual.

See?

And since the skein is enough for three socks, almost, I won't be getting into the very darker end with this pair.

I thought about starting the second sock from the middle, but then they really wouldn't match. Who knows.

I blocked the airplane-knitting shawl. Remember that? Did I show you, and mention that it needed blocking?

Yeah. It needed blocking. I laid it out on Sunday, and pinned the bottom edge. It was just a little too big to fit on two squares.

In the evening, concerned that it was still damp as bedtime approached, I propped it at an angle on the couch, and pointed the fan at it.

When it was dry, it draped over two squares with only a little overlap.

Points pinned:

Points retained fairly well.

I'm happy with it. To recap, the yarn was Knit Picks Hawthorne Fingering in colorway Montavilla (which I would have named Forest Floor, but that's just me), and the pattern is the Kindness KAL Shawl.

The other thing I have been working on is the shawl I cast on for the drive to Rhinebeck, and it's progressing nicely. The first side piece is more or less done, pending my decision about when to start the middle bit. I just weighed the yarn, and I've used 76 of the 233 grams I started with, so about a third. I think that means I should move to the middle now! It might even mean I should have already done that, in order to not run out of yarn before I finish, so I'll have to ponder a bit before making a move. I'm certainly happy with it so far, which is good. Better photos will come in time, but for now, here's a glimpse. The general idea:

And the length, the other day.

And that's about it for the knitting these days!

A final note: Here's a good idea from the Loopy Ewe, bag tags that you can attach to your knitting project bag when you're carrying it around, so that if you leave it somewhere, it can find you again! And not that you need to use specialized tags for the purpose, but they're cute.