Buon giorno!

Indeed, it has been a very buon giorno. Several very buon giornos.

I had hoped to upload some photos today, but the internet train where I am is closing in just a few minutes. So I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to my peeps in the homeland. I got here safely, with no major snafus except for the small inconvenience of missing my stop on the bus from the train station in Florence and then proceeding to walk 30 minutes through town with my luggage to my B&B. (I was so happy to be able to ask the woman on the bus next to me "Dov'e siamo?" - "Where are we?" while pointing at the map. When I told her where I needed to be, she explained in Italian that we were well past that and that I should get off immediately. Then she added in English, "Quick! Quick!" So I did.) Good think I packed so lightly.

Everything here is fantastico. There are not adequate words to capture the experience. Put it this way: no knitting has been going on since I left home, and I've been totally okay with that. Who'da thunk it?

More soon. Ciao!

Arrivederci!

Done:
Bag packed.
Novel chosen.
GSM cellphone charged.
Camera battery charged.
Boarding pass printed.
Recorded self singing for boys (thanks, GarageBand).
Scarf finished.

Scrunchable Scarf in Malabrigo, Azul Profundo, 1 skein

Undone:
Figure out itinerary for Florence and Siena.
Purchase tickets for the train and for the Uffizi.
Finish learning Italian.(hahahahahaha)
Decide what knitting stuff I'm taking (why am I letting this stress me out?).
Let everything else go and just get on the freakin' plane.

Arrivederci, i miei amiche! I hope to write from bella Italia!

Homemade Halloween

When it comes to sewing (and knitting, too), I'm no Grumperina. I just do not have her attention to detail or her commitment to perfection. Still, I got the job done - my first ever homemade Halloween costumes.

Two Little Pigs

The best part of making them was how Little Buddha kept coming into my study while I was sewing and saying, "Good job, Mama."

And even though the ears turned out to be cartoonish and bizarre (I had no pattern, just my own twisted imagination), I was pleased enough with the ensemble: pink hooded sweatsuits (the first time I've gotten to purchase little pink things for my kids!), ears stuffed and sewn, hooves made like little mitts and sewn to the cuffs (but not all the way around, so the boys could pull their hands out if they wanted), and little corkscrew tails (I sewed a tube and then put a pipecleaner in it).

Here you can see Tiny Dancer's tail.
My Old Man and I wore the pig noses for trick-or-treating,
because the boys refused.
Even though for a month they've asked me nearly every day
to let them wear their pig noses.

Little Buddha

Tiny Dancer

Ready for candy.

Packing for (Kn)Italy

So my big quandary about packing for (Kn)Italy is how I'm going to manage all my knitting supplies. In July, when I traveled to Georgia to see family, I packed a whole suitcase just for knitting.

It makes me happy just looking at it.

But clearly, that would be stupid for a trip to Italy. Especially because I am trying really, really hard not to check any luggage. Which means one carry-on sized suitcase and a big tote bag. (And only whatever hair products I can fit into tiny containers and stuff into a quart-sized bag). To be honest, I am not the low-maintenance sort. So this will be quite the challenge.

But I'm pretty determined. Since I'm traveling by myself for the first part of the trip and will be carting my luggage on and off trains, in and out of taxis, and up and down streets, I want to make things as easy on myself as possible. I also don't want to have to deal with waiting to claim checked luggage. (The last time I flew internationally, my checked luggage did not arrive for two days, and then some stuff had been stolen out of it.) Plus, I plan to bring a small duffel bag inside my suitcase to put gifts in along the way; I'll check that bag on the way home.

All-in-all, it sounds like a pretty good plan, eh?

Here's the suitcase.
Hand shown for scale.
Play-Doh shown for lack of cleaning.

Here's the suitcase open.
Cat shown for scale.
And because she's cute.

So what do you think? Am I nuts?

I have worked really hard to minimalize my wardrobe. Here's my big coup.

The perfect pair of shoes.

That's right, I am going to attempt a feat I have never, ever tried before. One pair of shoes, for a whole trip, to go with everything. These are Earth Shoes and they are super-comfortable. I've tried them on with the three pairs of pants and the one skirt I'm packing, and they work with all of it. In the past, shoe-packing has probably been my biggest packing issue.

Now the two big issues will be my knitting and my books. Prioritizing is very difficult for me. Bookwise, I will for sure bring one novel, a travel journal, and my Italian-English dictionary. Beyond that, I also want to bring my Idiot's Guide to Italian and at least one of my travel guide books. I realize this may be too much.

Knitwise, I think I'm screwed. As you can see from the first picture, I tend to pack everything I might possibly be able to use, including every possible needle and pattern. How much knitting can I get done in 16 days, including two long plane trips and some train travel? I will definitely pack two balls of Lorna's Laces for my toe-up socks, plus the necessary dpns. Maybe that should be all I take. But it would kill me to only have one project option, especially if I were to finish it.

I thought I might take one pair of circs and maybe two or three skeins of Malabrigo to make some more scrunchable scarves. The TSA website recommends bamboo or plastic needles, but my circs are metal. Have any of you had any trouble flying with metal needles? I would appreciate any tips about how to prioritize knit needs for travel, as well as any anecdotes about traveling with knitting.

Oh, but here is one beautiful thing about what promises to be a very beautiful trip. There is an awesome LYS about a block-and-a-half from where I'm staying in Florence! Che bella!

Socktoberfest Socks!

I finished my first pair of Socktoberfest Socks yesterday. I'm sure it is self-delusional to call them my "first" pair because, let's face it, I leave for Italy in a week and there is so much to do that I'm thinking it would be mighty unrealistic - even for me - to think that I'm going to knit another pair before I go.

I did, however, order some more Lorna's Laces in Tuscany so that I can make a pair of socks just like this, for myself, on my trip. Knitting with a yarn called "Tuscany" while I'm in Tuscany! - that is either a very fun idea, or a very geeky one.

Here they are.
The heels, toes, and cuff are done in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, in Chocolate.
The rest is in Tuscany.
I think this colorway and color combination is even more lovely in person.
Can you tell I'm quite pleased?

A note to my neighbors:
Yes, that was socks I was taking picture of on the front lawn.
Yes, I realize that it was ridiculously cold for an October afternoon.
And that I forgot my jacket.
And that I looked like a freak.
Dude.
It's Socktoberfest.

An action shot.

My friend T, for whom I made these, wears a size 10. I wear a size 7, so I didn't make an adequate sock model. Becky, however, wears the same size as T, and she graciously agreed to a little photo shoot. (For the record, that is NOT my couch in the background. We took this picture at church. Yeah, I realize it was a strange thing to be doing at church.)

I really want to try toe-up for the pair I make for myself, but I'm not sure I'm up for the challenge. For one thing, whenever I try something new, I need to have ready internet access to get whatever help, tutorials, pictures, or videos I need. And I'm not sure what kind of access I'll have while in Italy. Not to mention the issue of whether or not I really want to be chasing down internet tutorials when instead I could be roaming around the Uffizi, or sipping coffee in an Italian cafe, or simply sitting in a plaza watching people.

But you never know. The lure of the knit is strong!

Scenes from the Puntin Patch

"Puntin" is how Tiny Dancer says "pumpkin."

On Saturday, we took the boys to a local apple orchard that has a big pumpkin patch and a petting zoo. Their favorites animals? Definitely a toss-up between the sheep and the pigs.

Tiny Dancer studies the sheep.
I think that boy will be a knitter someday.

Rounding the bend on the wagon ride, Little Buddha spots the pumpkin patch.

Once in the patch, though, he's not so sure what to do.
Tiny Dancer, however, knows exactly what this situation calls for.

Running hurdles, of course.

He just took off, jumping over every pumpkin in his path.

No clue where he got that idea.

But he did it with flare.

Contemplating his next round of hurdles.

Taking two at once.

Enjoying every minute of it.

Mission accomplished.

Maybe next year.

The Blue Period

Not because I'm depressed. Just because I like the color.

My Scrunchable Scarf, in Malabrigo Azul Profundo,
is coming along nicely.
It would've been done by now, except that I keep working on
many, many other things.

Like this Men's Zippered Raglan Cardigan from LMKG.
I'm really excited about this.
Which is why I'm working on it even though
many, many other knit deadlines loom.

The handspun from Julie.
Sooooo yummy.

And in the non-blue, non-knitting category, I have these.
Stitchettes from Wee Wonderfuls.
I am so excited to embroider these adorable creatures.
You know, in my extra time.