Travel knitting

I'm back again. I feel like I'm on catch up from before Christmas when I was busy making loads but I didn't finish most of it until after Christmas (holidays are great for getting stuff done).

While I was busy making all the gift socks for what felt like the whole world, I was plotting and planning some selfish knitting. For a week before Christmas I travelled South to spend time with my parents, and I wanted to take a project with me to knit while on the move. I decided jumpers and cardigans were too big, hats are too small, but a shawl/scarf would be juuuuust right.

Enter 'Maluka' by Bea Schmidt, a free pattern on Ravelry

Photo from Ravelry pattern page

This beauty is a 4ply shawl constructed by knitting the lace in one long stripe, then picking up stitches and knitting short rows to create the crescent body.

I opted to make it in a beautiful blue alpaca (yes it sheds a little but it's soooo soft) using 'Drops Alpaca' yarn.

I also decided that the mock cable that the pattern describes was just ridiculously over complicated so I just regular cabled those six stitches. This caused two problems... 1. It changes how the lace looks, it's now a much more solid lace, which is ok... And 2. It's very difficult to get a metal cable needle onto a plane. I only ever use holding needles which are giant safety pins, and I was scared they would be confiscated... So I got creative...

Turns out a kirby grip (Bobby pin, hairlslide, whatever you like to call them) makes an excellent cable needle!

For the remainder of my holiday my view was very much...

Sofa, check... Christmas tree, check... Mulled wine (not shown here), check... Knitting, check and check.

I continued knitting throughout the Christmas break, finishing it just before New Year's Eve. This is a fairly easy to remember and easy project, it kept me busy and happy while travelling and while watching TV at my parents. It comes very recommended.

One minor adjustment I made to the pattern was to make the whole shebang longer and the crescent shallower, making it more scarf-like by adding extra repeats on the lace and less wrap and turns on the short rows. I really like the shape that came out at the end.

This scarf wasn't essential, it serves no need.. But it was a great project to travel with and I have a soft fluffy little shawl to wear now.