Squares, samples, and sweaters

If I have been a bit quiet on the blogging front lately, it is because all I have been knitting is endless amounts of samples (for City and Guilds), squares (for the Afghan), and in between endless rows of stocking stitch on the husband's sweater. Don't get me wrong, there is acutally quite a lot of variation - and interest - in knitting all these different things, but I want a new project.

I've thought about a hat. There is a good one in Issue 3 of Knit Now (Carol Feller's Bundoran Beret). I've thought about an infinity scarf. I'm planning a light grey travelling sweater of my own design. BUT - I need to finish the samples, the squares and the sweater first. Well, maybe not the squares - that is a long term project, but funnily enough the one I have packed in my travelling bag (whilst wishing I had thought up the travelling sweater with enough time to knit it before travelling!) to do en-route from place to place in Northern Ireland, where we will be spending next week.

Packing light to travel in the wildly swinging temperatures and weather of the UK is no easy feat. We are doing some of this trip on public transport, so I need to be able to easily carry my bag (a kind of smart backpack that looks like a soft travel bag when the handles are zipped away), and so have settled on one basic day outfit and one evening. Central to this was a warm, stylish throwover cardigan or sweater type thing. I would have thought I'd have lots of things like that, but turns out I don't. Lots of my handknits are too heavy, and many are short sleeved (note to self - must over buy rather than under buy yarn!). None of my shop bought sweaters are quite right. Then I saw almost the exact thing I wanted on a very stylish woman at choir practice this week, worn with straight leg jeans. It had turned into a sketch, and in Northern Ireland I might just find the exact lightweight, tweedy dove grey wool I am after....(although perhaps I should use the dark brown Jacob I recently bought). Decisions, decisions - I shall just have to see if any perfect yarn presents itself.