Traveling Companions

I'm in the midst of the week before vacation. The one where you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat panicking that you can't get everything done before you leave. And then go into work and dither and dawdle and do virtually nothing. Sound familiar?

So, let's focus on what's really important: Reading and knitting for the trip.

One day last week I posted on Facebook asking for book suggestions. I got lots of great ideas but nothing quite hit the mark. Then the mail came yesterday.

















Inside was a note from the talented and delightful designer, Sandi Rosner, that read:

I bought this book with dreams of visiting Italy that, sadly, have yet to be fulfilled. I hope you can put it to more immediate use. Have a magical journey.

After the tears dried, I looked a bit more closely at the book. It's a collection of short stories about Italy written by Italians. They are arranged geographically so you can get a little more insight into your trip as you go along.

I can't think of a nicer surprise to find in the mailbox. I am so lucky to work in yarn.

The next task is to decide on knitting. We're packing lightly for the trip so I wanted to bring something that gave me a lot of bang for the buck, so to speak.

I decided on a Susan Pierce Lawrence's Fountain Pen Shawl.
















I'm using Helen's Lace in one of our new colors, Kedzie. I just finished winding it into a ball, so I'm all set.















Under most circumstances I would never dream of only bringing one project on a trip this long, but since we're spending part of the trip here, I figure if I need to, I can always pick up a little something to tide me over.


So, the important things are all decided. I guess I need to get back to work.....