Escaping cones, VWs and other hazards of walkabout knitting

As reported here, I had my swirling to square pentagon with me as walkabout knitting on Whistlestop Sunday. I wasn't very far along the way when the cone of salmon cotton jumped bag.

After jumping bag, it dropped to the sidewalk, rolled off the curb, onto the street and under the embellished VW parked at the corner. I dropped the knitting and walked into the street to see just how far the cone had gone.

In a good news, bad news, moment, the cone had come to rest not under the VW but in the street on the other side of the car. While I've no fishing under the vehicle games to play, the street slopes down fairly sharply which leaves me and the cone in the street and the pentagon on the sidewalk with a car in between them.

I pick up the cone and give it a tug and meet resistance. It seems that my plan to drag the pentagon under the car and out the other side to reconnect with the cone has hit a snag as the cone's diagonal path under the car resulted in the cotton getting wedged under the rear tire. I give a sharp tug to the left in the vain hope that that will be enough to dislodge the delinquent cotton. This gives no joy so, rather than dig for the scissors, I just went with the pull until it breaks and get the hell out of the street strategy.

Walkabout knitting can have its dangers. This is just one of them. Continuing on, now working with rather disgusting salmon coloured cotton, the square it out efforts hit a not what I expected phase so I reverted to another quick on the needles experiment when I was about half way along the walk.

In a serious delight to me, Julie and Eileen (published author and really neat knitter) both managed to find their way to theWhistlestop on Sunday.

In a kick myself mode, I once again failed to pack the fine gauge bamboo yarn that I've been meaning to bring along for the last few times so, of course, the knitter most likely to knit with it and who I've been promising to bring it for was there working diligently on the last bit of the fine gauge baby set she'd been working for several Whistlestop Sundays.

Julie had a total hoot baby swimsuit onesie with strategic ribbing that made it look way more adult content. Eileen and I brain stormed a bit about promoting the local San Diego Stitch n Pitch game and then I gave her a her an mini Russian grafting lesson. Since I learned this technique I not only use it every chance I get but teach it to anyone who asks.

The not quite as I thought swirl to square got hauled out and off the needles for a consult. I had to agree that the fabric and needle combination was a bit tight and that my changing needle sizes from unknown to US 5 was probably a factor in the centre bump out. So it is still in progress with stitches off the needles and hanging in the studio while I consider what I can try next to coax it or its successor project with better behaved yarn into a square.

I also had the Casual Cables cardi with me and the general consensus was that it was worth trying to rehabilitate with various options bounced around.

Because I knew I was going to be seeing Eileen, I'd packed some of my polygon inspired projects including an assortment of flowers, the end to end cube, and the six point star pillow/pin cushion.

The cushion caught her attention as a possible project for an upcoming family event and also as a jumping off her usual knitting path. Julie, in a classic enabling moment mentioned having seen some highly suitable yarn over The Grove. With just that little bit of encouragement, Eileen and I set off to forage across the way.

We came away with not on sale Filatura di Crosa Brilla and some on sale Maggi Knit Ribbon -- both buying enough to complete the project as I suggested a possible knitalong where I could coach the effort.

The sale bin also held some K1C2 Fleece that and some nylon ribbon that demanded to come home with me.

I decided that since I cheated and walked up the Cypress Street steps on the way out that I would walk down and up the Upas Street hill on the way home. I described this from Florida to Park trek as an ambitious effort back in January 2007.

The photo to the right shows what that looks like looking down from near the crest of the hill by Park Boulevard.

The narrow strip to the far side of the middle of the photo is the top of the hill just below where Alabama, Upas & Morley Field Drive meet.

That's the trek up I made back in January and the downhill effort for today's adventures in walkabout knitting to the Whistlestop.