Seattle trip and sock knitting

We had a great, quick trip to Seattle this weekend. The whole family. Took the train up and back (very pleasant and where I got most of my knitting done). We walked from the train station to the hotel, stopping to see the Klondike Gold rush museum which is a National Park in downtown Seattle. The favorite activity were the embossing stations. Luckily I had a small notepad in my knitting bag. Then after a nap for rejuvination, we headed back down to Safeco field for the Mariners game.

Since we had plenty of time for the walk, I pulled out my knitting and actually got a few rounds done on my socks on the way down. I also pulled them out after we'd finished off some ballpark fare and got a couple more rounds done. It helps that I was at the straight knitting part of the socks (rather the circular knitting w/no increases or decreases).

Still-- I had hoped to get more done on them than I did. I did get the feet done and am now working the gussets before turning the heels. I'm working two socks on two circulars and am really happy with how that is turning out. I'm using US size 2 needles and am knitting with the "Double Bambu"... using one of the double strands for one sock, and the second for the other. Since they were wound together and I knit one round each before moving on, it works out perfectly.

Occasionally I have to hold the yarn closer to the ball and let them unwind. But not often. The main thing to keep track of is keeping the stitches nice and tight where the fabric goes between needles, and to keep using the correct needle when starting up another one. I have both 16" addi turbos and they are the same color, so can't keep them straight that way. I was using the Susan Bates Quicksilver, and although I really like them for a nice inexpensive all-around needle, for the smaller sock work, I was having to spend too much time pushing and pulling the stitches over the little bump where the cable is attached to the needle. So the Addi's are perfect for this knitting.

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Can you Knit and Chew Gum???

I have been struggling with finding ways to get the excercise in that I KNOW I should be doing. To that end, I've started taking Pilates on Mondays during my lunch hour (very good). I purchased a new pedometer which I LOVE. Its an Omron Walking Style which has a couple of features that are great: 1. it is more accurate than my previous peds... 2. it tracks regular steps and aerobic steps (10 minutes or more) and 3. it has a strap and clip that prevents it from getting lost when (and all of the pedometers I've clipped to my belt have done this) it decides to jump off the belt.

When I walk I often listen to books on my Zen Mp3 player (from audible).

All this is well and good, but walking takes time. Time away from getting the knitting done I can't do during the day because I'm working (and, believe it or not, work isn't always conference calls that I can knit through).

So. I've been thinking about trying to knit on my walks. Actually, I've been thinking about this for years. what kind of knitting apparatus would I really need. A large bag to hold things, a small bag? The point is I've been thinking and knitting and not walking.

Previous projects were really too large to do this comfortably. But, since I'm readying for the Sock Summit, I have a lot of smaller knitting to do-- namely I'm working on two at once socks with our "Double Bambu"

So. Now I've challenged my coordination by knitting AND walking AND listening to books all at the same time!

I feel like this is a major breakthrough. I can hear you now... women have been walking and knitting at the same time for ages. Still... that hasn't been me (at least not in recent memory... there was the time I worked on a pair of very small baby mittens with pencils and left over yarn for a friend who didn't have any for her youngun and the snow was at the campground that year...)

At any rate. Yet another reason to like socks. It really does feel like socks are the perfect project to help me get my walking time in!

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