Back in the Saddle Again

That's right, back from Scandinavia.  Two weeks spent with friends on the extreme southern edge of Scandinavia's official geographic boundary, namely the northern shore of Eckernförde, Germany.  The third week spent bombing around Denmark & Norway, riding the rails by myself & soaking up the cold weather.  And my camera got lost on New Year's Eve in Oslo.  ((ANGST))


But all is good.  The Felted Haversack never actually became a haversack, carried instead by the jumbo wooden knitting needles my mother gave me years ago.  


The unexpected shape given by variances in fair-isle carries worked well, and the firm, squoosh-able softness of the packed bag made for a great cushion, pillow, & seat.  


It handily carried a week's worth of winter's clothing, as well as several guidebooks and a few projects' worth of yarn to keep me occupied on the train rides.  An all-around WIN in the success department.

One project was started on the plane over to Hamburg and finished several days into my arrival.  My "Legendary Vest Enchanted with +15% Frost Resistance" functioned just as planned as well.  Knit with two skeins of Misti Alpaca Tonos Chunky held together with 3 skeins of Louisa Harding Mulberry, I achieved a valuable layer of warmth.

Nearing the end of the project, I realized that the Mulberry wouldn't quite go far enough, so the back shoulders have no silk in them.  From the armholes up to the back of the neck, it's just the chunky alpaca.



On the first wash, it shrunk a bit lengthwise, but not so much as to be unwearable.  I may be able to block it back into shape on the next washing...