The holiday project . . .

Things were a bit busy around here with just one day in between getting home from The Knitting & Stitching show in London, and getting on a plane heading for Venice, but being a fairly seasoned traveller, I knew it wouldn't take me long to get the suitcases sorted.    What I hadn't thought about however, was what to take along as my holiday project.  Now, I don't know about you, but in my world, a holiday crafty project is de riguer .  Like other travellers and their American Express cards, I just don't leave home without it. 

So what's a gal to do ?

A quick rifle through my yarn basket revealed several half-done WIPs . . .

The pretty lacy Louisa Harding Noema poncho ?  Nope - the lacy pattern in the round requires too much concentration.  Not suitable for picking up & putting down at short notice.

The latest addition to Edward's Menagerie, Bridget the sweet elephant ?  Nope again - despite being an easy one, the various elephant body parts require to be stuffed as you go along, and taking a bag of toy stuffing with me on holiday didn't seem like an option.

The Wingspan shawl pattern & yarn that a lovely friend gave me for my birthday ?  Another one that will require a bit of attention, so it's a no for now too.

How about the yummy Plump yarn & scarf pattern from Mrs Moon that I bought when we were in London in the summer, and have been dying to get stuck into?  Another nope - just way too chunky & bulky (albeit delicious) to stuff into my bag.

Or something warm & wintery made up in the chunky Debbie Bliss Roma yarn that was on sale at Tangled Yarn, way too much of a bargain not to buy and add to my stash for a rainy day ?

Sigh . . . some inspiration was needed . . .

Why, oh why had I not thought of this earlier ?

And then, in the ultimate ta-dah moment, it came to me . . . the perfect holiday yarny project . . . a simple stripy buggy blankie for the latest little addition to our clan, born a wee bit ahead of schedule, just days before.  So with pattern in hand and postcode in SatNav, I headed out to nearby Bournville (yes, not only famous for its chocolate &  home to Cadbury World, but also the location of the lovely City Knits yarn shop that I'd been meaning to visit for ages.  The lovely, friendly ladies were very patient as I humm-ed & haa-ed over all the pretty colours, eventually deciding on the Debbie Bliss Rialto yarn, which would go nicely-thank-you with the Rooster Almerino already in my stash.

So, that was that.  Phew . . .

It's a great easy pattern from Nicki Trench's book " Crocheted Baby Clothes" -  I do so love her books which are always full of fabulous project ideas.

Needless to say, we had a lovely holiday with just perfect weather and smooth sailing so I didn't really get as much crochet done as I'd anticipated, but I made a good start and hopefully I'll get it finished soon. 

And then I really must tackle the rest of those above-mentioned WIPs too  ; - )

And as I'm linking up today with Ginny's Yarn Along over at Small Things, I should tell you my latest reads too:  The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and Good Morning, Mr Mandela by Zelda la Grange - both of which I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

Do pop over and have a wee peek at what everyone else is making & reading too.  I'm laid low this week with a sore throat, snuffly cold & a very croaky voice, so I'm off back to snuggle under the blankie on the sofa & have some yummy hot chicken soup for lunch. But it's good to be back, and I'm looking forward to catching up with you soon.

'til next time,

xoxo