It is first thing in the morning, and this blog comes to you from me as I sit in YYZ at my gate, waiting to leave. I’m just taking a minute before I get on the plane to tell you a few things.
1. I forgot a lot of stuff. I was agonizing over the decision for days, and then what I should take with me was perfectly clear as soon as I got here to the airport.
2. I didn’t finish the sweater front yesterday. It’s here with me in the airport. 
3. I still think I can do it, because I’ll just dry it in some other oven somewhere. I’m actually so sure that I’ll finish, that I didn’t bring any other sweater.
4. Yes. That does feel a little crazy.
5. Tomorrow I’m signing books at Rhinebeck at the Author tent from 10-12. See you there – if you’re coming. If you’re not, I hope you have a great weekend. I’ll take pictures for you.
6. Dammit. I forgot the buttons for the sweater.
Good luck with the sweater. I know you can do it !
Someone is bound to have the perfect buttons at Rhinebeck. Or at least buttons that will be perfect for a while.
I bet you can find some buttons at Rhinebeck…!
Buttons are for the weak! You can just seam it up the front every time you want to put it on.
come to australia – then you can DEFINITELY finish a whole sweater before you arrive!
Safe travels!
No fear … lots of beautiful buttons at Rhinebeck! Have fun.
I’m sure there will be buttons at Rhinebeck, plus people bringing you buttons (as well as undies). Can’t wait to see the finished product.
Have a good trip. And don’t forget your passport!
You could always tweet and ask people to bring you buttons for your sweater…
😉
It would certainly make it ‘special’!
Godspeed. Wish you were coming to Denver. I’ll have to settle for reading about your adventures here. I look forward to seeing the finished sweater!
Gosh, if only you were going somewhere that you might find some buttons!
We won’t be there tomorrow in time for your signing, but I hope to run across you sometime over the weekend, in a good non-scary-stalker way. If not, let me say now, throw yourself into the book tour mentality and try to enjoy the ride!
So write yourself a list of what you really need store it in your computer and pull it out before the next trip.. The whole goal of this is to maximize knitting time.
The list can be updated – then you can pack in a flash worry free.
Sounds like an excuse to shop at Rhinebeck to me. Or you could just wear it without buttons for the time being.
Hope you have a great time and lots of fun adventures to entertain those of us who are staying home. Attending vicarously by way of your blog is much better for my budget!
So excited to maybe see the top of your head at either Rhinebeck or in Baltimore! 😀 I don’t even imagine I’ll be close enough to Kinnear anyone without seeming like an up-the-skirt photo-perv. 😀
Who needs buttons? I am so excited to be picking up your book at my local bookstore today – I didn’t think it was making it to Canada until the 18th. 🙂
I’ve been sharing your pre-travel, packing panic as I prepare for my flight to Paris tonight. Luggage is all set — knitting stuff is still undecided. YIKES! Better go and get on that. Have a great time in NY and good luck finishing up that sweater!
Take time to ENJOY! Me? I’m playing golf with the girls today. Much rather be with you. BTW, ever considered taking someone along on these trips (I’d volunteer) to do that washing, shopping for undies, and all the other essentials? Just sayin’.
There’s nothing like travelling in hope, is there?! I’m just the same, I sit on the plane and think about all the things I should have packed, and then think about all the things I did pack and I wonder what on earth I was thinking. As long as there is some knitting, things can’t really go wrong can they? Did you remember the shawl?
I’d totally be your knitting caddy (bam at 9:13 gave me that idea). I just ordered your book yesterday. Have a wonderful time.
Bon Voyage! Unless you already had “THE PERFECT” buttons chosen for the sweater, maybe you can find something at Rhinebeck. (Assuming you have time for shopping.)
I love your delusional-ness. It’s awesome.
BTW, how did YYZ get its code? It bears no resemblance to Toronto at all. What’s the story?
Have fun at Rhinebeck!
You may be able to buy buttons at Rhinebeck. Have a safe trip.
I’ve been playing right along in this game. In my Gytha countdown, I have only the upper back, seaming, blocking and hood left to finish, before I leave for London. Thankfully, my Thursday deadline is next week, since I don’t knit as fast as you do. But you keep me hoping I can still make it! Any suggestions for getting a homeschooling household to run itself for a week? Yeah, me neither.
Happy, happy travels! I look forward to reading the ongoing adventures of the Yarn Harlot.
Safe travels and Go Sweater Go!
Buttons……
You are going to Rhinebeck.
You have groupies / friends that can shop for you.
You won’t have button problems.
Now and oven might be little tricky.
Microwaves work, but are VERY tricky. I won’t go into details, but scorched wool on a white hat is not pretty.
I’m concerned that in your haste you might mis-cross a cable so I just checked the ones I see peeking out of your bag and it’s looking good my dear. Can’t wait to see it finished.
Many congrats on the new book and have a wonderful tour !
Pretty positive you can find buttons there. I’m also pretty positive you can find someone who would happily deliver buttons to your tent for you, for a small fee of an autographed copy. I would happily volunteer to do it, but alas, I can not be at Rhinebeck this year. sniffles.
I live in Hyde Park, about 20 minutes from the fairgrounds. You can come use my oven anytime! (I’m not sure that came out right…) I hope to come to your book signing tomorrow but it may be hard to get my 3-year-old, 6-month-old and husband out of the house in time. I wish you safe travels and a great book tour.
Dude. I totally called this one. You’re going to be begging total strangers in the airport for cute buttons.
“Always good value,” as Ron Weasley once said about Luna Lovegood…
You can do it! And I am sure you can find lots of button at Rhinebeck. Probably just the right ones.
You have such a world wide fan club/support group, just put out the word for anything you need and you’ll have us bringing it to you, wherever you are. Buttons, undies, coffee, clean clothes…all you gotta do is ask!
Peace be with you.
And I do think you might find a myriad of button choices tonight or even tomorrow morning at Rhinebeck.
namaste,
Safe travels!
I can’t wait to see you in Baltimore!!!! Cross your fingers that I don’t get screwed by being called in for jury duty that day!
The perfect buttons will make themselves know to you at the perfect time! It’s hard to let the “I
didnt’s,” go, but enjoy the upcoming adventure!
I know lots and lots of people will be happy to see you.
Eve from Carlisle
There is no doubt that you are a “glass half full” kind of gal. Good luck finishing the sweater. I hope you don’t get cold before you are finished!
Just use a great shawl pin.
Your sweater is stunning even in its unfinished state, and while you might have forgotten the buttons you didn’t forget the yarn, or the finished pieces. As long as you didn’t forget those, everything else is gravy (and where did that phrase come from).
Have a great trip!
I hope to see you tomorrow at Rhinebeck and get a signed copy of your book.
Surely Rhinebeck will have cute buttons for sale! Or a shawl pin, so you can fake it until you get home to the buttons you’d planned.
Good luck with the sweater! If you haven’t any oven at hand, maybe the hotel hairdryer on cool setting would do?
Just buy some different buttons…you can change them later! When will you know if you are adding more tour dates? Say, Colorado or Kansas???
Steph, you go, gal! I’m sure you’ll find the perfect buttons at Rhinebeck — something interesting out of polished wood, perhaps…maybe even maple?
And think about looking for a hot-wax hand treatment at a spa somewhere on your travels, for your hard-knitting, hard-writing/signing hands. Enjoy!
I bet they have buttons somewhere at Rhinebeck. I also best 156 other commenters have pointed this out.
See you there! I’ll be the one in the pink Gwendolyn. I didn’t do it on purpose I swear, I finished mine months ago…
YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!! (I have to believe it. I HAVE to. I’ve got some insane knitting goals for myself over the next couple of weeks over here.)
I think buying buttons for the Rhinebeck sweater at Rhinebeck is an awsome idea!! Have fun
Buttons are SO overrated. I never button them anyway. On a few sweaters, I have even left off the buttonholes and put NO buttons on them…a design element…if you are not going to button them anyway, why take away from the beautifulness of the cables???
That sweater doesn’t need buttons! Wear it open, and with your new commando packing philosophy, you can single handedly redefine ‘flash mob’!
My, but you ARE optimistic. 🙂 You can always have Joe overnight them via Purolator. Of course they could get hung up in customs…maybe you should just buy another set, or rock the open front cardi look!
It is impossible to remember every possible thing you would need for a trip.
Go with the flow.
Molly : )
Love the cabled piece. And the color! Is it going to be a cowl when it grows up? And, the sweater–c’mon, you never wore a sweater sans buttons before??!! Have a great time at Rhinebeck. With you in spirit!
At least we’re all clear on the information that no one will die and the earth will still revolve on its axis if you don’t get the sweater finished or new buttons. Have a great time on tour. It sounds like you’re off to a great start on fodder for the next book!
As I read your post, i thought of the fairy tail of 7 swans for brothers–and the magic spell that could only be broken by knitting sweaters (and how at the last minute, the brothers donned the sweaters, and the last sweater was still incomplete (and on needles!)
Will you be like that swan–trapped–with an incomplete sweater? I won’t be at Rhinebeck–but i hope to see it Monday at B & N’s!
Good luck with the sweater. You can always start a new fashion with a one-armed sweater. 🙂
Whoops, I just noticed you have the front to finish, not a sleeve. What a new trend that would be, a half-fronted, but two sleeved sweater!
I hope you get the sweater done!
Have a great time at Rhinebeck!
What’s with the oven reference? Are we baking this sweater? I’m so confused!!
And the blog and Rhinebeck said, Let there be buttons!
Just got a note from my MIL: our trip to visit where they live now will not overlap with your visit to that same city after all. I am bummed.
for travelling: silk underwear. dries in a flash.knit silk underwear is more durable than woven.
and, really, one outfit in rayon/poly/ spandex. you can roll it in a ball and stuff it in the corners of your suitcase and it doesn’t particularly wrinkle. There are companies that make travel outfits out of this stuff. some of it is acetate/ poly, or poly/spandex. the rayon breathes.
st john knits has wool/rayon stuff for travel. at least it used to. again, no wrinkling, breaths while travelling and sweating and freezing and so on.
Didn’t pack another sweater? No problem! There’s always the shawl to fall back on. (Remember the all-purpose shawl?)
Doesn’t “Rhinebeck Sweater” mean made at–, buttons to finish bought at–, worn home from–?
I think someone needs to knit you a spare sweater. Just in case…to wear while the Rhinebeck is blocking.
I am picturing you striding to the microphone tomorrow at 10AM, throwing the sweater over you as you approach, but one sleeve is unfinished and you end up with a swan’s wing for the rest of your life.
Dude. You’re going to Rhinebeck. There will be buttons there you can acquire. It’ll be fine.
You’ll find even better ones at Rhinebeck!
Sounds like you are on overload. I pack the same way sometimes — the right thing occurs to me 3 hours too late.
If it were me, I’d wear the sweater even if it isn’t finished. Who needs a left front?
(As you can tell, I’m not big on dignity.)
I’m stating the obvious when I say you will find buttons at Rhinebeck. Really nice buttons that you’ll never see anywhere else. Buttons that are so perfect that if you had buttons on your sweater already you’d feel compelled to replace them. Ask me how I know. Rhinebeck! Tomorrow! See you there!
Know your oven! Be careful.
Have fun.
Just to assure you it can be done, a few years ago I went for a two week trip to visit a friend in Japan. It was spring so I was just going to take a thick cardigan instead of a jacket. After a last minute error I had to re-knit the yoke and hood at the last minute. As in I finished about eight hours into an eight and a half hour flight from Seattle to Tokyo. The flight attendants practially cheered and I was not only cozy for the whole trip, I was darn proud. Good luck and knit on!
Breathe Stephanie, just breathe. 🙂 It’ll get done when it gets done, and maybe you’ll see some buttons at Rhinebeck? Wish I could be there!
Yes, please DO take pictures! I was supposed to go as an early birthday present to Rhinebeck but finances got cut short and I didn’t end up making it 🙁
So jealous. Can’t wait to go to Rhinebeck someday.
Have fun! and look gorgeous in your new sweater! (I am confident you will wear it!)
Oh my! I’m sure there are the buttons you need at rhinebeck. There is so much there. The sweater looks amazing anyway.
Blogs come and go but yours consistently makes me smile…
thank you!!
looking forward to your new book
shoot – those darn buttons must have been hiding…. the sweater is looking good though!
I went to the bookstore…I ran to the knitting books section…I pulled out your on-tour book, as there were many in full view…I plopped myself into a comfy chair and probably read half of it!
I absolutely LOVED it and no one around me would have understood all the glee that was coming out of me as I sat there.
I didn’t care if I was embarrassing my husband.
He gets it.
Don’t worry about the buttons. Maybe you’ll find better ones and they can be a good memento of your trip. Best wishes for a safe and comfortable journey!
WHOA! I remembered your book was not suppposed to be released yet…I was reading it tonight at Barnes and Noble! (I hate that place…..they ate my Borders)
as I said above…I LOVE it!
Make the front band without buttonholes. Easy!
Those needles look sort of long for a plane? Maybe just the camera angle. Yes, those at-airport clarifications are dis-heartening. Have a great time!
I will be at Rhinebeck today and hope to get my book from you and signed by you! How awesome. I love the fall , spicy look of your sweater . You are a fast knitter and very optimistic!
I look forward to seeing a picture of you with your sweater at Rhinebeck! 😉 Enjoy!
That sweater will be wonderful once its done, and you’ll make some vendor’s day at Rhinebeck getting some buttons for it.
Have a great book trip!
What a beautiful sweater it’s going to be – I absolutely love the color!! Have fun!
I’ve never tested the theory of “knitting needles on plane travel”, but you seem to have avoided every having needles confiscated? sweater looks beautiful, btw.
Can’t wait to see pictures! Enjoy Rhinebeck.
Have a safe and happy trip. Maybe you can make matching buttons?
Not that I don’t think you will finsh…but I have seen more than one sweater for sale at fiber gatherings, too. And sweatshirts, in a pinch.
If you get to check in BEFORE your appearance, you can always crank up the ventilation and lay out your sweater there. Almost as good as an oven. Adjust temperature/fan on your return.
And what you need always becomes crystal clear the moment it is left behind. but you will survive without everything but your cell phone (because you have all those numbers stored!) and passport, because it is all replaceable somewhere on the road.
It was lovely to see you in Rhinebeck on Sat. Thank you for signing my book. Your intro had me thinking about a friend who went with me on Sat who claimed she didn’t have time to knit(or crochet). I should send her the pages….
I love your tenacity! I bet you’ll be wearing that sweater by the time you get to Portland. Really.
The finished sweater looked great at Rhinebeck!! Sorry I was such a creeper and took a stalker picture as you walked by today! (ie Sunday) It was a rather obvious kinnear
It was so exciting to see you on Saturday! Someday, when I have an income, I will buy your most recent book and stash my Rhinebeck program that you signed in it.
What was that lovely sweater you were wearing?
(Or am I completely nuts? Don’t answer that.)
I really did contemplate hopping in the car and making the pilgrimage to Rhinebeck on Sunday. I bet you all had tons of fun!
Relax, as far as forgetting to pack anything: Unless you’re travelling to some really, really, really remote place, you can find a store to replace it. If not, have Joe overnight the item to your next hotel or appearance location.
Am I missing something…but are there ovens on the road? In hotel rooms? I’d imagine microwave in hallway vestibules, full-scale ovens, no. Happy finishing up the sweater on the fly. That’s so exciting. Something nice to come home to while you’re traveling!
You have given me the jollies for a Monday and I must say also given me solace that if YOU can make a mistake; then, everyone else can forgive themselves too. “To err is to be human,” and give us a lot of laughs.
Thanks for making my day.
So sorry this happened to you but it lets me know when I’m totally screwing up and ripping out that that’s just part of the journey when your knitting. The best thing is there is usually a way to fix it if your willing to put in the time.
The good thing about cables I’ve found is you can count your cables and forget about the tape measure to match back and front to the armhole. Beautiful sweater no matter when it gets finished!
Rhinebeck sounds like such fun! Hopefully all the new yarn goodies made up for the sweater discovery! Its gonna be beautiful and well worth the persistence!
I came all the way from Florida to Rhinebeck in hopes of seeing you….drats! Missed you completely! I did get to meet Clara Parkes and the lovely lady that wrote “Sheepish”…a very good read, by the way. Sorry about your sweater.
Blogless Mary Lou
Hello,
I hope you are enjoying your tour. I have got to knit the monster pants for my grandson!!! too cute! Did she happen to mention where the pattern is to be found??? Leo or Theo is really cute in them.
Thanks,
Julie