Come along with me on a little trip in your mind. Say you’re a prolific and compulsive knitter. Say you knit for a living. Say you have a healthy stash that you love and sometimes just go sit with to visit with your yarn. Say you have bundles of knitting needles, pattern books, 2 spinning wheels, a drum carder, dye pots and 20+ lbs of undyed yarn and fiber that you all take great joy in having around you all day every day.
Got it in your minds eye?
Now imagine living in a hotel room with only a bare minimum of your stuff with you.
Horrified? You should be, IT’S HORRIBLE.
Want to see what my current knitting options are?
ONE TINY DRAWER! Not even a normal sized drawer, a small drawer. My heart aches for my craft room, my spinning wheels, my carder and my dye pots. I pine for my robust and colorful stash on display in my craft room that I get to walk past multiple times a day and enjoy. I miss my collection of knitting needles because it seems I don’t have the right size for ANYTHING right now. (Even though I have an Addi Clicks set.)
What’s worse about this whole thing and this horrible disconnect from my stash? I have a new toy.
It’s a knitting machine! I got it for $25 on eBay awhile ago and I love it. It certainly isn’t as fun as hand knitting and most definitely will never ever replace my love of hand knitting but it sure is neat to just see row after row of perfect stockinette churn off the machine. Currently it’s set up on the ironing board in the hotel room because there was no other available surface. It works wonderfully especially for a used $25 year old second hand machine. I made myself some fingerless mittens on it last night. That I plan to finish by hand but the straight stockinette portion of the hand part is done and it only took a few minutes to do both of them. I’m going to pick up and knit ribbing around the top and bottom and pick up for the thumb. I know it’s ‘cheating’ but it sure is awesome for instant gratification.
You know who is enjoying living in the hotel? My dogs:
I’m making good headway on my newest sock design as well, though I just had to rip out the toe and start the toe decreases again. Here it is:
More knitting in exile posts to come I’m sure! When the machine knit mitts are finished I’ll post a picture of those as well and maybe some in progress shots to show how the machine works.
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Love the idea of the knitting machine for fingerless gloves! Great for Christmas gifts. I might have to haunt ebay for my own! Sock looks great!
Oh man, that’s awful restrictions on knitting but it looks like you’re really making the best of it. Good for you! Loving the knitting machine, and what a great price too.
That sock looks awesome! I’m excited to see the finished product.
Haha @ the girls loving it all
Looks like you’re making the most of it — I’m currently trying to find all of my yarn and supplies since we’ve moved. It feels… empty without it! I’ve always wanted to try a knitting machine – I’ll have to keep an eye out 
Hope you get to go home soon!