When in Rome or Florence...

I am so thrilled to be part of the "We" in "We do not have a knitting problem." When Irish Girlie suggested I contribute, I knew exactly what I wanted to post first. And at the time I hadn't even boarded the plane.





My recent trip to Italy has been in the planning for over a year and there were times when I was afraid it wasn't going to happen. And then it did.

A couple of weeks before departure I started panicking -- What to knit on the trip! It had to be pretty portable (duh!) and I was afraid of losing tiny needles either to security or just because of my own clumsiness. And even though I am a notoriously slow knitter, I have a great fear of being under yarned. And then I remembered Irish Girlie's Comfort Food pattern for fingerless gloves.

 IGK Comfort Food Fingerless Gloves in Neighborhood Fiber Company Studio Chunky

I've decided that fingerless gloves in a larger yarn are the best travel project. So easy to take everywhere.

Knitting on the Spanish Steps

Our first stop was Rome where our hotel was located near the top of the Spanish Steps. No need to climb UP the steps, we just walked down and around town from there. Bonus!

I honestly love this glorious green colorway

We walked and walked around Rome and also spent a day at the Vatican.

Swiss guards at the Vatican

I was going to ask the guards to pose with my knitting, but decided against it.

Saint Peter's Basilica

It is so very hard to explain the splendor of the art and the scale of the Basilica. But look at the bottom of the photo above. Those are people - look how tiny they are compared to the columns and archways!

Outside view of Saint Peter's Basilica

Outside St. Peters they have chairs set up for when the Pope gives his regular Sunday blessing.

Lemon!

Gelato Break! There was lots and lots of gelato breaks.

Wine & Knitting

And wine with every meal except breakfast. (Cheaper than water!)

Morning Cappuccino

And Cappuccinos every single morning. So good I had to stop myself or I would start to get the jitters.

Not much progress

Lovely day spent walking around one of the palaces - Notice I haven't made much knitting progress. Oh well.

Meat and Cheese Plate (The wine was there, trust me)

We tried to eat at little neighborhood places where we could get bread, and cheese and meat or a sandwich.

Train rides are a great time to knit

We took a side trip to Venice and also traveled to Florence by train. It was such a great way to see the countryside.

Gondolas!

Sights so picturesque I felt like I was in storybook land.

Duomo, Florence

Craftsmanship both inspiring and intimidating. No CAD programs available in 1446 when construction started on the Duomo.

Colosseum at Night

A tour of the Colosseum at night was one of the highlights of the trip. (I used Walks of Italy as our local tour guide and we had stellar experiences every time.

New knitting bag from Italy!

I did end up finishing one of the mitts. But I'm not quite done with the second yet. I love how the cables add interest to the mitts. They also add a little progress happy dance when you get to create the twist.




Ahhhh, I miss you already Italy. Someday we will be together again.

To celebrate being part of the "We" in "We do not have a knitting problem," we're designating the Comfort Food pattern as "IGK Pattern of the Month."  The pattern will be on sale for $4.75 the entire month of November 2014.