I'm calling these my Rhinebeck Mittens.  I cast on quickly on Wednesday night and knit a few rows of ribbing so that I wasn't caught boarding a plane with bare naked needles.  I know that the sticks don't raise many flags these days, but I figured five double-pointy sticks would be questioned even less if they were actually being put to use.

So.  I knit in the airport in Green Bay, since my flight was delayed by an hour (but I wasn't informed 'til I was half-way there), and on the plane to Atlanta.  I did not knit in Atlanta, though, because I was too busy running and making up time (WHEW, I made the connection).  I caught my breath, then knit during the flight to NYC.  I knit at night with Cara and Ann.  I knit on the way to La Isla Poughkeepsie while also playing the license plate game.  I knit in Poughkeepsie.

Then I did it all in reverse -- including the delay on the first leg of the return flight home and the sprint in Atlanta to successfully make the connection (owie, owie, owie, dragging my right foot the final 100 yards, shin splints, anyone? oh, how that hurts).  I finished the thumb on the way to Green Bay -- everything except weaving in the end, because I didn't have a needle -- and started the first of two Oddfellows.

And I was early in Green Bay!  I gathered my luggage, waited for DH, made about four or five phone calls, waited for DH, waited around inside, waited around outside, and then -- finally, THEN -- I checked the time and we weren't even due to land for another 8 minutes!

The Rhinebeck Mittens are an adaptation of EZ's Mitered Mittens, one of the May projects in Knitter's Almanac.  Having tried short rows to alleviate pulling on the palm-side, with some measure of success, on the first pair, I had an idea to knit the palm side straight and try a gusset with this pair.  There is also some measure of success here and they are perfectly wearable, but still not PERFECT.  I think I may, one day, try again -- omitting the increases on the mitered side while doing the gusset increases to eliminate excess fabric 'round the wrist.  I haven't blocked either of these pairs yet, and some of these issues may even end up disappearing.  Wouldn't that be nice?

It's official.  They're going to "total" my car.  I'll get all the detail$ tomorrow.  It's a 2000 Saturn wagon -- which is 7 years old, though in car-years, that's more like 8 or even 9 -- with 132+K miles on it, and there have been some issues and not a little angst, and I fell out of love a little over a year ago (mostly due to the stupid "service" department at the dealership), but it's gotten me where I've wanted to go (except once, though I'd have driven straight into a huge snowstorm, so it's serendipity or something).  I'm not sure what's going to happen.  I am thankful beyond belief that there were absolutely NO injuries to any person involved -- oh, don't I know how lucky we were.  And in the big picture, my car is a very, very, very small sacrifice.  Thank you all for your kind words and wishes.  It's been a tough couple of days and they really do help.