Boston, Portland, and Back Again

I had to travel up to Portland, Maine for work this week. A 4 hour meeting ending up keeping me there for 2 nights. Here’s the short version of my little trip to Portland:

  • 6:30PM Tuesday: Got to the airport and they immediately cancelled my flight.
  • 7:30PM: We (my boss and I) decided to take a flight to Boston instead and drive to Portland
  • 11:00 PM: Arrive in Boston and pickup rental car. A mini van. Beggars can’t be choosers
  • 1:30 AM: Arrive in Portland. Check-in to hotel. Go up to rooms. My key doesn’t work. Boss’ key works, but the safety latch is on so it only opens a few inches. A guy screams and we hear panicked footsteps
  • 1:45 AM: Back to the front desk. After some investigation she apologizes for giving us the wrong rooms.
  • 7 AM: Alarm goes off. Get ready, go to meeting.
  • 4 PM: Leave meeting. It went really well
  • 4:30 PM: Return rental car. Realize we forgot to fill the tank. Pay $5.70/gallon to fill it with the rental company
  • 4:45 PM: Enter the terminal to see they’ve cancelled this flight too. Switch to a US Air Flight going into LaGuardia. We’ll then have to take a bus shuttle to Newark because that’s where our cars are.
  • 5:00 – 7:00 PM: Hang out at the only bar in the airport. Have a few drinks and some dinner.
  • 7:15 PM: Informed by airport security that since we switched airlines we were automatically flagged as needing the advanced screening. Watch as security people take out all my unmentionables with my boss standing right there. Try to remind myself that at least there were no tampons. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, they did NOT confiscate my Addi Turbos.
  • 7:45 PM: Proceed to gate for check in. No one is at gate. An employee comes out of the jetway. We tell her we’re on that flight. She says it’s gone. We say no, it’s right there (pointing at the plane). Lady, you can’t hide a plane. No, it’s gone. She was very rude as well. I’ve heard they can ask the pilot if they’ll open the doors but she wouldn’t.
  • 8 PM: Go down to Delta and get on their flight to La Guardia. After he tickets us he informs us it’s late and he’s not sure if/when it will get in. Decide it’s not worth the risk and get on the Continental flight for tomorrow morning.
  • 8:15 PM: Call around and finally find a room. Seriously, Portland was booked up. We’re at the bar-free ammenity-free spartan Comfort Inn.
  • 8:30 PM: Walk down to the Pizzeria Uno for drinks. While inside it starts to rain. Really hard. Wait out the storm and walk back. Jeans are soaked to my knees. Flip flops (the only shoes other than my dress shoes) are squishy they’re so wet, and my feet are icicles. Go to sleep with my favorite mohair socks. Ahhhh.
  • 4:15 AM: Alarm goes off. Shower, get ready, and take the shuttle back to the airport
  • 6:45 AM: Flight takes off on time and arrives early. Drive into work in half the time it would take to get there from home.

Those are just the highlights. But in the end we got the work we went up there for, and I got more knitting time in than I otherwise would have.


Red3yokedone
that’s right…a finished yoke…and i like it!


I’ve had my doubts the whole time I was knitting this up but I just tried it on 10 minutes ago and it fit. Well. Nice taut armholes like I wanted. Nothing gaping. No unsightly bra sightings (even with movement). We have a winner folks!
And those increases I fretted over so much. I love em!

Decs3cu
look how pretty! and that tubular cast on ain’t so shabby, either!


I know I’m gushing but I can’t help it. I’ve been working on this pattern for 3 weeks now. I’ve knit 3 complete yokes. I’ve knit umpteen increase swatches. I’ve frogged more knitting than I’ve kept.
But all is not lost.
5 plane tickets, 2 flights, 3 hotel rooms, and 1 roadtrip later and I have a yoke. And it is good.

20 thoughts on “Boston, Portland, and Back Again

  1. I am loving the yoke!!! The increases are beautifully done. I’m thinking that your going to need to publish the pattern on Knitty or pass it around for a knitalong. The color is beautiful and vibrant too… Loving it…

  2. Whoo hoo! A yoke! It looks go great. Sorry to hear about your awful couple of days, I hope you have recovered ok

  3. Grrrr… You do know that Portland is SO SO SO SO close to where I live and I could have met you for dinner – even if it had to be at the airport.

  4. You probably would have been better off driving to Portland! I know I’ll not fly to Boston or Maine from here ever again…
    AND I *love* the yoke! Any chance I can pick your brain at some point about reworking the math on a tank top for which I cannnnnnot get gauge?

  5. What a crazy trip! DH is one of those lucky people that they WILL open the door for after they’ve supposedly closed it for good. I love those increases! You must feel so good after seeing your vision successfully implemented. And I love that shade of rust/orangey red.

  6. I was cracking up about the no-tampons part… my mother used to pack with all her pads on top, so when the security officers opened the bag, they’d generally freak out and close it right back up.
    The yoke is beautiful – can’t wait for the pattern!

  7. BRILLIANT! That’s great that you kept on going until you got the yoke you wanted! Good for you…you’re entitled to gush as much as you wish.

  8. sorry to hear about the rough travel. we missed you on wednesday!
    the yoke looks great. can’t wait to see the outcome!

  9. Yikes!! What a trip! I heard Saturday is National *Splurge* Day and you clearly deserve one Jody :)
    The sweater is awesome….all your blood, sweat and tears has produced a wonderful sweater that is everything you imagined! Well done!

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