vacation adventure!

I am going on a vacation adventure, leaving in a week! I am going to visit my jetsetting friends who live and work in Japan and though I am very VERY excited, the little bits of preparation stress are starting to set in, including what am I going to knit on the trip? Well, I'm going to knit a shawl. There are several reasons, one being that 6 ounces of skinny yarn takes up the same amount of room as 6 ounces of fat yarn, there's just a lot more of it, and I want to use skinny yarn. Also, I think a shawl is one of those quentessential pieces that most knitters make at least one of. So yesterday I carded a silk 1/3, wool 2/3 blend and dyed it up last night. The wool was white and the silk black, so the dye job turrned out beautiful. And yes, to add to my stress, I am spinning my own yarn for this one, and it will have to be done in time for me to hank, set, and ball it.