Val Gardena

January 10, I went on ski holiday with Moe and my dad. My mother was left behind since her knee was badly damaged last year and she's still recovering.
The three of us went to Val Gardena, Italy; same as last year, the year before that and so on. I love those holidays.
Before heading out to the airport I made sure that all knitting related stuff was packed carefully in my suitcase. Arriving in the Dolomites I suddenly came to realize that my brain had left the building while the rest of me had been packing! I forgot yarn for my scarf in progress and I failed to bring the wires for my Knit Pick needles!! Fortunately I still had my Spring Forward sock and another unholy sock on the needles with me.
The whole thing did make me feel sort of naked, so I went into town and asked around for knitting needles. In St. Christina there's this store called Maciaconi and in the downstairs shop that carries kitchen utensils, books and magazines, sewing gear and toys, the most grumpy lady ever seem to spend most of her working hours (please retire, please!). This time around she was as grumpy as ever but I was prepared! Without hesitation in my mind, in German I asked her if they also carried knitting needles and if not, if she knew where I could find some. For about a split second she looked up and answered my question in a harsh tone: "Ortisei!!".
I quietly thanked her and skedaddled.
Ortisei is not too far away from St. Christina but you have to drive there. It meant that I would have to convince my dad and Moe that our holiday would be ruined if we didn't go.
We actually did go to Ortisei a couple of times: Sunday and all shops where closed. Tuesday and I still didn't know what knitting needles were called in Italian.
I never did get to buy any Italian knitting needles, but I did find out what chose seemingly forgettable tools are called in Italian (ferri da maglia). The person who was kind enough to enlighten me on that subject was from Scotland! The chances of meeting someone from Scotland in the Alps who even lives and works there must be 1:1,000,000,000. I felt so good to be able to communicate without searching for words all the time.
After all this one should think that I finished both pair of socks, right? Not even close. I hardly knitted at all.
Instead I did this:

Yup, it's me with my arms out in the air.