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My main activity this week is packing for our family vacation. I’ve got to try to figure out how to fit clothing and toiletry items for 4 into as few bags as humanly possible. It’s kind of like the grown up version of Tetris. Fit all the stuff in with no empty spaces. Oh, and under the 50lb per bag weight limit.
Since I’m a designer, my travel stuff always includes a notebook to write down any ideas I get as well as a pad of graph paper in case i want to chart out a design idea. I really look forward to the day that someone creates a spiral bound notebook containing both ruled and graph paper.
In addition to my notepad and making sure everyone has enough socks, I also get to pick out which knit or crochet projects to take with me. I’m likely going to have a lot of time to stitch on this trip (6 hour plane trip there, 6 hour car trip once we arrive, 6 hour car trip back to the airport for a 6 hour plane ride home). Knitting and crocheting is about the only thing keeping me from wanting to cry when I think about all that travel time.
Actually, what’s complicating my project choices is the fact that I’ll be doing all the this travel with the kids. I have to take at least one traveling-with-kids appropriate project. You know, something I can work on while repeatedly saying “Stop picking on your sister”, “No, we are not there yet”, and “If you don’t stop I’m going to make your father pull the car over”. I’ve got a stockinette scarf that would be perfect, but it’s worsted weight wool and I’m not sure that’s a good idea in the Texas heat. I’ll probably opt for a crocheted shawl I’m making in a fingering weight yarn. It’s light, lacy, and a has a simpler pattern repeat.
I’ll take a different project along for the times the kids are sleeping or occupied with cousins and grandparents. In fact, considering my complete inability to read in a moving car, evenings will probably be my only chance to work on something that requires regularly referring to a pattern or chart. Although, I don’t have the same motion sickness issues with airplanes, so if the kids fall asleep on any part of the plane ride (both kids asleep? at the same time????) I can work on it there too.
