On the Road

This week, I am on vacation. I will hopefully be happily knitting away on a pair of socks or other small, tote-able project on the beach.

It seems only fitting that my topic be On the Road: What do you bring/do/buy fiber-wise when you travel?

Here’s what I tend to do and bring:

• I scout out nearby local yarn and fiber shops. And if I haven’t planned ahead, I do a search on my cell phone.
• I bring a couple of projects to keep me entertained and for different types of situations:
• A good plane or car project — something relatively mundane and/or small – I make tons of mistakes when I ride in the car, so it can’t be lace or anything too complicated, something stockinette or garter stitch is ideal, but I will also do small projects like socks or baby hats.
• A project that requires my attention and focus, usually a project I have been wanting to work on, but haven’t had the time or focus to make much progress. Wishful thinking.
• Something I can work on while doing other things (could be same as the first project).
• A back-up project. Again, wishful thinking.
• I plan for far more than I can actually accomplish.

And here’s what I tend to buy:

• Something special I can’t get at home or something unique to that shop or area. Is there is a yarn spun from local sheep by a local spinner and/or hand-dyed by local dyers? (I also use a similar thought process for MD Sheep and Wool – I limit myself to purchasing things I can’t get easily otherwise.)
• Sock yarn. I always know how much I need to make a pair of socks, so it is a safe and fun buy. Also, usually a low-investment purchase that doesn’t take up a lot of room in the suitcase (unless I buy 20 skeins of sock yarn...).
• Patterns. I’ve learned that when you see a pattern you think you might like to make one day, buy it. You never know if you’ll find it again. Also, again, low financial investment (because remember, I am using all my money to finance my vacation) and low spacial commitment in the suitcase.
• Buttons. I’m always looking for cute buttons. See above for why buttons also make a good travel purchase.
• Anything supply I end up desperately needing for a project that has been traveling with me.

So, here’s to happy traveling!