As of the writing of this I have been working on projects that I had thought enough about ahead of time to put into my transition bag for about 6 weeks. I thought we’d at least have a contract on the house that we are selling by now, but we don’t. I am running out of projects.
In this post I am going to share with you how I chose and planned what to put into my transition bag, what I am doing now that the time is longer than I planned for and about planning for stitching on an extended travel trip because there is some overlap in this and as we’re coming into the holiday day season I know that many of you will be traveling to visit friends and family, college students going back home for a month or 6 weeks.
In my bag, which is a large wheeled bag that fully zips closed, I put the basics that I would need to work through the projects. At first I had most of the items you see in the photo below in the bag AND some other things that I decided were okay to be housed in an empty drawer of my work table in what used to be the Studio.
The projects I chose were simple, yet also things that I needed/wanted to complete. Hats, the Monarch redo and a new color work design. I ordered some new to me US lace yarn and so I printed a pattern for that.
To be prepared for these projects and others that might come up I kept out a box that holds all of my Brittany double point needles and my case of interchangeable needles. I still have full access to my yarn stash as it is in small totes that Jack of All Trades said not to pack. See THIS post.
Whether you’re packing for transition or travel, do it with intention. You don’t want to be stuck without something that you need. With the exception of my swift and winder, again I thought we’d be gone by now, I have so far not needed any other basic tools badly enough to unpack boxes or be stuck in the middle of a project.
Stitch holders, tapestry needles, life lines, stitch markers, scissors, sticky notes and any other little thing you use to make your stitching sessions easier for you. I have been very thankful for a small notions kit that I bought at the last fiber festival I attended before CoVid. It was great at the retreat I went on this last weekend.
Below is a photo of the projects I packed for the retreat. Again with intention. I was already limited to what was in my transition bag. I recently started the Gourdgeous Socks MKAL because I had my dpns and stash yarn. I took that for the free time on Friday. I took the last Monarch Hat I have and worked it to the crown decrease section. I took the mittens, everything that I had done so I could compare and work on the next size. I also took a lace experiment and the yarn to make the brim of my color work hat. All things I could work on during our sessions and while visiting with others.
The yarn parts of the project all went into the same bag. Patterns, notes, any papers went into a folder and the tools went into the bottom of a large project bag that held my Bible, book, some random things, the folder and the bag of yarn.This way everything was in one place. I had 2 options for project bags once I had them emptied out. I only carried around what I needed for the moment.
When you’re going on an extended trip and going to be staying in or near the same place for the entire trip, I suggest shipping things ahead of you if possible. Especially if you’re flying. This way TSA can’t things from you. Always check to see what the new rules are for flying before packing for your trip.
Again, be intentional. How much time will you have a project that needs row by row attention? Or will you need to have mindless/mindful stitching for the entire trip? Pop in an extra project too, just in case. In case you finish one of the other projects, get stuck on a project for any reason or in case something else happens to it. Children, animals…
If there’s a possibility that there will be people who want to learn where you’re going, and time permitting, you want to teach them, prepare for that. Include a couple of balls of smooth worsted weight yarn in solid colors as well as hooks and needles that you’re willing to part with. You can find instructions for beginning crochet HERE and beginning knit HERE, complete with a materials list. The post in each of these links also has a link to the left hand version if that’s something you need. Download the pdfs to whatever device you will be taking with you or better yet, print them so that you can leave them with the new stitcher.
Share in the comments what I missed about stitching while traveling. Or drop an email and I’ll edit it into this post. sara@azariahsfibrearts.com
Happy Making!