Fiber Friday- What to pack

It is hard being a fiberista and going away for a few weeks where decent yarn is hard to come by, and tool like needles even harder to get. So what does one pack for such an occasion??

I have learned... it depends... on your schedule....and where you are going...

Packing the huge shawl that takes 16 skeins of yarn is usually not the right choice. It takes up tons of luggage room, and you feel obligated to bring all the yarn- just in case you get far enough to use it...

Packing small items like washcloths is great. They are brainless, small, easy to transport, and you only need one set of needles, and one row counter, and scissors to make them(you can weave in the ends when you get home). The skeins of cotton yarn are small enough to stuff inside shoes, so you have minimal impact on luggage room. And if they have to be crammed in your luggage on the way home, they will be ok.

Afghan squares are great too. Not too big, but a little more challenging than washcloths. No need to bring too many, especially if you bring a few more difficult ones, they will take time to conquer. It is great when you are sitting on a beach and when someone asks you what you are knitting you can answer "blanket". If they are local to the beach, they tend to look at you quizzically. Both because, why would you need a blanket in such nice weather, and they think soon it will be huge and full of sand. Doing an afghan in squares makes it easy to transport and work on.

I like bringing shawls. Especially the kind that are knit up with sock yarn. Two or three skeins are light, easy to pack, and make up quite a large project, so it can keep you busy most of, if not all of, the trip. As it gets bigger it gets harder to bring with you to the beach, but poolside, and on the balcony work pretty good. It can even keep you warm on cooler nights as you knit it. If you are lucky, you may finish it and use it before the vacation is even over. Or in my case, I may finish it and be able to give it to its intended recipient, thus not having to pack it for the flight home.

So there you have it... packing for a vacation 101, because you can almost always buy underwear and socks wherever you go, but decent yarn is hard to get sometimes and a girl has to be prepared.