Trans-Atlantic Trip Planning

How do you plan for international trans-Atlantic travel? Below is a simple step by step guide.

1. Secure your passport. This is important as you will not get to any yarn stores, fiber festivals, etc… you have staked out in another country without it.
2. Start planning your travel projects. Important considerations:
   • How big is it? Socks, shawls and other small/single skein items are best for the plane itself.  Sweaters are ill advised, but if you must, bring just the current piece on the plane and pack the rest in checked luggage. Spend the whole flight worrying about lost luggage.
   • Can I use needles/hooks/spindles that don’t look like I could kill somebody? Avoid metal needles (I am leaving my beloved karbonz needles at home) or put those in checked luggage with projects to work on at your destinations. Grieve in advance just in case security takes away your fragile little wooden sock needles.
   • If using DPNs, pack a couple extra in the same size. Airplane seats can eat them.
   • Can I carry the pattern with me easily? Digital patterns, printouts, pamplets and magazines are all preferable to a large book.
   • Do I have a good travel bag for my project? It’s better to put it in a small bag that fits inside your larger bags. This keeps it cleaner and makes it easier to pull out and set in your lap when the yarn and associated tools won’t escape.
   • How much time will I really have? What are your plans at your destination? Will you be chilling with the fam or engaged in more active events? Overestimate your crafting time.
3. Once you have your project list together, add just one more just in case.
4. Remember that your family and friends will actually want to talk to you.
5. Set aside the extra project.
6. Finish any almost done projects before you go. This is vital. You don’t want them to be lonely while you’re gone but bringing a project with only a few hours of knitting/crocheting/spinning time left in them is a waste of precious luggage space.
7. Realize you have nothing to work on.
8. Start working on your travel projects.
9. Freak out that they won’t last the whole trip anymore.
10. Add back in that extra project.
11. Start packing your suitcase(s) and carryons.
12. Remember that you have that really cool skein/project that you absolutely MUST show to your friend you are visiting.
13. Add it to the pile of stuff to bring.
14. Realize it won’t all fit.
15. Reconsider how much underwear you really need. Is that last pair of pants really necessary? How many times could you safely rewear each of your shirts? Are there laundry facilities where you are going?
16. Sit on suitcase to close it.
17. Hope security doesn’t decide to search it.

So where am I in this process? I have my projects picked out:

And as is evident from the photo, I’ve started one of them already.

What? This doesn’t look like much for two weeks plus? One cowl, a pair of socks and just a few ounces of roving (6 to be exact)?  First, the logical side of me will tell you that it takes me about two weeks to knit a pair of socks when factoring in things like the rest of life. So socks + a cowl really will be enough, especially when the spnning supplies are added in.

Second, the crafter side of me would like you to know that I was extremely clever and there is more yarn waiting for me at my first stop on my trip. I shipped it to my MIL, who does not knit, so I know it’s safe. Yarn for a crochet cowl (I’ll bring my hook with me) and for a pair of socks. This doubles my projects 🙂

I haven’t started putting it all in a suitcase yet. TheEnabler has informed me that my extremely conservative amount of projects may not be as conservative or reasonable as I believe. He has clearly forgotten the first few roadtrips with my spindles when I brought along about a years’ worth of fiber each time.