Travelling with Your Needlework

I'm packing up to go to Amana tomorrow morning bright-and-early, and am finally going to get some much-needed time to stitch. I'll be taking, for sure, a Christmas stocking project, a Shepherd's Bush stocking, that I'm FINALLY making for my brother-in-law. I made stockings for my sister and her four boys, and promised Jordan for YEARS that I would make him one, too. Well, since Henry will go to college next year, I really want to finish this one, so they can have a complete set at last.

It always seems much easier to pack my clothes and such than it is to narrow down what projects I am going to take. I usually save that step for last. I mean, what will the lighting be like? Will I feel like starting something new? Do I want a few simpler pieces, so talking and laughing won't lead to mistakes? Seasonal? Sampler? An old WIP? Something I'm ALMOST done with (could I possibly finish something?) Do I want to take pieces that are kind of ooh-aah-show-and-tell kind of projects? At some retreats, I'll just hunker down on one piece, and at others, I switch projects once or twice a day.

I don't know that it ever really matters much. Because time spent with other stitchers is usually loud and giggly. There are interruptions for meals, shopping, heading out for coffee or treats. At the Amana retreat this weekend, we'll also get a class from Lori Markovic from La-D-Da. And there is a lot of fun shopping in a three or four block radius of where we'll be stitching. Amana is so cute during October. There are pumpkins on every post, and leaves skitter down the road, hurried along by an autumn breeze. Getting out of the house, going somewhere cute, and spending time with stitchers is about the best way to enjoy a weekend.

How do you decide what projects to take when you travel (whether it's to a retreat or not)?

I am not sure if I'll be able to do a post on Friday -- it will depend on whether or not I can get a connection in Amana. But please post your comments about traveling with needlework and share progress on the Margaret Doyle sampler.

We will have our first DRAWING on the Monday Blog. The prize will be the Hands Across the Sea sampler graph of your choice (from what I carry). In order to enter, you will have to post on Monday a picture of your current progress on the Margaret Doyle sampler. You must at least have a little progress -- a blank piece of fabric doesn't count, even if that's your current progress! :D I hope all is well and that you are getting some stitching done! - Theresa