Packing in the Pleasure of Ordinary Days

  

I cannot count my day complete
'Til needle, thread and fabric meet.

I finally finished my spring project--using a Louisa Harding
pattern (Taini) and Rowan Summerspun yarn.  I will
definitely pack this item for my trip. 

Non-crafters, I assume, prepare for a long trip by making lists of what to purchase and pack and by creating detailed itineraries for daily activities.  Not belonging to this group, however, I recently made the decision to make a few items to take with me on my upcoming trip to England, thinking that doing so would be an amusing way to occupy the weeks prior to my departure.  Large portions of my days have thus been consumed with meeting my deadline.  Each day I disappear into the dining room (a space which also serves as a sewing room) and stitch away or I sit in coffee shops, in front of the TV, in the doctor's and veterinarian's offices, etc. and knit away.  

I made significant progress on a thick winter shawl I'm knitting during a particularly long vet visit this past Tuesday.  Our ginger family cat, Streaky, who is occasionally testy but is generally placid, turned into a vicious tiger at the vet's office, making gurgly throaty noises and lashing out with his claws at anyone who came within a foot of him.  Consequently, he had to be anesthetized in order to receive his rabies and distemper vaccinations.  (This process the lowering over his head of  some sort of plastic bubble, but, thankfully, I was excused from observing this procedure.)  He seemed unfazed and was quite affectionate after the experience--but it took several glasses of Pinot Grigio late that afternoon to restore my nervous system to a less-adrenaline-flooded (fight-or-flight) state.  

 

Froggy will be going to the UK with me, once I add his eyes. 
He's a gift for fellow blogger 
Thomasina Tittlemouse, whom I plan to meet on my visit.  

But back to my projects. . . . It's interesting that I immediately replaced one form of work (teaching) with other employments (knitting and sewing) but have enjoyed my quite labors and am happy that I've just about completed with my projects now, though, and should perhaps start studying some guide books, so that I can navigate the trains and Tube when I get to London, with my new coat and vest and dress in tow.  Of course, sitting on the table in my dining room is a new pattern for a cute floral hat and some fabric to complete it.  This rather romantic-looking item might be just the thing to wear in the English countryside--just perfect for a day trip to Highclere Castle.  Of course, I need to actually figure out how to get from point A to Z before I go to England, so that I'm not wandering aimlessly in my romantic attire, like some agonized Bronte heroine, who inevitably ultimately collapses on the moors. However, I might as well look good (or at least eccentric) in my journeying, rather than feeling inappropriately dressed for whatever adventures or misadventures come my way.  

                                    

I am also bringing my typical wardrobe of jeans, khaki pants, clogs, etc. and don't have a single floaty dress or Laura Ashley flowered creation to bring with me--although maybe I should make a trip to the yarn shop.  A lacy shawl might be just the thing to keep me busy on the plane.    

My dress and jacket are almost finished here.  I made a scoop in the
front of hem, since I've seen that style in the stores lately and wanted
to update the style a bit. 

This coat, unlike the simple dress, required lots of tedious work.  I still
have to tack the lining down in places, but otherwise it's done. 

My green item turned out to be a perfect teacher dress,
but I'll still probably take it with me in case the weather is warm.