Essential Packing.....

I am getting ready to go spend a bit of time with my parents. My preferred way to travel from Colorado to northern California is on Amtrak's California Zephyr. It is almost door-to-door from my house to my parents, but it takes almost 24 hours. I enjoy the time on the train. I read, I sketch, I rest, I knit, and I even occasionally watch a movie, after it gets too dark to watch the scenery roll by.

So, as I do my laundry and fill my suitcase, I am also doing my more essential packing. I have gathered my knitting needs for some simple mindless knitting: in this case, I'm taking a stockpile of cotton and instructions for various knit washcloths. I really enjoy using handknit washcloths, and I like to knit a pile of them between more ambitious projects. (Note my skein of yarn in the tall cleaned Starbucks cup, with the tail coming out the enlarged straw hole. Thank you Pinterest for this clever idea!)

I also have my sketchbook and sketching materials packed: two very small boxes with watercolors in them (an Altoids box, and a fly fishing box, each with a selection of watercolors inside), a couple of waterbrushes, a pencil and an eraser, my fountain pen, a white gel pen, a roll of tape, and some multicolored pencils and a sharpener. All fits inside a 9x6" canvas bag.

Now that I have these things gathered and packed, I suppose I should turn my mind to the rest of my packing needs... like maybe a few changes of clothes and a toothbrush and comb. First thing first, and now that I have dealt with the 'first things' I guess I can deal with the rest.....