Hope Over Experience, or, What Mrs. M Did (and Didn't Do) on Vacation

Whenever we go on vacation, I always pack too much yarn.

For me the very word "vacation" conjures up hopeful (but improbable) images of unlimited crochet time. I envision productive hours spent stitching in the car as we drive from state to state; quiet hours of designing in hotel rooms; leisurely hours of crochet while chatting with family members. So I tend to pack plenty of yarn to keep me busy, and hooks enough to cover any contingency.

This year's trip was no different. Into a large bag went a precious skein of Noro; surely I'd have time to dream up a project for it - aye, and finish it too (or so I told myself). Nylon netting for scrubbies (mindless crochet); some red sock-weight in case I needed a quick cowl to go with a nautical-striped shirt; some Planet Penny Cotton which is great for swatching stitch ideas; crochet thread for a beaded bracelet; and, in case I ran out of projects, a bit of gorgeous rose-tinted gyred yarn just begging to be made into something special. Also into the bag went scissors, measuring tape, and paper and pencil (to record any brilliant designs that might flash upon the Micawber brain).

Thus equipped, I set out with Mr. M in pursuit of novelty and amusement.

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A long day's journey takes us south to Illinois, then east through Indiana to Ohio. Our destination: the American Motorcycle Association's Vintage Motorcycle Days. (Mr. M's idea. I tend to prefer non-mechanised two-wheel events.)

After a good night's sleep, we spend a happy morning looking at these (and thousands more like them):

$21k for this vintage Ducati. Any takers?

In the afternoon, I leave Mr. M to his motorised delights, and drive a few miles north to look at these...

...and dither delightedly over baskets of this:

Then I rejoin Mr. M, who's been watching a lot of this:

The sidecar races were amazing.

At the end of a long loud day, we're glad to take a break in our quiet hotel room, and watch a quieter (but no less exciting) form of locomotion:

Then it's out again to admire some of the beauties of downtown Mansfield, Ohio.

WWI Memorial

Art Deco detail on a building

The next day we're on the road again. Crossing Ohio, we drive through a corner of Pennsylvania and into the wine country of West New York...

...on our way to spend several days with a dear niece and her family.

Looking for Canada

And of course I keep my eyes open for these:

Bittersweet Nightshade

Not-yet-identified

Heal-all

I'm happy to find some new wildflowers to add to this year's list.

After several days in West New York, it's time to hit the road again. Back we go, past miles of vineyards, to the old-wooded, deep-shaded highways of Pennsylvania and Ohio. Back across the rolling green of Indiana and through the exciting tangle of Chicago. Westwards across the wide fields of Illinois, then northwards and home to green Wisconsin, where banks of rudbeckia welcome us back with sunny brown-eyed smiles. Back to the trees and hills we love; back to the comparative quiet of village life.

It's good to get away, to experience change, to see new places and new things, and spend time with loved ones far away. But it's also good to come home, to see one's own place with fresh eyes and appreciate it anew.

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So what did I crochet on vacation? In the end, not much. The Noro project never materialised (though I haven't given up on it). Some motifs were designed, then frogged and reworked. A scrubbie or two were finished, and a few design ideas sketched on a scrap of paper.

As always, the triumph of hope over experience. The imagined hours of crochet shrank to more-realistic minutes, yielding nothing worth writing home about.

But that's okay. The yarn will wait. We spent our time much better.

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Do you carry yarn or craft supplies when you travel?

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