• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

creative.mother.thinking

explaining my life to strangers

  • About
  • Handgemacht-Podcast
  • Privacy Policy
  • Impressum

Archives for May 2015

Packing light

May 28, 2015 by Susanne 3 Comments

As you know I have a thing for bags, and I’m a bit obsessed with packing and especially with packing and traveling light. Which is also a little absurd because I don’t travel much. Take this year, for example, I was away for two days in April, will be visiting my parents at the end of May, and that will probably be it.

Still I love reading packing lists, and this is a topic where I even watch videos which I don’t usually do. I know, it’s a bit weird, but it doesn’t hurt anyone.

So I thought you might want to know what I took for an overnight stay to the Backnanger Wollfest. I went there by train, took two workshops, stayed one night in a hotel and went back home again.

When I thought about what and how to pack I knew that I would have to change trains (or buses even) three times each way, and that I would have to carry everything I had with me around all day on the second day. So I didn’t want to take too much stuff. Still I like to be comfortable, and I needed to take stuff for the workshops.

I’ve been completely mesmerized by minimalist packing for years now but then I decided that going all minimalist was not the right thing for me. It also seems that traveling with minimalist luggage means you have to buy a ton of stuff that you only use when traveling, and that’s just not practical when you never leave your home for longer than a few hours at a time.

So the first thing I decided that I would only bring spindles to the two workshops I was taking. For second one it said to bring a spinning wheel or spindle or both, and the more I thought about carrying my spinning wheel around for a day or so the more I didn’t really want to do it. Which is sensible but also a bit funny because when I go to local spinning meetings I carry my spinning wheel with me no problem. But then I know I only have to walk for fifteen minutes or so in total, and I only change trains once for that one. So first decision was no spinning wheel.

Since I was only staying one night I decided to wear the same clothes both days. I always wear my clothes two days in a row at home as well. I did feel a little uncomfortable about not having any spare clothes at first. What if I spilled something on me? What if any of my clothes ripped? Then I stepped down from panic mode, and realized that a) nothing like that had ever happened to me ever, and b) I was traveling to a German town on Friday and Saturday, so if there had been a clothing emergency I could have bought new clothes right there. Also it is possible to survive with stained jeans.

The weather was a bit hard to dress for, 8° C in the morning when I had to leave, and something around 25°C later in the day. So I dressed in jeans and handmade socks and a handspun hand knitted t-shirt and cardigan, both very lightweight, both somewhat warm because wool, and both completely suitable to be worn in weather that warm. I also took a (handspun handknit) lace shawl, fingerless mitts and a light jacket with a hood. And comfortable walking shoes, of course.

This combination worked very well. I was just a little too cold in the morning while waiting twenty minutes for the next train, and a little too hot right in the midday sun, otherwise everything was exactly right.

Here’s a picture of what else I took, and also a picture of my packed backpack:

 

IMG_1631

That backpack is the one I use all the time at home. It carries my groceries, and it goes hiking with me, and is just my general backpack. It holds 25 liters which is somewhat big for a purse but pretty small for luggage on trips. It is comfortable but not all that waterproof, and it could have better ventilation on my back. I like the outside pockets, and it has a laptop compartment that’s adequate but could be better padded at the bottom.

The picture is not quite correct because I ended up leaving the iPad mini and keyboard at home.

image

Doesn’t look too bad, does it? And it wasn’t.

 

I did weigh it but have forgotten how much it was, sorry. It got considerably lighter once I had given the two bottles of beer to the spinning teacher. I don’t usually carry beer around while traveling.

The whole thing was a raging success, and made me think that I might even be able to travel for a week or more with this backpack. The only downside was that there was not enough room to fit my jacket in. Everything else fit.

On the other hand I am thinking that having just a little more room might be nice as well. My „big“ backpack isn’t all that big, and I don’t really have to stuff it full. And usually I have the big backpack, and a smaller bag for the stuff I need on the train, and that is nice too. I can leave the big one at my seat when I go to the washroom, and the small bag at my feet on the train leaves more room.

I’m thinking about packing again because I will be leaving in two days to visit my parents for a week. At first I wanted to just take the small backpack again. But then I talked to my mother and she said we might go swimming, and we might ride bikes, and I found that it will be really warm for two days but less warm for the rest of the time, and I decided to take a second pair of shoes even though I don’t usually do that.

So I’ll take the bigger backpack again this time. Also the ukulele, some knitting but only one spindle…

So what do you think, do you like to travel light or do you like to take everything?

Filed Under: life

Handgemacht – Folge 55: Textilproduktion für billig

May 17, 2015 by Susanne 2 Comments

http://creativemother.de/audio/Handgemacht55.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Gestrickt habe ich:

  • More Coriolis socks: fertig
  • Silky Strength: etwas weiter
  • Marin: mehr als zwei Drittel fertig
  • Socks with a Twist: aufgezogen

Gesponnen habe ich:

  • etwas mehr von dem grünen Seiden-Cap
  • rotes BFL/Seide/Viskose/Bambus für einen Pi Shawl ca. 80 Gramm fertig
  • Kaschmir
  • Kamel
Gewoben habe ich:
  • zweites Brettchenwebband fertig
  • drittes auch
Genäht habe ich:
  • den Schnitt für das schwarze Kleid durchgepaust und ausgeschnitten

Erwähnt wurde:

  • Ausfasernd-Podcast, Folge „Reboot“
  • Kloster Andechs
  • Snapdragon Tam und Flip-Tops
  • Personal Footprints
  • Anna Dalvi Pi Shawl
  • Sarah Jane Adventures
  • Skulduggery Pleasant
  • Georg’s Spinning Challenge
  • Applesies and Fox Noses
  • Tablet Weaver’s Group
  • John Mullarkey Videos
  • Tabby Brettchenwebrahmen
  • Barbara von Kunschtwerk
  • selbstgenähtes Sommerkleid
  • Gewichtswebstuhl
  • Jane Patrick’s Buch
  • Winterkatze
  • Sewaholic Einnähen von Reißverschlüsse mit der Hand

Filed Under: Podcast

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Handgemacht » Podcast

Handgemacht mit iTunes abonnieren

Subscribe to know when Susanne’s next book comes out

* indicates required

Manic Writing & Such

500words-150w

Archives

Categories

  • birthday letter (3)
  • blogging about blogging (21)
  • blogher (1)
  • changing habits (53)
  • crafts (55)
  • creativity (37)
  • daily journal (1,045)
  • family (20)
  • fashion (15)
  • gender (12)
  • green living (8)
  • happiness (5)
  • health (20)
  • hear me sing (7)
  • just post (28)
  • knitting (47)
  • knitting patterns (2)
  • life (212)
  • lists (39)
  • meme (19)
  • mindfulness (1)
  • music (34)
  • NaNoWriMo (12)
  • parenting (39)
  • pictures (33)
  • Podcast (162)
  • procrastination (2)
  • project 365 (14)
  • projects (35)
  • Projekt "Farbe bekennen" (14)
  • reading (9)
  • Rhiannon (5)
  • script frenzy (2)
  • self-help (40)
  • sewing (7)
  • spinning (31)
  • story of the month (13)
  • travel (12)
  • Uncategorized (62)
  • week in review (23)
  • weight loss (8)
  • wordless wednesday (9)
  • writing (24)
  • year of happiness (8)

Subscribe to Handgemacht » Podcast

Handgemacht mit iTunes abonnieren

Subscribe to know when Susanne’s next book comes out

* indicates required

Manic Writing & Such

500words-150w

Archives

Categories

  • birthday letter (3)
  • blogging about blogging (21)
  • blogher (1)
  • changing habits (53)
  • crafts (55)
  • creativity (37)
  • daily journal (1,045)
  • family (20)
  • fashion (15)
  • gender (12)
  • green living (8)
  • happiness (5)
  • health (20)
  • hear me sing (7)
  • just post (28)
  • knitting (47)
  • knitting patterns (2)
  • life (212)
  • lists (39)
  • meme (19)
  • mindfulness (1)
  • music (34)
  • NaNoWriMo (12)
  • parenting (39)
  • pictures (33)
  • Podcast (162)
  • procrastination (2)
  • project 365 (14)
  • projects (35)
  • Projekt "Farbe bekennen" (14)
  • reading (9)
  • Rhiannon (5)
  • script frenzy (2)
  • self-help (40)
  • sewing (7)
  • spinning (31)
  • story of the month (13)
  • travel (12)
  • Uncategorized (62)
  • week in review (23)
  • weight loss (8)
  • wordless wednesday (9)
  • writing (24)
  • year of happiness (8)

Archives

  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
  • August 2006
  • July 2006
  • June 2006
  • May 2006
  • April 2006
  • March 2006
  • February 2006
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Author Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in