Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Ye Queen's Cabinett Unlock'd

luggage, return trip

This post probably falls into the TMI category, but you asked for it. 

The following went to Ireland packed in the (checked) suitcase. 

·         1 pair black knit waleless corduroy pants
·         1 short sleeved white t-shirt        
·         3 long-sleeved t-shirts (white, grey, black)
·         1 mulberry poly-crepe long-sleeved dressy tunic
·         1 red cotton/acrylic blend v-neck pullover
·         1 tan cashmere/silk crewneck pullover
·         1 grey light-weight cotton/poly knit cardigan
·         1 red/blue faux Pashmina paisley stole
·         1 tan/red silk rectangle
·         1 pair black walking shoes
·         Pajamas (black leggings, red Illinois State t-shirt)
·         2 pair black socks, 1 pair white sweat socks, 4 changes of underwear
·         Toiletries in a small plastic travel kit, meds, Chapstick, Visine
·         Trifles that I didn’t want to have to explain to the TSA (mag light, small pair of sewing scissors, extra knitting and cable needles, needle gauge)
·         Adaptor for chargers/cords
·         Small jewelry box with two pairs of earrings and a gold chain
·         Spare glasses (and a good thing too, because I stepped on my primary pair the third day out)
·         Empty carryon bag (for souvenirs/yarn/books)

I carried these items in my purse.

·         Wallet
·         Cell phone (Samsung Galaxy, bought just before the trip)
·         Tablet
·         MP3 player and headphones
·         Chargers for phone and tablet
·         Small notebook, pens
·         Knitting bag with tatting and mindless garter stitch project for the flight
·         1st aid kit that included among other things my Red Cross ID, CPR mouth barrier and surgical gloves, along with a multi-purpose metal Leatherman-type tool that the TSA fortunately overlooked.  Kit actually used during the trip when a fellow participant stabbed himself in the hand during the felting workshop.  Serendipitously, I also found it to be just the right size to put under the small of my back during long bus rides.
·         Passport, itinerary, e-tickets, etc.
·         Hairbrush, travel-sized Vaseline Intensive Care lotion, Kleenex.

I wore this outfit on the plane trip over.

·         Black jeans
·         Grey-blue long-sleeved t-shirt
·         Running shoes
·         Socks, underwear
·         Grey/sage green/mulberry shawl
·         Sage green rain jacket with zip-in lining, leather gloves in pockets
·         Silver earrings

Everything in the suitcase was either knit or very lightweight (or both) and wrinkle-resistant.  The pajama pants, the red pullover and the black pants were layered into the suitcase.  The rest was folded into rectangles and then rolled up as tightly as possible and stacked in rows alongside the shoes that were holding down the pants/pullover. 

I did “washings” as necessary in hotel bathrooms of several items including socks/underwear, the short sleeved white t-shirt and the cashmere sweater, and sent the long-sleeved knit tops and the black jeans to the hotel same-day laundry service halfway through the trip at a cost of 9 euros.  A hair dryer does a good job on stubbornly damp sweat socks, by the way.  Fit the sock over the blower end and hit “high.”

There were no formal events on the itinerary but the mulberry tunic and the black knit pants, accessorized with gold earrings and the chain, would have passed muster just about anywhere.  I wore them to the welcome dinner the first night.

The grey shawl was large enough to be folded into a triangle/halter top and worn under the grey cardigan in a pinch.

Everyone else on the trip had a monster wheeled suitcase and most of them had two, in addition to a variety of carryon bags.  I had three different drivers ask me if I was sure that was all the luggage I had.

Coming home I was able to mash into the carryon and the suitcase a purchased sweater, ten skeins of yarn, three knitting books, half a dozen knitting patterns, a variety of postcards/refrigerator magnets/souvenir beer coasters, a silver shawl pin and earrings, several different types of rocks that I picked up for the spousal unit’s geography class (this is mandatory whenever I travel, particularly overseas), a mousepad of puffins from the Cliffs of Moher, and an Irish bird book, as well as all my workshop projects (two headbands, one honeycomb cable sample, two felting samples, and a knitted wire pendant).  I packed the grey shawl in the suitcase and on the trip home wore a gorgeous oversized blue stole I bought at the Kerry Woollen Mills.

What I could have left behind.

·         The mulberry tunic. 
·         The red pullover, worn only once.  It used up more space than it was worth and another cashmere sweater in a bright color would have been a better choice.  I’m not just being a cashmere snob – it folds compactly and can be rinsed out in the bathroom basin, rolled in a towel to get out the excess water, and then dried suspended over the hotel towel-warmer during the night (thank you to the lovely people who run the Lake Hotel in Killarney).  The fiber content of the red pullover was not conducive to field-expedient laundry operations.
·         The tablet/charger.  It was a nice-to-have, especially for composing/answering emails, but not, strictly speaking, necessary.  I downloaded the Kindle and Adobe Acrobat reader apps to my new phone along with some music and games and it was much more convenient on the bus/airplane.
·         The earrings I wore on the flight over, one of which I lost in transit.  I will no longer wear earrings on airplanes if there is going to be sleep involved.

Things I forgot to pack and needed.

·         Sunglasses
·         Q-tips
·         A Tide pen.  Curse you, red wine and that craic on Inisheer.
·         A washcloth. I forgot that B&Bs and most hotels in Europe do not provide them.
·         A rain hat or travel umbrella.  I got soaked in a downpour at Blarney Castle on Sunday and am currently nursing a scratchy throat that is probably the result.

Things I wish I'd had room in the suitcase for.

·         Another pair of knit pants, in grey or khaki
·         Binoculars

Voila, c’est tout.

7 comments:

anniebelle said...

Wow, Shay, now I know where Himself gets it from. Now you know why I've always made him do majority of the packing when we would pcs. Especially when we went to Kaneohe Bay.

How was your trip? Ireland is on our "to do before we die" list too. and not just to research my family tree.

Cindy said...

Impressive; I'm saving this for future reference.
Years ago, my husband and teen daughter and I went to England; we each had one knapsack. The deal was anything you bought, you had to carry (and we were using public transportation). My daughter found a set of videos she couldnt' live without and dutifully carried it the rest of the trip...only to find out when we got home that it wouldn't play on a US machine. Still tease her about that!

Sam said...

WOW! Thank you so much for this. I wish I could use this but I am allergic to most wools but especially cashmere. More details on the trip? What food did you like or hate? Fresh Guinness and Smittys were a yum for me. Pouring soda syrup in said beverages? ICK!
Can we see your projects???? And did you have fun?

Shay said...

I plan on writing some posts on the trip, I hope to get them up soon.

I'm still trying to figure out how to get my photos downloaded from my cell phone to my PC.

Bunnykins said...

Welcome back! Sounds like you had a great time! Seconding the "let's see the projects" - especially the knitted wire.
I used to go on the road for a week or so at a time using a small man's leather suitcase with enough compartments to fit everything, even shoes, into neatly, and with hangers for suit jackets and blouses. Fluffy wools and knits are lifesavers. Now, if only someone would figure out a way to compress shoes.

Lady Anne said...

When we went to Wales I chose blue and while as my colour choices. One pair of slacks in each colour, a blue slim skirt, a white pleated ditto, a blue boat-necked shell that could double as a jumper top, a white sleeveless blouse with a ruffled neck (paired with the pleated shirt, it made a nice dress), a blue and white striped shirt, and a two piece linen dress with blue flowers. The top was a man-cut shirt that served well as a jacket. Two pair of shoes, and a gold-tone belt. One suitcase. Two weeks.

I packed for June on Baltimore, and darned near froze. Fortunately, our hostess let me use an anorak for the duration.

Shay said...

We were very lucky with the weather. It rained most mornings but the sun always came out in the afternoon.