Pre-trip prep

Many people, before a trip, make lists of things to pack and things to get done. For most of these people, this latter list usually consists of household chores and the like.

For me, my to-do list consists mainly of knitting-related items. For example, I am to (not in final, do-in-this-order order):

1. knit, finish, and block my mom's long-in-the-making sweater;
2. seam and block my Eyelet Cardigan;
3. knit and finish my sister's MaryElla bracelet;
   
4. stop by the tanning salon, as per my sister's instructions, so that my upper chest doesn't look ghostly-pale (whereas my arms are super-tan and my legs are ashy - a great look, let me tell you!);
5. exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! The moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!
6. remove all extraneous hair from all visible parts of the body, including eyebrows;
   
7. knit one more MaryElla bracelet and ship it and two other MaryElla bracelets to various friends around the country as (belated) Christmas gifts;
8. help my sister design her vacation knitting project - a simple cowl-neck scarf;
9. decide which prospective project(s) to take with me and pack appropriately, including all yarn, needles, and notions...

See what I mean?

And then there's the actual packing list, made a little more complicated because (a) there is a black-tie optional wedding involved (oh, to be a guy and be able to just pack a damn suit and tie... but then I'd miss out on all the pretty dresses!); (b) there will possibly be a rehearsal dinner (no one really seems to know, and everyone seems pretty loathe to pester the bride-and-groom with questions so close to the wedding hoopla); (c) the trip will include stops in three areas of the country (including the starting point, aka home), which means three distinct weather regions; (d) winter weather is rather unpredictable; (e) no one seems certain what is provided and what is not provided with the rental houses. I'm sure there are other complications, but I can't think of them now.

Oh well, what's really important, anyway - figuring out the knitty-gritty details or the nitty-gritty details? ;o)