When I was a kid and we would go on family road trips, my mom would always have my brother, sister and I pack our own “things to do” bags, the contents of which were to keep us occupied for the duration of the trip. I think it was genius of her to have us each pack our own bag, to meet our own interests and so that it was our own fault if we got bored. Sometimes she would save up little treats – booklets of crosswords or puzzles, magnetic board games, etc. – and hand them to us that morning before we all piled into the car; something extra to add to our own stashes.

This whole concept has carried over into adulthood for me. I never go anywhere without my “things to do” bag which includes at the bare minimum my mp3 player and knitting, sometimes a book and a second knitting project too. Thanks to my mom, I have a healthy dislike for boredom and know how to prevent it.

I just packed a new “things to do” bag last night with (so appropriately) a knitting project for my mom in it. I’ve never knit her anything really pretty, just one pair of functional socks, so I think it is high time I knit her some lace. My mom has the prettiest silver hair, and I think this Sterling color of Gloss Lace will look really good on her. I’m going to use the Juno Regina pattern from knitty.com.

I’m curious – what’s in your “things to do” bag? Do you carry knitting with you everywhere? <