Non-standard Measurements

I've spent the last few months thinking about this--I'm always without a measuring tape/ruler whenever I need it most. Just like Stephanie Purl McPhee's rant in "Yarn Harlot" (Archaeology chapter), my house is also a black hole of measuring tapes. (Those and the mini pocket knives which work so well for needlework because they have a tiny scissors, tweezers, and a tiny nail file all in one.) So I got to thinking, if I can memorize the measurements of a few standard items that I usually do have with me, I can employ those things to measure with.

Here's a few of my "personal" measurements

my hand span: it's about 7.5" (this one is risky--if I'm having a bit of an arthritic day, it can be 7")
my "wing" span, same as my height: 5'
first knuckle of my index finger: 1"

debit card: 3 3/8" x 2 1/8"
business card: 3.5" x 2"
dollar bill (if I had more than a dollar in my wallet, I'd probably go buy a new stinkin' measuring tape!): 6 1/8" x just under 2 1/8"

I should probably come up with a few more items.

I also came up with the idea that if I actually read through my pattern thoroughly before knitting (and providing that said pattern is the copyright safe one photocopy allowed for personal use/purposes of notation and portability), I could actually measure off and mark the measurements needed for the pattern. Say, if I need 1.5" of sock cuff, and later 7" of foot before decreasing for the toe, I could mark off 1.5" and 7" on the pattern. I rarely lose the patterns, just the $#@!! measuring tapes. [Ironically, the one that lives on the desk in front of my monitor hasn't gotten lost for months...but I don't actually knit in front of this computer monitor. My eyes will tell you that I probably should, rather than in front of the teeny screen of my laptop, but that's another story.]

The final non-standard measurement: time. How do you "measure" how much knitting you'll need for a given amount of time? For instance, I'll be away from my stash for a month--how much knitting will I need to bring for that?? I know it depends on how much room I have in my suitcase, how much time I'll have to knit, and what size the projects are, so this one's not so easy. Sure, I'll be close to a bunch of really cool LYSes, but it's frustrating to have to buy a new project when I know there's tons of them sitting at home. This does not help the budget restraints, either, which at this time are an issue.

I'll be thinking about this one as I sit with dh at the (Stanford University) hospital and keep him company while he recovers from major heart surgery in a couple of weeks. Probably not the best time to run out the door to the LYS. I hope that I bring enough knitting to keep me busy--the priority project will be the anatomical heart pillow (from "knit.1" Fall/Winter 2007), which will be the gift of appreciation to the cardiac surgeon. We'll be in California for nearly a month, and my beloved stash will remain at home across the ocean. I can't really run home to get another project.

PS A shameless plug for Fibers in Grass Valley. I emailed Allison last weekend and asked her if she had the back issue of "knit.1". I told her why, and that I'd need the pattern, yarn & whatnot for the project so I could work on it while dh is in the hospital. She not only had the magazine, but she's got the fiberfill, found some yarn that will work, and even offered me the needles. The whole batch of stuff was ready for me to buy by phone and have mailed off before I was even ready with the address where it'll be sent!