.png)
If you are getting ready for vacation I’ve got a list you’re going to want to see. Whether you are traveling by car, or plane or even boat, crochet is one of the best crafts to take along. It is easily portable and doesn’t require much in the way of tools or materials (as long as you aren’t working on a large afghan). Long road trips and boring flights are the PERFECT place to get some crocheting in, especially if you have the right supplies.
A couple of general travel tips for traveling with crochet:
Don’t forget to print out any patterns you may want before you leave for your trip. You never know when you might be driving through an area for what feels like forever and have no cell service. Or of course be thousands of feet in the air in a plane with no service either.
In case you are flying, have no fear - crochet hooks aren’t an issue on planes. I think we’ve all worried about it, but TSA is not concerned with them although they do say “Any sharp objects in checked bags should be sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury to baggage handlers and inspectors.” If you have your hooks (even metal ones) inside a hook case or pouch, you are good to go. I always take my good hooks along because otherwise I won’t want to work on my projects at all!
Here is my list of favorites tools that keep me working on projects no matter where I travel:
People, trust me on this one. If you suffer from any motion sickness at all, this will be a gamechanger. This is number one on my list because before these miracle workers I couldn’t crochet for long on planes, and definitely not in vehicles, for very long before I began to feel nauseous. Now I can crochet for hours with no side effects! Place one of these stickers behind an ear or on your belly and you’re set!
These are my favorite hooks and I don’t go anywhere without them. They are easy to hold and I can crochet for hours without hand strain. And they glide in and out of yarn like a dream. For trips, I plan out what patterns I want to work on and take the hooks I will need for those projects. Sometimes I throw in some extra hook sizes – mainly the G and H hooks if they aren’t already packed – just in case since those are the hooks I use the most often. You just never know when project ideas might strike and I want to have my hooks on hand in case they do.
3. Travel bag
Having a bag that holds all the things is extremely helpful. This beauty looks great and keeps all of your yarn and tools organized. Plus, you can feed your working yarn through the grommets on the bag and crochet without taking your yarn out! No yarn rolling around on dirty floors. There’s a pocket inside that is perfect for patterns or other papers you might need. And because it’s a backpack, it’s easy to carry everything around and still be hands free! It even has a strap on the back that slips over your luggage handle so you can plop it on top to wheel through the airport.
4. Neck lamp
Listen, my eyesight isn’t what it used to be and this helps a TON. But this thing is awesome for other reasons too. Anybody else have to stop working because they’re sharing a hotel room with someone else who actually wants to go to sleep? Or maybe you have young children with you and YOU want them to sleep? This handy dandy light means you can finish that “one more row” that we all know isn’t going to just be one more row. Or, if you are traveling early morning or late at night, you are going to want this mighty little neck flashlight. The best part? If you happen to be working with black yarn (shudder), this thing will help you actually SEE YOUR STITCHES. I know, amazing, right?! You can thank me later.
If you don’t have a bag like the one above (which has places to put hooks and tools), you need a way to carry your supplies so you don’t have to waste time digging to the bottom of a bag to find your scissors or yarn needles. I love this one because it holds everything and has spots that fit my favorite hooks with the bigger handles.
6. Scissors
You have to have some along, right? If you’re traveling by car, this means you can bring whatever pair you love best. I like these because they work great and I love the rainbow color. If you are taking a flight, as of this date in 2023, the rule according to the TSA is “If packed in carry-on, they must be less than 4 inches from the pivot point. Any sharp objects in checked bags should be sheathed or securely wrapped to prevent injury to baggage handlers and inspectors.”
These small scissors meet the measurement qualification AND come with a sheath so TSA agents won’t get hurt and neither will you when you are rifling around under the seat in front of you while crocheting on the plane.
7. Project bag
Let’s say you want to pack a little lighter. This project bag keeps all of the things you need in one place. It will hold a few balls of yarn and has grommets on the sides so your yarn can stay safe and clean inside while you are working. Easy to travel with, and easy to work with - it's a winner for sure.
If you finish a project, have to sew on amigurumi limbs, or need to add embroidered details to something, you have to have your darning/yarn needles along. These work great (why does that little bend at the end of the needle help so much?!) and they come with a case. So, you won’t lose the darn things and spend all your time hunting for them.
This is my favorite style of stitch marker. These are super cute and easy to open so I can do it one handed and hold my work with my opposite hand! You want to make sure you can keep track of where you are in a project if you have to walk away to, you know, do vacation things. And did I mention they are really cute?!
10. Tape measure
You will most likely need one no matter the project and it might as well be fun to use. And what’s more fun than a llama with yarn hair? Nothing, that’s what.
One more thing you need to travel with crochet:
Something else you need - a quick, mindless pattern. You could take along the materials for small blocks you will attach to make a larger blanket later, or just individual projects that are small. Whatever it is, make sure it’s not too complicated so you can give your brain a rest on that vacation of yours.
Here are a few patterns that I love to make while I travel:
- potholders – these fruity potholders are quick projects, very fun, it's a free pattern AND you can gift one or more to family or friends when you leave for home as a host/hostess gift. In that same train of thought you could also make some dish cloths using your favorite pattern.
- marshmallow mug hat patterns – these are small, require very little in the way of yarn, are fun and are also free patterns. The picture shows mug hats designed for the month of July, but there are patterns for other months and themes as well.
- random acts of crochet kindness to hide along the way – There is a Facebook group that has all kinds of free patterns for small keychain-sized items to make. Bag them up with one of the free tags also available on the site and you can hide some crochet anywhere along your journey for someone to find to brighten their day. Who doesn’t need a reason to smile while traveling? It brightens my day and the day of my kids to hide these too. Win/win.
Is there something else you love to use when you travel with crochet? Let me know in the comments down below.
Happy crafting!
Commentaires