Travel knitting projects:
- Are small and portable – easy to pack in your carry on and/or keep in your area (if you are a passenger in a car, train, etc.),
- Have instructions or stitch patterns that are easy to memorize – lace, complex cables, or charted color work patterns are not recommended,
- Don’t require a lot of extra tools that can be dropped, lost, or are tricky to work with Ex: cable needles, stitch holders, or (even if you’re very experienced with them) double pointed needles, and
- Are easy to pick up and put down without the fear of forgetting where you left off. This is especially important on longer trips where you are likely to be interrupted or make stops.
What kind of projects are best to take for trips?
When traveling, you probably don’t want to pack the afghan, sweater, or complicated lace shawl you’ve been working on for six months.
Keep the projects small – think hat, scarf, dishcloth, dishtowel, shawlette, cowl, etc. If you prefer to work on boot cuffs, socks or fingerless gloves be sure you know the magic loop method or even the two-at-a-time technique.
Also, it helps to plan ahead a little and start the pattern before you leave on your trip. This way, you can easily spot the tricky sections and decide to bring the project with you or select another pattern.
What should you pack?
Circular knitting needles are best for all kinds of trips since there is less chance of dropping stitches or losing needles. Be sure to have the needle sizes your pattern calls for.
If you have an interchangeable set, bring only the other needles you’ll need not the entire set.
You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they
Additional articles with suggestions and tips for knitting while travelling:
Knitting on a plane tips and tricks and Can you bring knitting needles on a plane from Allfreeknitting.com’s Stitch and Unwind blog
Travel knitting take all the yarn from Oliveknits.com
Travel knitting from knittyblog.com
Knitting on the go-6 tips and tricks for travel knitting from Interweave.com
Check out these videos for help with the Magic Loop and Two-at-a-time techniques:
VeryPinkKnits: Getting Started with the Magic Loop or Knitting 2 Socks at-a-Time, Magic Loop, Parts 1-5
Purl Soho: Magic Loop Tutorial
10 Rows a Day: Two-at-a-time-socks
Off Our Needles: Multitasking for Knitters: 2 AT A TIME SOCK Knitting
When
Do you need a project idea now?
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Knit and Other Words 