Projects
Trip Knitting: 3 Half-Baked Ideas
Dear Kay,
It’s the most glorious time of the year! Vacation! I mean: vacation knitting planning season. Not sure why we’re even leaving town when I am getting a solid 80 percent vacation joy by rooting around the house in search of the PERFECT project to take with me.
The options? Many.
Due to the pandemic (I blame the pandemic for everything at this point), I have an astounding number of works in progress. I found one in the cabinet under my bathroom sink—I think that was back in 2020 when I spent time on the floor of the bathroom as a sort of staycation. Mixing it up. Getting away. Remember 2020? I don’t.
Identifying potential vacation knits has been a reckoning. Not Kon Mari, exactly, but a moment to consider the topic of Wow I Sure Do Start Stuff A Lot. I don’t regret a single start, but I do feel bad about the projects where the needle has been yanked out for use in some other project, or the pattern is gone, or I find a 97-percent finished sweater that I abandoned because I hit some horrible, fatal stitch count problem. Either murder it or fix it ASAP. It’s like a wounded animal, a sweater like that.
Option No. 1: Socks
Barnyard Knits yarn + Field Guide No. 11: Wanderlust cuff-down sock pattern.
Only 75% more sock to knit in order to score a pair of socks. This tent stitch is my favorite from this Field Guide, so good with variegated yarn.
Hot tip: we still have a few skeins of Barnyard Knits sock yarn on sale. I love this dyer’s style so much. We’re out of this color, Carnivale, but go have a look anyway.
Option 2: Hat
A batch of stashy Shetland yarns + the Shetland Wool Week 2023 Hat, Buggifloer Beanie by Allison Rendell.
O Shetland! Aspiration knitting at its best. See you someday, Lerwick! Shetland Wool Week is such a dream of mine—and at this point they’re up to a dozen hat patterns, a new one each year.
There’s enough yarn left for a second version of this stranded funfest. Could be strategically useful in terms of packing to have a double-duty hat situation. Corrugated ribbing is eternally mesmerizing, too.
Option 3: Shawl
Camellia Fiber Co. yarn + Françoise Danoy’s Whatu Shawl. Silbia Ro’s whispery yarns are catnip.
And Françoise’s sideways-stitch moment is everything here.
Looking forward to flight cancellation hangouts at the airport. Don’t you feel sorry for all the poor slobs stuck at the airport with no knitting? I genuinely don’t much care what happens at an airport as long as I’ve got a sock on the go and enough Biscoffs, pretzels, and ginger ale.
Also: as ever, I am pretty sure a sock yarn vending machine at the Nashville airport remains a solid idea. There’s gotta be a way in. Stay tuned.
And stay cool, everybody! Winter’s coming!
Love,
Ann
Reykjavik airport in Iceland might not have a sock yarn vending machine but the last time i was there (September 2022) it did have kits containing wool, needles and patterns on sale in the ‘duty free’ shopping area! but then, every other shop in Iceland appeared to sell wool.
Great to know, I’m heading to Iceland next week, was planning to bring needles and a pattern and buy my yarn when I get there! Alafoss Lopi factory is on our itinerary.
I live in a world of UFOs lately, including a dreadful case of stitch miscount-itis. Maybe a no-knitting sabbatical until winter will help. And yet I “owe” so many Show and Tells to people. Maybe I will have to draw from the Vault. Considering the legions of canned alternatives these days I am so appreciative of the steadfastness of Ginger Ale. Especially with pretzels. Under the bathroom sink takes the cake. Hope the yarn did not include some now-rusty metallic bits. I have been known to stare at a neatly stored pile of unfinished knitting and totally not recognize that it was exactly the UFO I had been searching for days for. I had remembered it in a different color.
I spend almost as much time selecting what I’m going to bring on vacation to knit as I do packing. This is right behind the time expended selecting, which books I will bring. We are currently in the Outer Banks for a week and I have some tasty looking socks that I work on at the beach. A little sand can always be washed out later.
Welcome to OBX, I hope you enjoy your visit here. There are a couple of yarn shops with exclusive colorways if you’re interested in souvenir yarn.
My in-laws are an ocean away, so travel knitting is a MUST on those loooooong flights!! Thankfully, security has never had an issue with my needles, even the Middle Eastern security.
My tips for travel knitting:
1. Circular needles, always. They prevent dropped needles and excessive elbowing of fellow passengers.
2. Small projects that can be quickly stowed in case of turbulence (or dinner)
3. Minimal stitch markers: again with the dropping things
4. Pattern that you can read from a printout or on your phone/iPad/computer – physical books and magazines are bulky. (Also, you can take washi tape to tape your pattern to the seat in front of you.)
5. Pick a pattern that only uses one color at a time to minimize chances of a yarn avalanche down the aisle.
I would love to know about the yarn shops in OBX. Headed there in a few weeks.
The Blue Pelican in Hatteras has beautiful yarn and lots of other goodies too
Wendy, there is a super cute yarn store in Kitty Hawk if you run out of projects…I think its called Knitting Addiction? I was there in 2013 and 2019. My daughter was there this summer.
Love this article! I could relate to absolutely everything in it.
Was over 3 hrs late returning from CA last week—some in the airport and the rest in a holding pattern due to bad storms all over. Finished a fun silk and wool cowl! Had another project for the car ride that took me all the way home. I will NEVER be one of the poor slobs without knitting!!!
Thanks for the fun inspiration to address the rest of the “unfinished!” And safe travels!
A sock yarn vending machine—brilliant! Maybe even a franchise! Socks-R-Us? Sock-along? Just Plane Socks? Maybe it could include an MDK download.
Just Plane Socks! totally
I like everything about your post especially, Just Plane Socks, maybe Sox just to be a little different.
Brilliant! Just Plane Socks!!
Just Plane Socks!!!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
❤️
Just Plane Socks! Snork
Why oh Why????? I have so many unfinished projects and now you’ve gone and given me more that I may just have to cast on!!!!! I might have to schedule a staycation just to get all my knitting done!!!!!
But does this letter ever ring true for me!
Every single thought. . . Love the idea of a sock yarn vending machine!
Having a small project like socks or hat going ALL the time is a godsend; whether in the car, attending games, traveling, at the beach, etc. is necessary. You have a several and a perfect time to finish those WIPs. Enjoy!! My socks for beach knitting are ready for today to meet the sand.
Just Plane Socks❤️❤️❤️ too! With a small row of worsted called Just Plane Hats (for those so inclined).
Oh, those UFOs! Please finish that gorgeous sock. Its mate and your feet will thank you come October. I recognize the Whatu Shawl as one I’ve favorited and was inspired. Alas, the pattern is no longer available on Ravelry. Sob!
Click on the link Anne has provided and it takes you to that free pattern and more.
The pattern is free and written out on her website
Thanks!
My heart skipped a beat too when I saw that the pattern had been discontinued. But Francoise now has a free pattern library. There’s link on the Ravelry listing for this shawl, or just head over to her website to find the Whatu Shawl and a few others.
The Whatu Shawl is not available.
The Ravelry page links to the designer’s pattern library here: https://www.francoisedanoy.com/free-pattern-library
Francoise now has a free pattern library. There’s link on the Ravelry listing for this shawl, or just head over to her website to find the Whatu Shawl and a few others.
I love reading your letters – just because.
Brilliant. Both the post and the comments. Just brilliant.
I’m reading this post at 6:15 am and I’m laughing out loud. Thanks for giving me a perfect start to my day!
I look forward to the MDK article every single morning. Small wonder when my son asked for a birthday gift idea for me I did not hesitate to ask for a gift certificate. Want to support your site in any way I can!
Vacation knitting, to me, is sock knitting. You can pack enough for several pairs (obviously I never get that many pairs of socks done), and if you got a bunch done, you’re filling your sock drawer up faster. Also, I don’t have to dither so much about what I’ll be knitting. I can’t imagine the feeling of not bringing any knitting. It’s unthinkable! Now I’m dreaming about one of those wardrobe capsules that would take away the problems of what to pack…
Had to laugh at the unfinished sock which I also found under a bunch of yarn having forgotten about it.
This is so on point! I’m on vacation now after casting on a hat in case I finish the project I really need to finish before we get back. One must always have at least 2 projects for vacation
“Poor slobs” Hahahahah! I’m going to live on that one today. And a yarn vending machine in the airport would make a killing! The bookstores would be like “Hey, where’s everyone going???”
I 100% support a little orange MDK yarn + sundries machine at BNA.
Loved this letter so much! I too am on vacation this week. I spent days planning my knitting projects before we left home, and one harried day packing clothes. The knitting rabbit hole is so much more fun! I love the idea of Just Plane Sox or Hatz!
I’m sure the Portland OR airport could solidify its ranking as one of the nation’s best airports if it only had a bright orange MDK “Just Plane Sox & Hatz” machine! (Some of us less-than-stellar knitters have never tackled socks!) Imagine the fun of sending photos of the machine to your knitterly friends, and waving the yarn you bought around at your next knitting group!
Living in Denver, Nebraska is a short drive on a bus with other knitters to the Brown Sheep Farm and it was a hoot !
Knitters are fun people
Are usually knit baby socks, because they knit up so fast!
Chicago’s O’Hare airport could use at least four of those yarn vending machines – one for each terminal! There are probably more unfinished projects in Ann’s house (garden shed, garage, car, etc.), but these three are good options for vacation knitting. I recommend the sock and the shawl because they’ll be easier to pack.
Biscoff and ginger ale are like crack – in a good way!
I go for the skinny (cobweb) yarn projects when packing for flights, or bike tours. Split a big skein into two balls. They take no space and can be mindless if doing a simple increase by 1 to the end of ball 1, then decrease to 1 stitch.
I love this idea!
Shetland is wonderful! Spent two weeks there in June. Saw Boogieflooers—from the SWW2023 beanie—both in the wild and in a proper garden while having tea and ecclescakes—look them up then make some or get some! I’d post photos, but no option. Go to Shetland!
It IS wonderful! I’m just back from there, with a lovely Buggifloer kit from Jameson’s that I can’t wait to start. But shouldn’t I finish the two pairs of socks I started on the trip? Nah – Buggifloer, here I come!
I’ve never taken my knitting on the plane with me–I use that time to sketch (I’m an amateur sketcher!)!–but I definitely stock up on knitting stuff when I’m at my destination! 🙂 Going to Edinburgh in the fall means I have a tremendous amount of potential fiber adventures at my fingertips!
I feel sorry for anyone anywhere that gets stuck someplace with no knitting.
I too make the decisions about what yarn/needles/patterns to take on a trip before even figuring out my wardrobe. I have an extra interchangable set at my daughter’s house in LA with a little stash of yarns. Thanks for the breadcrumb trail to the Whatu shawl–just gotta love the knitting community network!
Wow! Did this hit the nail on the head. I have been blaming my build up of WIPs on the pandemic too. I thought it should be listed as one of the side effects. I don’t fly often, but I would be all for yarn vending machines at truck stops, convenient stores, and gas stations to hit while on road trips. i would need a room addition. Thanks for the laughs. I love the socks, by the way, so I’d vote to take those along. Great yarn color.
So, when you “murder” a project, do you rewind the yarn and use it for something else, or is it too fatigued?
Weighing in here on Frogging. The Ribbit Saga…. Sometimes reconditioning the wool needs to happen. That is, wind into hanks, tie them at intervals and give all a soak, then dry. Why? Sometimes the crimp from being knit doesn’t go away, shows up as a creepy crepey texture when knit again. Ugh!
Just love your sock yarn vending machine idea, Ann. If it works with books, and I’ve read that it does, why not knit kits: yarn, pattern and needles with perhaps a couple of stitch markers all in a bag, ready to go? Have a lovely summer, whether you’re going or staying.
I haven’t counted the started-but-unfinished projects I have from the pandemic. This makes me feel better.
Those are some nice UFOs, Ann! That beanie is especially pretty, with the flower motif and corrugated ribbing. Yes to a yarn vending machine at the Nashville airport (with the idea expanded to airports in all major cities).
I truly luuuuv my Carnivale socks! One of my most fav colorways in any yarn, ever. And Camelia Fiber Co is wonderful – I have some beautiful Flax in stash that I have held onto because I need a Worthy Pattern. 🙂 I have a Zauberball one-skein scarf for airplane travel knitting that has been all over, just not finished (blaming the pandemic).
Halfway to visit mom in her nursing home and I realize I forgot my knitting!! Two days without yarn? No way! Found a lys and a mitt kit! Now I’m happy☺️
Transportation knitting is the best. You are a prisoner in the car, plane, or train so free of any responsibilities—no guilt about not cleaning the bathroom, emptying the dishwasher, or neglecting any other of life’s little miseries. I especially love a long road trip, although an episode of Car Talk about the possibilities for disaster in an accident growing exponentially for a knitter was both hilarious (I really miss those guys) and pause-giving.
Sovk yarn vending machine: its a goer.
I had a sweater in time-out for.ev.er because I hated the yarn and the neck was gigantic. I finally screwed my courage to the sticking place, ripped out the neck and fixed it. But for all the grief it had given me I hated the sweater, so I gave it to my sister—but with no backstory. She never knew about the yarn or the neck or the too-tight sleeves. She loves that sweater. It looks terrific on her. She fashions it in a way that I had not considered and it is beautiful. A knitter’s parable.
The fear of being under-yarned while traveling is real.
I think a knitting kiosk in large airports is an idea whose time has come.
So I’m assuming we are going with Option 4, All Of The Above? Because I would. (Spoken by the knitter who packed three (3) projects for an afternoon in NYC for my niece’s graduation party a few years ago. Something interesting for the two-hour train ride down at lunchtime when my mind was fresh. A vanilla sock I could knit under the table at the restaurant. And another mindless project for the late-night train ride home, in case I was tired of the sock. And it worked – I knit all three exactly as planned.)
Love this, I travel for my job and am in an airport (or three) every week. I take some type of travel knitting with me everywhere. A sock to NYC, a shawl to Detroit, another shawl to Kenya. Lots of non knitters and flight attendants stop by ask about my knitting and I knit along through delays, long flights and short.
I consider myself lucky to have a skein of Barnyard Knits in Carnivale that has been turned into two pairs of lovely socks – though the second pair I had to find a complimentary mini skein for the cuff, heels, and toes to make it work. The yarn looks so lovely and feels so gorgeous the wear when my toes are cold.
Also, vacation knitting! It’s the first thing I decide when packing – so much easier than trying to pick out clothing I always go for something small and easy (by which I mean, not much of a pattern I need to pay attention to). Hats, mittens, and socks make good travel knitting for me – small enough to tuck into my purse and typically plain enough I can hold a conversation when needed. I have traveled with shawl WIP’s, I just don’t always have one on the needles…
Thank you for the project links! I may go down a pattern rabbit hole today after all….
I laughed for a solid minute at: “I think that was back in 2020 when I spent time on the floor of the bathroom as a sort of staycation. Mixing it up. Getting away. Remember 2020? I don’t.” Yes. Exactly. Thanks for starting my morning off with a laugh!!
Heads up folks! no knitting needles on planes out of Mexico (going in doesn’t seem a problem, and I have actually also left with it successfully) Recently my special part – of- a – set circulars were taken..so sad…the young man felt bad, but he had up a card with contraband photos…guns, knives etc…and a little photo of knitting needles!!