How to Plan Your Travel Knitting Projects

I have written ab out traveling with knitting before in the context of making a travel knitting kit and whether you can fly with your knitting.

But I haven’t really covered exactly what you should pack in terms of travel knitting projects. That’s probably because it’s so personal for everyone, depending on how long your trip is and how you are traveling (you’ll have more knitting time if you’re a passenger than if you’re driving, for example), your skill level and knitting speed and what you like to knit.

I like to take a few projects so that I can choose depending on my mood. Socks are great for travel knitting because they are small and take a relatively long time to knit on a relatively small quantity of yarn. So are shawls, but I also like projects that are relatively simple, with repeating stitch patterns, so no complex lace for me on vacation.

Usually I will take at least three projects for a week long vacation (and, if I’m being honest, two for a weekend away, if I ever had such a thing). One would be something small and easy like a sock or a shawl. One is usually a sweater or summer top.

And then it might just be whatever I was already working on, or a long neglected project I think I might work on if I have no other choice. Sometimes I will take a new project to cast on, but only if I’ve already done my gauge swatch or don’t need one, because swatching is way too much effort for vacation.

How about you? Do you plan your travel knitting projects or do you just grab whatever you’ve been working on? Do you plan to visit a yarn store and start a new project with the yarn you buy on the way? Do you remember vacations based on the projects you were working on? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

(Pictured is my vacation sock from last year. I still haven’t knit the second one.)

Next Pattern:

I know knitting a dress sounds like a major time commitment. And that’s before I even tell you that this particular dress, the Sixth Ave Skater Dress by Briana Luppino, is worked in light fingering weight yarn.

But would you just take a moment to look at it and tell me if it doesn’t look like it would be worth all the time you would spend knitting it? And it’s miles of stockinette stitch so it’s actually beginner friendly and a great semi-mindless knit you can take with you on your travels this summer and wear when it is done.

The dress is worked from the top down with tank straps, a scoop neck, waist shaping and a flowy skirt for a fun and comfortable fit.

The pattern has 10 sizes, with finished bust measurements ranging from 28 to 64 inches, or 71.5 to 163 cm. The sample shown was worked with 4 inches/10 cm of negative ease at the bust, and the designer says most people like between 2 and 6 inches/5 to 15 cm of negative ease in the bust and around 10 inches/25.4 cm positive ease in the hips.

(To refresh your memory, negative ease means the measurement of the garment is smaller than your actual body measurement, while positive ease is bigger than your body.)

To pick a size you’d work from the bust measurement because you can always add more or fewer decreases as you need to get your desired fit at the waist and hips. And because it’s worked from the top down you can try it on as often as you like to make sure it’s the perfect fit.

The I-cord edgings give the dress a super casual feel, and I think this would be a great one to add to your summer rotation. (Yes, even with a wool blend yarn.)

You can see lots of cute finished versions and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself on Ravelry.

[Photo: Briana Luppino]

Book Review – Knitted Tanks and Tunics

How to Knit a Simple Sweater Dress

Next Pattern:

Have you read?