Tips for Knitting at the Beach

It must be summer because I’m seeing a spike in the search term knitting at the beach, so let’s talk about it!

For several years my family went to the beach for our vacations (our teen has since declared she doesn’t like the beach, which is pretty sad for the rest of us) and I have always knit at the beach, as well as in our condo and in the car or airplane on the way there and back. So I have a few ideas on what makes a good beach knitting project.

In general the tips I use for any travel knitting are good for knitting at the beach, too: pack a couple of different projects, generally small, easy to pick up and put down, often something that uses smaller yarn because you get more yardage that takes up less space in your travel bag.

I like socks for beach knitting, though I’ve been known to knit a shawl at the beach, too.

The key for literally knitting at the beach instead of just on a vacation near the beach is that your projects be washable. It’s very likely despite your best efforts that you’ll get sand in your project so you want to be able to wash it when you’re done knitting. (Though shaking it well when you’re leaving the beach will help to get a lot of the sand off, too.)

You might also want to stick to more summery fibers like cotton, linen, bamboo and hemp, both because they’re more easily washable and because they’re not as hot to work with when it’s hot outside. I’m OK with a wool blend sock yarn because it’s not heavy, but this is not the time for knitting a big wool sweater.

Another key is to have a way to protect your yarn as you knit. A small project bag that you can feed your yarn out of is a great idea. A big plastic cup or a zip bag mostly closed will also do in a pinch (and a plastic bag has the benefit of being water resistant).

Finally, when you’re packing your travel knitting kit, make sure you’re not bringing along your most precious supplies. Even if you’re not worried about the question of whether you can knit on an airplane, there’s always a chance with knitting on the beach that something will get lost, stained, bent, broken or left behind, so this is not the time to use your favorite, most expensive needles and notions. Pack things you wouldn’t be too sad to lose and you’ll enjoy knitting on the beach that much more.

Have you ever knit on the beach? I’d love to hear your suggestions!