London > Auckland > Geneva: Packing for Holiday Knitting and Crochet

Here’s a nightmare scenario: you’re sipping a cocktail on a beautiful beach… but you don’t have any knitting! Packing for holiday knitting and crochet comes with a lot of pressure. What if you do it wrong and you run out of things to work on? What if your needles or hooks are the wrong size? There’s a hundred ways things could go wrong, leaving you with nothing to do except spend time with your loved ones, or exploring exotic locales, potentially ruining your holiday.

I’ve got a long holiday coming up: four weeks in New Zealand, followed by another two in London, before I make an international move.

And when I say “international move” I mean “my stash is in storage for at least six months.”

Airport selfie! One last visit to Geneva (this time with a HUGE bag) before I move there next year. ✈️🇨🇭

A photo posted by Rachel (@amiguru.me) on Dec 6, 2016 at 11:53pm PST

So what am I taking? I have a couple of rules I try to stick by when packing for holiday knitting and crochet projects, which take out a lot of the stress.

And before you ask, yes, you can knit on planes! 

Pack a Sock

Always. I’ve packed a sock that’s almost ready for its heel, plus another ball of sock yarn.

Starry Night is one of my fiance’s favourite paintings… maybe I can make him some Starry Night Socks for Valentine’s Day?

I’m working plain vanilla socks from the cuff down, and will probably add a fish lips kiss heel. 

Socks are great because they fit in the tightest of bags, and can be worked in plain stitches in fancy yarn. They’ve got a smaller footprint than say, sweaters, so you can work then without bumping elbows with your neighbour. Good for car rides as well as planes trips.

Pack Something That Needs Finishing

This will not be the first trip these mittens have come on. Sigh.

Most of one mitten – not the most practical thing to wear here, but good holiday #knitting! 😂

A photo posted by Rachel (@amiguru.me) on Sep 24, 2016 at 1:13am PDT

Starting to feel as if I’m never going to finish these mittens! I still love the colours though. 💚💙

A photo posted by Rachel (@amiguru.me) on Dec 12, 2016 at 2:53am PST

Worked in two balls of Noru, these mittens are more of a “this TV show is dumb, but I like being in your company so I won’t leave the room” kind of knit. And I’ve got a 13 hour flight coming up, I’ll try and crank through at least the thumb gusset!

Pack a Gift Knit

Controversial, I know! But gift-knitting needs to get done, and if something’s a bit of a slog to work through, why not do that work in beautiful surroundings? I’m going to make a sweater for my niece’s birthday, which is at the end of January. It’s of my own design, so I won’t show you it just yet, but a niece-sized sweater or pile of novelty baby yarn will enhance any holiday.

Pack Something You Can’t Wait to Start

Your flight was delayed, your hotel is NOT as nice as the reviews would have you believe, and now nothing’s open so you can’t even get a sandwich… good thing you’ve got that cashmere to cast on. When packing for holiday knitting and crochet, it’s a good idea to include something really scrummy. I have four balls of a yummy merino blend, which I think I want to turn into Imagine When, a pattern which has been in my queue approximately forever.

Pack Something Completely Different

Too many knitting projects! I’ve also got my crochet hook for my sock yarn granny hexagon blanket, plus a tiny bit of yarn. I plan on using the scraps from the mittens and socks to whip up a few motifs. I am determined to get his blanket finished in 2017!

Packing for Holiday Knitting and Crochet Isn’t as Important as Enjoying Your Holiday

It’s easy to overthink things, and try and optimise for the perfect travel knitting and crochet, but… it doesn’t matter. Sometimes it’s okay to take a break, you know? Knitting and crochet will always be there, and holidays don’t come around every day.

I am not taking a break from my needles or hooks (hello plane rides, I need the distraction), but I may have to step away from blogging for a month or so. I really enjoy blogging, so I’ll try to update when I can (at least about Christmas knits!) and in the meantime you can catch me on Instagram.