Long-term travel when you’re a knitter/crocheter
Taking a break to knit and enjoy the view while in Dana, Jordan
If you follow me on Instagram already (wander.and.create_withemma), you will know that at the beginning of this year (2023) me and my partner James (of Winging It Travel podcast fame) made the big decision to pack up our lives in Canada and spend a year..at least….travelling the world.
As super exciting as this decision was, letting go of possessions was tough. As a crafter, I feel like collecting things is as much a part of the hobby as making the item. I had to make a list of the essential items I would need in order to be able to continue knitting on the road. As I am a fledgling designer too, there were a few extra things I would probably need to think about, on top of the usual hobby of knitting/crochet.
However, this also gave me the opportunity to get excited. I couldn’t take all of my yarn stash with me, but I had a whole world of yarn stores I was about to discover!
This blog post will take you through my experience of being a fibre artist (knitting and crocheter… I don’t really know what to refer to myself as in order to cover that I both knit and crochet, perhaps I’m overthinking it) while on long term travel. Startling with packing, through to planning and finishing projects as well as a couple of downsides I have experienced!
Packing your materials
I found a compressible stuff pack (like this from sea to summit) was a great way to pack my yarn and reduce the amount of space it took up in my bag.
On top of using that, I had my Knit Picks wallet. This is the wallet my interchangeable needles came in when I bought it, but it’s now stuffed with more needles, notations, scissors and other accessories. There are many other needle wallets out there, that are perhaps more efficient than my plastic knit picks one, but all to say, they are great for keeping all your fibre art accessories in one place while travelling.
My non-yarn craft items I’ve bought with me
A breakdown of the items I have with me:
Wooden Interchangeable needles (from 3.5mm through to 8mm)
Some other circular needles sizes outside of the interchangeable ones (both aluminum and wooden)
Stitch holders
Stitch markers
Blocking pins
Foldable scissors (i got them in a Christmas cracker one year, but they are very handy)
Nail clippers make a great, carry-on approved alternative
A few skeins of yarn (fluctuates as I buy more/complete makes)
Multiple crochet hooks
Tape measure
2x project bags (both canvas. One small enough to fit in my day bag to take out and about with me)
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
When it comes to some of these sharper objects, you will need to consider which airline (if any) you are using and whether they allow knitting needles in a carry-on. I’m currently creating a blog post that will list out, based on my experience, which airlines how what, and how I found out.
The yarn I had with me at the start of our trip
Planning your yarn-based activities
Visiting yarn stores!
Now, we are on a budget, so I knew I couldn’t buy yarn at every single yarn store, in every single city, but I could at least visit some of them. Which is what I have been doing. Getting to a new place and typing ‘yarn store’ in Google Maps to see what comes up, is one of the first things I do. I have lots of yarn stores saved as ‘want to visit’ on my Google Maps. Although, I recommend doing this prior to leaving for your trip, so you can better make plans around visiting the stores.
I didn’t buy much yarn in our Europe stint, as it was early in the trip and Europe was pricey enough, I couldn’t justify buying more yarn. Additionally, temptation was kept at bay, as, more than once I would get to a yarn store, only to find it was closed!
How many skeins of yarn you buy may depend on how you’re travelling. For example, we are road-tripping North America in our minivan this summer, so I may be tempted to buy more as I can store it in the van, compared to the 55-litre backpack I am currently limited to at the moment. (though space will be tight!).
Weight is also another consideration, depending on how to travel. A sweater quantity worth of yarn could add another kg to your luggage, which can make or break your back and shoulders if, like me, you have a backpack!
Visiting a knitting retreat or fibre festival
It’s always worth looking at the city or area you’re going to, to see if there are any craft-related events. For example, there are multiple fibre-related festivals across Canada each year, for example, Knit City events. There’s usually also a craft market of some kind in a lot of cities that are good to check out to support local businesses. Perhaps your trip would even coincide with a local knitting retreat? A knitting retreat is something I have yet to do but would love to one day.
So what projects are best?
I find small projects (think socks, hats, shawls or granny squares) to be best when travelling. These are items that you can fit in your backpack (or suitcase if you’re fancy) without them taking up too much space. They will also fit in your day-to-day bag so you can whip them out whenever you stop for a coffee or other refreshment I’m obsessed with knitting socks anyway. Plus, if you are only going to buy one skein of yarn on your travels, more than likely going to end up being a pair of socks, or a small shawl. Though of course you could save all the skeins and create a beautiful crochet blanket to display your memories of the trip(s).
When I design my patterns, I try to keep them simple. Something you can easily pack and pull out of your bag during long train/plane/car journeys. Currently available patterns here <insert link> look out for more coming soon.
What to do with finished projects?
So you’re on the road, travelling for several months, and you have made several pairs of socks and a couple of hats. All of which you don’t need, maybe they’ll be gifts, but you don’t really want them taking up space in your bag. What do you do? If you have your own place still, that’s perfect, you should be able to find a local post office to send a package back home, but I don’t have that at the moment. Before we left Canada, we sent up a mailbox, but ours is quite small, so there are only so many packages I think will go in it!
Luckily, I have family and friends that will take the occasional package in for me (I’m sure they say yes begrudgingly, but I am very grateful for this option.)
If neither option is available to you, I think the only option would be to forward planning for this in your packing, making sure you’ll have space for your finished projects, so the length of time you’ll go for. This is another reason to stick to those smaller projects. I created a crochet top recently (pattern coming soon) and have discovered it somehow takes up a little more space than the three balls of yarn it originated from did.
Downsides to long-term travel while being a knitter/crocheter
As discussed above, I absolutely love being able to knit and crochet while out there seeing the world. I hate not having something to do with my hands, and would find the time passing much slower on the actual travel days, I’m sure.
The only downside I have for long-term travel and my relationship with knitting/crochet is that you cannot take everything with you. For example, a yarn winder, or sweater quantities of yarn are just too heavy and/or bulky to pop in a bag. There are compromises to make; hand-winding yarn is not fun, but you can get along with it.
One thing I did miss, that I actually didn’t think about at the time was electronic scales. As a pattern designer, this is a pretty crucial element in order to be able to create yarn estimates for each size of the pattern. However, digital scales are not lightweight, so I’m not sure if I will ever be taking them with me. As with my 55 litres, I aim to keep the weight on my pack below 16kg (not always successful). Looking at digital scales online, this would add a couple of kilograms. I did once see a reel on Instagram of a knitter sneaking their work on the scales found in fruit and veg sections of supermarkets, which may work in North America, but as I discovered in the Middle East, all their supermarket scales are operated by staff. In Europe, you tend to have to enter a code of the fruit/veg first in order to weigh it. This has caused a bit of a stumbling block for me, so if anyone has suggestions, please let me know!
knitting on a beach in Cyprus
Summary
Travelling is the perfect time for crafting! I hope this post has given you some things to think about when packing for your trip, planning yarn stores, and also what to make. Especially for other long-term travellers like me.
Have any other suggestions? Let me know in the comments below!