Travel Essentials: Knitting Toolkits for Packing Light

If you and your current knitting project are headed to the coffee shop, to a baseball game, or on an epic road trip, having a few notions prepacked makes it easier to get out the door. My personal travel toolkit has evolved over the years into several smaller kits, and that has really helped me pack ahead, keep it light, and have just what I need. Here's what I have in my current kits:

Knitting Essentials

Clockwise from the top: Zipper pouch, pill container to hold small items, three kinds of stitch markers, very small scissors (see Resources), tapestry needle, and crochet hook.

My most basic essentials are things I might need on even a short daytrip. I make sure these are all things that could likely pass through airport security in my carry-on, and if I should accidentally forget them somewhere, I would not be heartbroken.

This kit would allow me to fix a dropped stitch, use a locking marker to indicate an error or hold underarm BO stitches, weave in ends, cut and join a new yarn, and more.

Knitting Essentials: The Expansion Pack

Clockwise from top: knit cord and sock sizing ruler from Twice Sheared Sheep, small sticky notes, yarn bobbin with scrap yarn, short DPNs, and tape measure (see Resources).

I am definitely a spontaneous knitter sniffing out the nearest LYS and casting on a new pair of socks by the time I hit the parking lot. But I am also a process knitter who does not like to lose time on a sweater knit just because I didn't have a tape measure handy.

This expanded kit is pretty much all I would need to keep knitting for weeks, as long as I had the knitting needles and yarn for my project. A knitting extension cord fits on the tip of a needle so that stitches can slide onto the cord, allowing me to try on a sweater. A sock sizing ruler is an easy way to measure top-down or toe-up socks for foot length. Sticky notes help me follow along in my project instructions, and smooth scrap yarn allows me to work a provisional cast-on or put stitches on hold. Short sock needles fit nicely in a small bag just in case a new skein of sock yarn crosses my path, and what knitter doesn't need an endless supply of tape measures?

Tiny Mending Kit

Clockwise from top: tapestry needle, locking stitch marker, buttons, tiny tin, coil-less safety pins, thread winder and needles, scrap yarn.

I wear something handmade—knitted, sewn, or woven—each and every day, so I like to keep a tiny mending kit tucked into purses, knitting bags, and suitcases. This used to be commonplace, allowing people to sew on a lost button, catch a snagged stitch, or mend a torn hem. This tiny tin is less than two inches square and lives in my purse.

Multi-Crafter? Travel Takhli Kit

A leftover box is the perfect size for a metal takhli and bowl, cotton sliver, and balls of singles.

Having a back-up project when I'm traveling keeps me making on the go. If I have a problem in my knitting or just need to wait until I find a quiet moment to tackle a tricky bit, I can shift to something else. I love spinning cotton on a takhli in those times, and this hot pink is just the thing for summer spinning.

Ready, Set, Go!

Toolkits, knitting, and a great bag are all you need to hit the road (see Resources).

The last ingredient is a bag that suits the trip and my mood. I purchased this fantastic quilt bag during the Farm & Fiber Knits retreat in Vermont this spring (see Resources). It's pure sunshine and will join me—and my knitting—on many adventures to come!

—Kate