I always take knitting when I travel, especially if there is going to be lots of car or train time.  This trip we are driving all over Wisconsin to visit new baby cousins, so the obvious project to bring is more baby hats!  This time the babies are boys though, so no fun poof and bow toppers.  

 
The downside of travel knitting is that I always forget something.  I’ve solved the “pattern forgetting” issue by taking a picture of the pattern.  If I have my phone I have the pattern.  Fingernail clippers work wonders for snipping yarn when you don’t have scissors.  There are apps on my Kindle and iPhone for measuring.  I haven’t figured out the darning needle replacement yet, but this may be the trip I have to get creative there. (I’m afraid it is in my backpack with my laptop, kindle, snacks, and “just in case I get puked on” spare clothes, which is sitting in my living room.  That story is my next blog post.)

My daughter’s favored travel craft solved my most frequent issue: no stitch markers.  It never fails that I cast on, start knitting in the round and ugh!  No way to mark the beginning of the round.  I can tie little yarn markers, but unless I have scissors or nail clippers I cannot cut my yarn.  I usually don’t have those on the plane.  Cue the tiny rubber band craft!  My daughter loves traveling with a huge bag of them.  She uses her fingers or a 4 prong loom to make huge ropes of rubber band weavings.  Now the bands are not ideal markers.  They are too sticky and can get trapped under stitches, but they are way better than nothing.  The best thing about knitting baby hats is that they are done in no time.  Off to start hat #2, once I find a darning needle hack.  I don’t think 10 month olds should wear hats attached to pointy sticks.   Anyone have an idea to help? 

(I’m really digging the stitch detail in these pictures.  I may do all my knitting photography in the plane from now on.  The lighting is fantastic!)