Travel Knitting

I always bring knitting along with me when I travel. Sometimes it's only as far as the grocery store, but I have my knitting with me anyway just in case. No, knitting at stoplights isn't a sign of derangement. Anyway, true travel knitting is best if it's physically small, a lengthy project, with an easily-memorized mindless yet entertaining pattern. Usually it's socks, and lately I like dyeing my own self-striping yarn to make the endless rows more interesting. These are my "tree frog" socks dyed with Kool-Aid. For the knitters -- it's toe up, short row heels (no turning!) on 2 circulars.

But last time I flew for work I just didn't feel like working on my socks. I need a new scarf with my winter coat, and found a great pattern to knit with my handspun merino yarn. I found it online, and it has quite a history of being used as a travel knitting pattern. It's a simple knit-purl pattern of triangles, but due to the nature of the pattern it softens into pleats to help trap air and keep you warm. It was really hard to photograph, the picture doesn't do it justice. Most knitters who've seen me working on it have to inspect it and stretch it out to prove it really is just knit-purl, and I've draw the pattern chart for several people. It's great to find something so mindless yet completely absorbing to work on. The scarf will eventually be hunter green to go with my camel hair coat, but I didn't have time to dye the yarn before I left.

Not only is it a great pattern to knit and easy to share, but I like that I've become part of this worldwide pattern that has been handed from one knitter to another for years.