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You are here: Home / Free Knitting Patterns / Accessories / Your Ultimate Guide to Travel Knitting, with 32 Free Patterns

Your Ultimate Guide to Travel Knitting, with 32 Free Patterns

Accessories, Afghans and Blanket Squares, Free Knitting Patterns, Gloves, Mittens, and Fingerless, Hats and Headbands and Other Head Coverings, Scarves and Cowls, Socks and Slippers, Toys

travel knitting patterns

Whether you’re hitting the road or flying in a plane, these free knitting patterns are perfect for your travel knitting needs

I stand by this assertion: the most important part of packing for travel is choosing the knitting projects.

I mean, I suppose I could purchase new yarn and needles and find a whole new pattern while I’m traveling. But there’s so much margin for error — what if you can’t find a yarn shop or a craft store? What if the cellular reception stinks and you can’t find a pattern?

Who needs that kind of stress, am I right?

(Also, I’m really cheap. But anyway.)

Preparing for Travel: Pack That Knitting

To avoid the stress (and, well, expense) of hoping to find yarn and needles and a pattern on the road, I always take the time to prepare the knitting. Either I pack WIPs (works in progress), or else I create little bundles out of patterns, yarn, and needles.

I do a lot of traveling (living halfway across the country from your closest relatives will do that!), so I’ve gotten my knitting packing down.

Not all of us have this experience, though! Some of us may be packing knitting for travel for the first time.

That’s why the last time we talked travel knitting, I asked readers for suggestions. Many wonderful readers offered terrific suggestions for good travel knitting projects.

I’ve taken those responses and used them for what I hope will be a helpful collection to all traveling knitters.

What Makes a Good Travel Knitting Project?

There are a few schools of thought that we see when we consider patterns for traveling.

1.  You want something small. That’s clear enough.

2. Difficulty varies from person to person. Some people prefer to knit something easy and mindless while traveling. Others prefer something that engages their brain at least a tiny bit more. (I’m in this camp, mostly because knitting tends to relax me so much I get sleepy…and you can probably see where I’m going with this.)

3. Some people would rather knit flat items while traveling, because they don’t want to deal with circular knitting. Others prefer circular knitting while traveling because it often requires less “lap” space.

I tried to take these various ideas into account while compiling this list of patterns. Hopefully I’ve found something for just about any traveling knitter!

Free Patterns for Travel Knitting

travel knitting
Drop Stitch Cowl

Cowls: For the knitter who wants a simple yet cute cowl to knit, try It’s a Cinch, which can be either a small cowl or a head wrap. Want something more adventurous? Try the Drop Stitch Cowl.

Headwear: There’s Calorimetry, a cute head wrap that is fairly simple, though it does require short rows. The Hurricane Hat shows off an adorable swirling pattern. If you want to knit a hat with even more interest, try Declan’s Hat – it features cables!

And if you dream of whipping up as many preemie hats as possible while you travel, check out my go-to page for preemie hat knitting for charity. This page is called, of course, Preemie Hats for Charity, and I love that this one pattern features five different varieties of hats.

travel knitting
Preemie Hats for Charity

Mitts and Mittens: The most basic mittens possible might be these precious Basic Children’s Mittens that are an absolutely fantastic option for charity knitters. If you’d rather knit some cute fingerless mitts for adults, try the ridiculously simple 75 Yard Malabrigo Fingerless Mitts. Want some fingerless mitts with a bit more meat to them? Try the lovely One-Cable Mitts.

Toys: Toys make great charity projects, and they’re also a great knitting option if you’re traveling to visit with young relatives. Think of their thrill when you arrive carrying a freshly knitted toy! Try this adorable Bluebird of Happiness, the cuddly Henry’s Bunny, or the crazy-cute Knit Hedgehog.

Socks: I found a bunch of terrific sock options. First, if you want to use worsted weight yarn and quickly knit a bunch of socks for charity, Cozy Toes is your go-to pattern. It offers sizes ranging from child to adult. Now, if you want to use worsted weight yarn but want something a little fancier, try the appropriately-named Traveler Socks.

If you want to knit more typical socks using fingering weight yarn, you can try these Toe-Up Socks with a Difference or the top-down My Knitted Heart Vanilla Socks. These are pretty basic socks. If you want something a little spicier, try Pinky.

Finally, if you’d like to knit booties for babies, you can try Keks Booties (pattern available in both English and German), knitted in the round, or if you would prefer flat knitting, you can use the F310 100% Angora Baby Booties (of course, you can use a DK-weight yarn other than angora).

Baby Cardigans: I found two adorable and simple baby cardigans: the Striped Baby Cardigan and the Baby Kimono. As a bonus, both patterns offer preemie sizes if that’s what you prefer knitting.

Flat Knits: Most of these are dishcloths/washcloths, but use an acrylic or wool-blend yarn and they can easily be blocks for an afghan. First, there’s the venerable Grandmother’s Favorite washcloth, incredibly easy to knit and guaranteed to be beloved by all.

travel knitting
Mitered Hanging Towels

Next there’s the ever-charming Ballband Dishcloth, with its brick wall-like pattern. The Double Bump Scarf or Dishcloth, as you can tell, can be knitted quickly into a dishcloth or a little longer into a scarf, but either way it’s beautiful with a pleasing texture.

eLoomanator’s Diagonal Knit Dishcloth is a variation of Grandmother’s Favorite, but with the fun twist of texture in the middle. The Mitered Hanging Towel makes a fantastic gift (and I should know, I once knitted three of these babies for a bridal shower – and they were a huge hit!).

The Darrell Waltrip Dishcloth is a fabulous pattern for variegated yarns. The Leaf Lace Washcloth not only would make a magnificent gift, but I think it would also be a beautiful pattern for an afghan block.

The Holding Hands, Feeding Ducks scarf would certainly work as a square if you bind off sooner than suggested in the pattern, although it of course makes a lovely scarf. For pure scrubbing power, you can’t beat the textures found in Three Washcloths. Finally, if you know a Doctor Who fanatic, make him or her this washcloth or turn it into an afghan!

Miscellaneous: I found this Mug Hug and thought it would make a terrific travel pattern. It’s small and it’s practical, especially while traveling – if you’ve ever picked up a hot cup of coffee in a thin paper (or even styrofoam) cup, you know exactly what I mean. It would work equally well for an icy cold drink if you don’t want to freeze your fingers (or risk a sweaty iced drink slipping through your fingers and spilling).

Now we’re all ready for traveling – AND knitting!

Get "How to Get Your Handknits to Local People in Need: What You Need to Know" FREE with your subscription to the Knitting Nuggets Newsletter. When you join this community, you'll receive resources + inspiration to knit patterns you love for people you care about!

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Nicole

I believe there's someone who needs what you love to knit. If you'd like to knit patterns you love for people you care about, I can help!
Get your free guide, "How to Get Your Handknits to Local People in Need: What You Need to Know" with your subscription to the Knitting Nuggets Newsletter! When you join this community, you'll receive resources & inspiration to knit patterns you love for people you care about.

Last Updated: May 14, 2019 ·

About Nicole

I believe there's someone who needs what you love to knit. If you'd like to knit patterns you love for people you care about, I can help!

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I believe there's someone who needs what you love to knit. I'm here to help!

Nicole Haschke
Are you missing your in-person knitting nights? If Are you missing your in-person knitting nights? If so, let me tell you about a virtual knitting event you won't want to miss! 

The great folks at Knit + Escape are holding a Galentine's Day virtual celebration from Feb. 4 to 6. A $10 ticket will give you access to vendor virtual booths and a whole lot of free content that includes fiber demos and lectures, farm tours, charity knitting, and much, MUCH more. 

And here's a bonus that I hope you'll love: your Marketplace Ticket includes access to the Friday Evening CHARITY KNIT NIGHT, an exciting event led by Kristy Glass, where I will be a special guest. We’ll have several opportunities for participants to ask questions and celebrate the spirit of giving!

I'm going to be talking about creating Bonding Hearts and how these wonderful little creations can help preemies and their families through an amazing organization called Mighty Miracles Foundation. 

I would LOVE to see you there, so I hope you'll join us! You'll find a registration link to this event in my profile.
(Please note: the following has nothing to do with (Please note: the following has nothing to do with charity knitting. But I can't be silent any longer. If I - and Knitting for Charity - am going to be for making the lives of others better, I have to speak up.) I've been wanting to say something for well over a week. But I felt like it wasn't my place to talk. This isn't my experience. I should be listening. 
But I want to make something clear. 
Systemic racism is not a theory. It's not a kooky idea. It's a fact of life. And whether white people feel like they've benefited from it or not (I'm sure most of us feel like we haven't)... we have. 
Sure, slavery is no more. Sure, Jim Crow laws are no more. But racism? It's still very much here. And it pushes down our brothers and sisters of color every. single. day. It makes them fear for their lives, no matter what they're doing. It makes their very existence a risk. 
And I've finally realized that it's not enough for me to believe these things in my heart and go on with my life as if there's nothing more I can do. It's not enough to be proudly "not a racist." By my silence, by my inaction, I'm perpetuating a system that feeds off black and brown human beings. 
So: this is my first step. 
I discovered Brownicity.com. And there, I discovered this book. It's a workbook, actually - kind of like a course in book form. Here's what the page says about it: "This journey guide was designed to lead the ‘beginner’ through an enlightening and introspective first steps of race/ism analysis and healing. It can be used to support a group or individual’s study." I've dived in and I'm already getting an education. And I can't wait to learn more. 
We're not going to change the world in a day. Or even a week. But each of us can start taking steps to unlearn racism. (Yes, even a proud "non-racist" like me has racism to unlearn.) This doesn't have to be your book or your path. But do *something* to start listening. In the barest glimpses of social media, you're bound to find lists of books, movies, documentaries, podcasts, and so on. I've already seen more of those than I can count. (Cont'd in comments)
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I've been so inspired by all the people releasing I've been so inspired by all the people releasing free help during this time of crisis. Zoos and aquariums and nature livecams all over... Broadway offering free videos of their shows... musicians offering free living room concerts...and so on. 
So I decided to offer my own kind of help. 
If you're a knitter, I want to teach you how to knit socks!

Visit my profile for the link to my video explaining what I'm teaching and why, and the supplies you'll need. 
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How is everyone doing? I've got a set of socks goi How is everyone doing? I've got a set of socks going on my new Hiya Hiya Sharps, so I think I'll be good to go for a while. How about you? Are you staying home as much as possible? And, of course, what are you knitting? #KnittingTogether
So this happened. 😭 Thank God for Friday nights So this happened. 😭 Thank God for Friday nights in which there's nothing going on, so we can drive to the nearest yarn shop (40 minutes away). #SockNeedleCrisis
We voted! (Well, technically we shared a vote. Sad We voted! (Well, technically we shared a vote. Sadly, owls can't vote...even if they're hand knitted. 😆) #SuperTuesday
Just finished a very special project: creating the Just finished a very special project: creating these pocket prayer cloths for our community's Blue Christmas service. This is a service for folks who, for myriad reasons, don't feel merry or joyful as they think they ought to. Praying that these cloths will remind them of God's love and constant presence. #charityknittersofinstagram #prayerclothknittersofinstagram

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