5 Ways to Make Crocheting on the Road Easy

What do you most get excited about when you know you’re headed on vacation or a road trip? Is it the destination, or is it the crocheting you’ll get done in the car? Maybe a little of both?

Today we are going to talk about 5 things you can take into account when planning your next road trip, crochet-wise.

Crocheting in the car can be a great way to pass road trip hours, but it can also be an absolute pain in the neck. With many years of car-crocheting under my belt, I thought I’d share my tips for the former based on my experiences with the latter.

1-What do I look for in a pattern?

I usually look for something repetitive and somewhat simple. That could include something like a Lemon Peel Stitch or even something like an in-the-round pattern such as Healing Stitches Afghan.

Definitely something that I don’t have to keep my eyes glued to the pattern or keep a count of stitches. When you’re chatting or listening to the radio you don’t want the stress of trying to keep track of where you’re at in the pattern AND your stitch count. It makes for a not-so-enjoyable experience.  Trust me on this one. Keep the pattern on the simpler side.

2-What do I look for in the yarn?

While I’m selecting a pattern for the roadtrip, I’m also scouring the yarn I want to use. One, so I know if I have enough for the pattern I’m interested in. And two, and this is the most important, that there are not a bunch of color changes. For example, I do not like to do color changes every row or every round….especially when I’m roadtripping.

I also stay away from really dark yarn colors like black or dark brown. As the day turns into dusk or it’s a rainy day, dark yarn is harder to see and it’s easier to miss a stitch. Combine that with a more complicated pattern, and it tends to be a recipe for disaster….personal experience.

I also steer clear of specialty yarns like fuzzy ones that are difficult to rip out or create a lot of yarn debris in the car. Like dark yarns, fuzzy yarns are a little harder to see the stitches, and I don’t like the additional eye strain that goes along with it. This is meant to be fun after all!

3-Quantity of Yarn

Another area related to yarn is the quantity of it. How many times does a pattern call for 2500-3000 yards of 5 or 6 different colors, but then you only use so many yards with leftovers of each? I try to either use all of the skein, usually resulting in fewer skeins that are needed, or I’ll resort to a self-striping yarn and just let the colors flow. This keeps my quantity of yarn to a minimum.

I also tend to not take projects that are already more than halfway finished. If they are just started, I’ll consider taking them. But if more than half, they stay home. Why? Because I have to come up with a second project. No sense in crocheting all the way to the destination, only to have nothing to work on for the way home. And it compounds the amount of stuff you need to bring. Again, just my opinion.

4-Type of Project

I’ll also tend to focus on the type of project, meaning something sizable, like a blanket, instead of several hats or scarves. There have been times where I’ll pack the pattern and two different types of yarn to make the same oversized scarf….the quantity of yarn is usually not much different than the amount I would use for an entire blanket, so it works out.

Blankets tend to be my go-to for roadtrips or vacations. I tend to stay away from projects with lots of pieces or squares that will need to be joined (can’t exactly lay them out in the car) and I like sitting on the floor to join them.

5-Hooks and Bag

I’ve learned more recently that the smaller the hook size and the bumpier the road, the harder it is to crochet. You’d think most of the interstates in the Unite States would be smooth, but on our last roadtrip we encountered some rough highways that made using a 3-weight yarn and a G-hook a bouncy crochet adventure.  While I don’t typically veer away from the hook size or yarn size, I’m beginning to wonder if I had a larger hook if it wouldn’t be a little smoother.

Also, I like having a bag with pockets and easy access to yarn and scissors. I use a bag I was gifted from Thirty One. It has 5 outside pockets and a very open inside that can also be zipped shut. The side pockets hold a mini lint roller, snacks, a pencil for marking off rows in the pattern, gum or mints, and even my Airpods if I’m listening to anything. I bring this up because it’s nice to not have to dig through the bag to find that one mint I knew I brought with me, or the pencil that always falls down to the bottom.  But that might just be the organizer in me.

Final Thoughts on Ways to Make Crocheting on the Road Easy

Those are my 5 ways to make crocheting on the road easy. What else would you add to the list? Drop me a note in the comments below!

Related Articles

Did you like today’s post about the 5 ways to make crocheting on the road easy? If so, check out a few of my other craft organizing articles:

• Organizing Yarn
• Organizing Scrapbook Supplies
• Using craft organization in other areas of your life (like backpacking!)

Did you know I also have a series that features new projects I try out from other crafty designers? If you are interested in learning more about my New Project Spotlight series read my New Project Spotlight series welcome article.

I’m always looking for new projects to feature. What is a new project you’ve tried and liked? Would it be a good one to shine the light on in my New Project Spotlight series? Are you an awesome crochet artist with a design you’d like to see featured here? If so, leave me a note in the comments.

In addition to several of my crochet boards on Pinterest, you might also check out my Made It, Did It, Tried It board, chuck full of a random assortment of projects, places, recipes and more that I’ve tried and liked.