5 tips for crafters who commute

Crikey, it's August already. When did that happen? Does anyone else feel like summer is rapidly running away from them?

I've been spending a  lot of time on trains lately, visiting family and friends plus a bit of travel for work. It feels like every weekend I'm catching a train here or there. I do quite like a train journey, though, that feeling of being nowhere in particular for a while. Plus, a long journey gives you the chance to play backpack or suitcase tetris and gives you a good solid chunk of time for stitching. I thought I'd put together a little list of the yarny travel wisdom I've garnered from my recent petite sojourns. We're not talking long-haul flights here, mind, just your run-of-the-mill, dull bus or train journey. Later in the year I'm going to become a commuter (gulp) and will definitely be putting these things into practice then, too. 

1. Pop your project in a separate bag. This a no-brainer for anyone who's ever left their house with a WIP. Yarn tangled in keys or (heaven forbid) gum? Err, no thanks. Project bags, people. It doesn't have to be fancy, it just has to be a separate receptacle. 

2. Check your pattern before you leave. Picture the scene: you've bagged a window seat and you're just settling down to cast on. Then horror strikes - you check your pattern and realise you didn't pack that one pair of needles you need. Arg. Be prepared.

3. Carry a paperback. Always. I use this a general rule for life, but it's particularly pertinent for those journeys where there are no seats and you're crammed in a vestibule with a bunch of strangers reading impossibly large newspapers. Stitching isn't always possible. 

4. Have a winning smile. This will come in handy when you unwittingly jab the stranger next to you with your knitting needles, or your ball of yarn frees itself from your clutches and rolls the entire length of the vehicle. Or worse, rolls directly into the lap of said stranger. 

5. Try to match the amount of crafting you take with you to the length of your journey. But bear in mind this is not an exact science. That's where that paperback comes into its own again. 

Ballin. Who needs a swift and ball winder?

At the moment I'm switching between knitting a herringbone scarf, and hooking the Lime Pickle shawl from Simply Crochet issue 20. They're both perfect projects for travelling with as the stitch patterns are easy to memorize and they only require yarn and hook/needles. 

Do you guys have any tried and tested crafty travel tips? Do share!