My Ball Sack - What I pack for traveling and yarning.

Lotsa Booze and Balls

Every yarny maker needs a good ball sack; a trusty caryall bag in which to place one’s knit or crochet WIPs and notions for on-the-go making. We yarn addicted folk know that we will go nowhere without our WIPs, but sometimes, we must leave our homes (well, some of us haven’t left for a long time, and that’s perfectly cool with us, thanks Rona!). In case you do need to venture out, I’ve decided to share my favorite items that reside in my project bag. These will vary based on where you are traveling in the world as certain countries have different restrictions on the type of needles or hooks you can bring in your carry on bag. But, for US domestic travel (and a few countries in the Caribbean and South America), I’ve got my list down pat. Read on as I explain what I think you need in your ball sack or click to access the Knitting Tipsy Travel Packing Checklist.

I love to travel. I’m often hopping around Florida for a weekend trip, sailing off with friends on a boat, or planning my next international excursion. While one must of course pack clothes, shoes, toiletries, etc., there are several items I believe every knitter or crocheter shouldn’t leave home without. The first item you need is a sturdy, lightweight bag with lots of organizational components. One of my favorite, roomy, do-it-all project bags is the Jimmy Bean’s Wool Namaste Backpack. It is light and easy to wipe down (faux leather), has a shit ton of pockets and zippered compartments, and honestly looks great. This backpack has accompanied me to the beach, Disney, a really rocky, wet, and salty weekend sailing off the coast of Florida, and several flights across the US. If you’re looking for a medium/large bag to hold multiple WIPs, notions, notebooks, your laptop, and various other goodies, this is the bag I recommend.

Another great WIP bag choice that you can make yourself? The Beach Babe Bag by Michael Shawn. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw a few pics of this baby. It is truly a really unique knitted project bag. Michael put so much thought into the design of it to make it useful for knitters and crocheters. The texture is beautiful with a hexagonal stitch motif and squishy cables running along the front and sides, but it also has a hidden inside compartment that cinches up to hold your WIP or balls so they don’t spill out. And ya know how very few of us actually enjoy swatching? I mean, wtf do you do with that piece afterward? Frog it? Save it? WELL. Michael designed it so that you use your swatch as a notions pocket on the inside of your bag. I told you, my boy is CLEVER AF. Check out Michael’s Instagram for more photos and pics (there may be a GIVEAWAY happening tomorrow…..just sayin’) and to grab your copy of the pattern available 7/09/2020.

Now, once you’ve got your bag, we need to fill it. The most important object going in your bag? Your WIP(s). While several items will always come with me, my travel WIPs will determine the special items I need to bring. For my trip home to the Beav last week, I had 3 crochet projects and 1 knitting project. ALWAYS print out your pattern or download it for offline viewing. It really sucks when you need to reference the next step in the pattern and you realize at 30,000 feet you have no way to access it. Print or read through your pattern and make sure you note if you’ll need to change hooks or needle sizes, any additional yarn colors, stitch markers, or accent pieces you might need, and lay those out to pack.

The Sexy Knitter Knitter’s Tool Tin

Whether I have a crochet or knit WIP, I always pack my The Sexy Knitter Knitter’s Tool Tin. Sarah makes these adorable, tiny tins that hold SO many little notions for making on-the-go. I have one of her beachy looking tins and always keep the measuring tape, yarn needle, and itty bitty scissors inside. I add a few of my favorite stitch markers by Gavriella Makes and Odd Knots and Threads in there, as well as bobby pins (can mark or hold stitches in a pinch), some cotton yarn or a stitch holder, a safety pin, tiny crochet hook (for picking up dropped stitches), and a row counter. I have 3 of these little tins and keep one in every project bag.

Another item that always gets tossed in my bag is a neck lamp. It’s perfect for early morning or late night flight knitting and it’s saved my ass for crocheting by the campfire several times. Not to mention my husband appreciates that I don’t keep him up with the overhead light when that 2 AM “just one more row” feeling hits. And not gonna lie, that lamp has also been a godsend for hungover trips to the fridge at God knows what hour for a glass of water. If you don’t have one, grab one. They’re great.

I’m assuming many of you reading this are on Instagram and many of you are makers attempting to capture beautiful shots of your work. A tripod is a must. And a collapsible one is awesome for getting amazing pics while not at home. Mine is a cheap, but trusty Blitzwolf and I use it at home for pics, as well as the beach, the bar, the bus, the boat. I even use it as the stand for my phone for my Whiskey and WIPs LIVES on Wednesdays. It has a detachable photo clicker that works through bluetooth and it extends to 2 feet (can be used as a selfie stick). If you’re a solo traveler or just hate that your SO only takes photos from a low angle (we love them, but really?!), get on the tripod train.

No matter where I go these days, I require my kindle (I’m one of those lucky bitches who can knit and read, mwaaahahaha), my laptop, tissues (I’m a cryer), my meds in a hand sewn bag (anti-nausea and tylenol for hangovers, xanax for my anxiety, pepto and immodium for the really bad days, bandaids and neosporin for the inevitable drunken fall, and various other meds because ain’t nothing gonna stop me from partying), and a few pretty face masks. These cutie pie tropical masks are made by the incredibly talented Mavencrafted and Shagcouture. Go check them out and grab one or two for an upgrade to your Quarantine Style.

My Rocketbook Everlast Fusion Notebook.

Maybe my favorite item that I travel with is my Rocketbook Everlast Fusion Notebook. Y’all. If you like to take notes on projects. If you design. If you draw. If you constantly fill notebooks and are always buying more. If you are an unorganized Post-It Note person who pops them everywhere in an attempt not to forget things (#itme). You need this notebook. Using RocketBook, you can digitize all your handwritten notes, drawings, and charts to upload to apps like EverNote or Google Drive and organize them according to your own file system. IT’S ALSO REUSABLE. Rocketbook uses erasable pens (just add water and wipe) on the specialized paper so that once you take a note and upload it by snapping a pic on your phone, you can erase the page and use it again. All my designs and testing notes are written in my RocketBook and then uploaded and stored in my Google Drive. I. LOVE. THIS. NOTEBOOK. I’ll probably do a whole post on how I use the RocketBook for designing/testing later, so keep your eyes peeled! Until then, if you want to buy one and check out its awesomeness, CLICK HERE and use my affiliate code!!!

Finally, y’all know who I am. And if you don’t, Hi! I’m Chelsea and I love to booze! Like I really wasn’t gonna have any sort of drinking paraphernalia. I generally take, at minimum, a flask with me when I travel. Often it’s a pretty one to hold my whiskey or a big one with funny sayings for weekend trips with friends. However, sometimes, you need something a little…….. less conspicuous. Ya know, for those places where outside booze isn’t quite permitted (looking at you concert venues and Disney). A very convenient and sly way to make sure you have you booze on-the-go is to use an empty sunscreen container. I actually bought the one in the photo off of Amazon, but it has delivered on illicit tipsy shenanigans many times over. If you like to booze on the cheap, it’s an option.

So. Now you’ve seen my ball sack. I hope it will be helpful for you as we reemerge from Covid hibernation and begin to live out in the world again. If you’re nervous or you’ve forgotten how to leave home, might I suggest that you bring your WIPs everywhere, always wear a face mask, and don’t forget the booze. And remember, practice safe knitting and crocheting. Knit drunk. Frog Sober.