Have you ever taken your weaving on the go? It can be fun to take a weaving project with you, especially if you know you’re going to have some downtime. There’s nothing worse than being stuck in an airport or a long car ride with nothing to do.
If you don't have time to weave while traveling you might still want to bring a project with you in case you need some quiet time or have an activity to enjoy once you get to where you’re going.
I’ve never tried it but I imagine if you’re traveling for business it might be nice to have a quiet evening to yourself weaving in your hotel room after a busy day of meetings.
Photo Credit: Miriam Alonso
What I pack in my weaving travel bag
Weaving Bag
First of all, you need a durable bag with lots of room. I prefer tote bags (full transparency here, I usually use my Weaving Stitches Wear & Woven tote bag. It has sooo much room in it. It’s awesome)
I also like to bring a smaller bag for my tools. You can use anything from a cute pouch to a sandwich bag to a pencil case. Whatever bag you have that will keep your tools from getting lost.
Weaving Tools
My preferred tools to bring are a small pair of scissors and a metal needle. That’s it. I try not to bring anything that I would be too sad about or have trouble replacing if I lost it. This is especially true if you’re flying and TSA feels your needle or scissors are too long.
I don’t recommend larger tools like shuttles, heddle bars, or weaving swords. You don’t want to get bulky or cluttered. Larger tools can also be difficult to use on the go or in situations where you may not have a lot of space like in a car or airplane seat.
Weaver tip: if you prefer to weave with shuttles but don’t want to bring one on your trip, try using a weaving butterfly. It's a weaving technique that allows you to bundle your yarn for easy use without using a shuttle.
Yarn
You don’t need the whole skein. You may not get through all of it and skeins can get bulky or unraveled in your bag. Try making a small ball of yarn or smaller skein and using that
Be careful about taking anything too delicate. If you are carrying the bag around a bit there is a chance a delicate yarn could be disturbed in your bag.
Loom
I recommend either a smaller lap loom or a round loom. Personally, I try to use round looms more because they’re just easier and less bulky in your bag
When weaving while traveling have fun and don’t be discouraged if you don’t get to your project, you may not end up with as much weaving time as you anticipated. You may end up having so much fun you don’t have time to get to your weaving but it's nice to be prepared.