Best Crochet Hooks for Travel

Why crochet travels better than knitting

A knitting project has every stitch of the row sitting on a needle. Put it in a bag and stitches slide off; take it out and you are picking up dropped stitches on a train.

A crochet project has one loop on the hook and the rest of the fabric is finished. Pull the hook out entirely, shove the whole thing in a bag, and nothing happens - the fabric cannot unravel backwards through a completed stitch. That single structural difference is the whole argument.

Which hook to take

• One hook, not a set. You are working one project in one size.
• Take a hook you own two of, if you have been sensible - losing one then does not end the project.
• Aluminum over resin. A dropped aluminum hook on a station floor is fine; resin can chip.
• Aluminum over wood in small sizes, because wooden hooks snap and a bag is a hostile environment.
• A grip is still worth it on a long flight, where you may crochet for hours - see best ergonomic crochet hooks.

Flying with it

Crochet hooks are not on any obvious prohibited list and are routinely carried through airport security worldwide. The consistent problem is scissors, not hooks.

1. Rules vary by country and by airport, and the final decision is always the officer's on the day. Check your departure airport's published list before you travel rather than relying on a craft site.
2. Leave the scissors at home and take a yarn cutter or simply break the yarn. Small scissors are the item most often refused.
3. Take a project you could abandon. If a hook is confiscated, you want that to be annoying rather than expensive.
4. Pack the project in your carry-on, not the hook alone, so the whole thing reads as a craft project rather than a loose metal spike.
5. Put a spare hook in the hold luggage.

The project matters more than the hook

Squares are the traditional answer for a reason: each one is a complete unit, they stack flat, and joining happens at home. Best yarn for granny squares covers the material side.

What else goes in the bag

• Markers. Mark the row before you put it away, every time.
• A blunt needle for ends, in a case so it does not stab you.
• A small case or roll so the hook does not migrate to the bottom of the bag - see best crochet hook case.
• Enough yarn for the whole journey, wound. A hank you cannot wind is a project you cannot start.
• Not a yarn bowl, not a winder, not the pattern book. Photograph the pattern instead.

Yarn that behaves in a bag

Choose a smooth, firmly plied yarn. Loosely spun singles fluff and catch on everything inside a bag, and a mohair or brushed yarn will felt itself against the lining.

A light color also helps, because travel light is usually bad light - see best lamps for knitting and crochet for the version of that problem you can actually fix.