Crafting on a Cruise Vacation

It has been quite a while since I posted anything, partly due to it being the summer holidays and having my daughter off school to entertain but also because we have been away on a long Mediterranean cruise. We just got back before it was back to school again and it's all been rather manic here!

Note: This post contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

Something that may affect you and my other readers is that I discovered whilst away that Squidoo (a site I wrote an awful lot of craft pages for) has closed. What does this mean? Well, I have almost 200 articles there that either have been or are in the process of transferring over to a similar site called Hubpages who have taken over/bought out the site.

Now Hubpages have done their best to transfer articles as closely as they can to match how they looked over on Squidoo but there will be some things that sadly just don't work anymore. My pages are still up and running but you might find that some of my very long ones such as 50 Spring Crafts etc, are no longer showing as many as 50 crafts because some of the links I had to other craft pages are no longer visible.

There is unfortunately not much I can do about that right now due to the sheer volume of editing work I have in order to get all my articles polished and up to the new standards of Hubpages. Just please be aware that I'm doing my best to get all my craft pages looking and functioning as they should. Of course everything here is fine and so are my pages that are published over on other sites.

Tips on Crafting While Away From Home

Back to happier notes with our vacation The great thing about going on a cruise is that there are far less restrictions on luggage - basically we were permitted to pack as much as we could fit in our cabin so you see I took full advantage of this!

I knew I'd want to do some crochet while away so I planned out and printed off several patterns as well as the yarn to make a top for my daughter and lots of Halloween colors for other projects. I probably used the space of half a suitcase to pack it all in. I took a lot more than I needed because I hated the thought of running out.

Crochet (like knitting, embroidery, cross stitch and other crafts) is good to take away with you. So long as you plan out what you might need before you go with any patterns, materials and equipment then you can enjoy crafting while on vacation just as you do at home. The key is in the planning because you can't take everything and it's best to work out the materials and tools for a few projects that you are able to pick up and put down easily again.


This was the first year I've taken crochet away with me (since I just started crocheting back in January) and I love how portable this can be. I took a fabric bag along as well which was big enough to hold my current project, the pattern, my hook and a couple of balls of yarn too.

This meant that I had a means of easily getting on with this while in the car on the long trip down to Southampton port, while waiting to board the cruise ship and then whilst on it. So I'd advise taking a cloth or fabric bag that you can just keep your current project in so you can take it around with you easily.

On previous vacations, I've taken other craft projects away. I remember one year where I made all my Christmas cards while on holiday. I planned out exactly what I needed which included the card blanks and envelopes, all the patterned paper, double-sided sticky tape, scissors, cardboard templates (since I was working to a pattern) some glue dots and ribbon.

I actually made This Floral Handmade Card Pattern using traditional Christmas colors. They actually looked pretty much like this photo below except without the machine embroidery around the edges:

So, if you plan it out properly beforehand, you can still enjoy your crafting while on vacation too. Cross stitch is another one I've taken away with me with great success and also small felt plush sewing.

Paper projects can be harder to plan because of all the different items you might need but that's why I recommend doing something like making up a batch of Christmas cards which will all need the same style of papers and embellishments.

I can't really think of going on a holiday (unless a brief weekend away) without having something to make and do. My fingers just like to keep busy and it makes for a much happier time away since I find it very relaxing.

Just think about the type of accommodation you'll have while away (there's no point taking lots of paper crafts for example if you won't have access to a decent table space to spread it all out on) and work out what you might be able to comfortably make in that space.

We've done all kinds of different holidays over the years from hotels to cottages, caravans and even a few cruises. I've never come across a situation where I could not take any crafts along. Cruising is my absolute favorite (if we had pots of money, I'd be going on one every year!) as it is such a relaxed, slow paced and comfortable way to travel.

I have to recommend getting a cabin with a balcony if you can because having your own private space to put your feet up and enjoy crocheting, knitting, sewing or reading etc. is wonderful.

Sometimes it got too hot to enjoy it but we never got bored with the ever changing view or the fresh air. Public spaces on board can be crowded - I guess we were lucky that they only seemed crowded around the pool areas which is not our scene - so having your own little slice of outdoor space can be well worth any extra cost.

Anyway, I'm back. Now I am home, I need to focus mostly on getting older articles up to scratch which is a shame as I'd planned out lots of new Halloween crafts which will now have to wait until next year. But that's life! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my craftymarie article today, thanks for your visit. Do drop by again sometime and I hope you get inspired for taking your projects away with you.
Page Last Updated: May 01st, 2018