Anxiety knitting the PetiteKnit Sophie scarf

Earlier in the summer, when I was travelling to Italy for my brother's wedding, I was searching for a knitting project to take with me. I had specific requirements I wouldn't normally use to filter patterns; it had to be small and portable, simple but not boring, and not require me to travel with multiple needle options. Ideally a single needle, in a size I could buy in wood, so as to get it through airport security. A Ravelry search and an Instagram rabbit hole later and I opted for the PetiteKnit Sophie Scarf. I don't normally buy new yarn on a whim, and almost never in person, but I didn't have anything appropriate in my stash and time was ticking away before my flight. A post-counselling, self-care trip to the haberdashery section of John Lewis and these two yarns were in my possession. One of the topics of that counselling session was anxiety over travelling, so it seemed appropriate to be buying yarn for my anxiety coping mechanism.

The Sophie Scarf is an internet favourite, with (at the time of writing) 27,000 posts on Instagram using that hashtag. PetiteKnit is a popular pattern designer and lord knows how she manages to crank them out, in between keeping track of her 5 identical-looking children. I sass, but I'm a big fan of her patterns, I've knit several of them so far, including the Balloon cardigan and the Stockholm Sweater.

We had a layover at Heathrow before boarding our flight to Italy, so I took the opportunity to wind my yarn on my lap in a Starbucks. It wasn't ideal in terms of space management, but I got the job done in time to be able to cast on and start knitting before my flight. Bonus points for matching nail varnish to my yarn. My travel anxieties are all rooted in the lack of control I feel when I'm traveling so it was nice to have a distraction in the form of an audiobook and a simple knitting project.

I continued this scarf whilst we sat by the pool in our hotel, winding down after a day of socialising with family, and recovering from the tiredness that comes after a wedding. The warmth brought out tiny lizards I could watch whilst knitting and the dappled sunshine through the olive trees will definitely create a lifelong memory.

And just like that, it was done. This is a very swift project and would be perfect for using up remnants or making as a gift. I love that it channels my inner Monty Don and it's already seen some use this autumn. I would love one in navy and green as well, so I'll definitely be making this project again, most likely when I'm next on a plane. I'll forever remember this particular project as the one that helped me through the stress of travelling to Italy and back, it has a special place in my heart for that reason.