[Pictures coming soon, I promise.]
If you knit, and if you’re anything like me, you probably like to take your knitting with you. It’s no fun to just leave it at home, right? You want to work on it, maybe even show it off a little. To carry your knitting, you need to create a knitting bag with a few essentials in it.
The first item, of course, is the bag itself. Choose something large, like a tote, satchel, or one of those Kate Spades. Mine is a tote which I got at Celtic Festival ‘08. I’ll take you through mine so you can see what to put in yours.
Inside is a small pocket which holds various accessories – a needle gauge, scissors (two pairs of Fiskars), pencils/pens, eraser, crochet hooks, mints, a stitch holder (looks like a giant safety pin) and a tatting hook. The last serves in place of a cable needle (’cause I’m too lazy to buy one) and is also useful for picking up finer stitches.
The larger inner section contains everything else.
- The knitting itself. This may seem like a “der” statement, but there have been several times where I have walked out of the house with my bag… and no knitting. A bag this size won’t hold a sweater, but it should suffice for socks, hats, scarves, or gloves.
- 3-ring binder with notebook and graph paper. Graph paper is for cable and intarsia charts, along with other patterns (ie, the dragon-scale scarf). Very useful for visual people and complicated patterns.
- Composition notebook. Useful for jotting down pattern mods, measurements, etc.
- Pattern notebook. A friend of mine brought back this little journal from Guatemala. I’ve used it to write down frequently-used patterns, like the hat and tricolor scarves.
- When Bad Things Happen to Good Knitters. I personally feel that no kit is complete without this book. It has comprehensive yet simple tips on everything from casting on to seaming and blocking. Granted, if you want to steek, you’re on your own, but it should help with everything else.
The last item in this pocket is a small coin purse. Though seemingly innocuous, this bag holds the majority of my knitting accessories.
- Sticky notes. Very handy if you can’t grab a notebook or you need to give out info.
- Business cards. Mine have my blog address and “Kioku Creations” on them. NOTE: If you are a minor, I would seriously recommend that you not put personal information on these cards. Don’t put your address, don’t put your phone number. I would even recommend not putting your email on there unless you have more than one email account (like, one for personal stuff and one for colleges/business stuff. I have several friends who do this.)
- Miscellaneous. ID card, library card, homecoming picture, extra money (very handy), etc. I just throw it all in here to keep it contained.
- Lucky pocket dragon. Okay, so this isn’t essential. I got it at RenFest with my friends, and it’s a nice little memory every time I go in the bag.
- Stitch markers. Essential for knitting in the round and handy for flat knitting. I have store-bought (pink and blue rings) and handmade (basically pendants stuck on paperclips). Mine fit through US 8; the rings fit up to US 13’s at least.
- Tape measure. Absolutely essential. Make sure yours measures in inches and centimeters.
- Row counters. These slip on the end of your needle, and you turn it once at the end of each row. They can be found in a variety of sizes.
- Paperclips/Safety pins. Mine are on the back pocket of the pattern notebook. These can hold live stitches or dropped stitches and are also useful for marking rows.
- Color separater. I picked this little notion up at Walmart for like three bucks. It slips on your finger like a thimble, and the different strands of yarn go in the little slots there. Very nice when you’re doing intarsia work, but it can get cumbersome.
- Sewing needles. Mine are in the replicated antique Victorian holder there (a nice little splurge). Get some in various lengths and diameters. Make sure the eye (hole at the end) is big enough to thread yarn through. Even if you don’t get a holder like this, I recommend getting something other than the little cardboard package the needles come in.
- Black thread. I am forever having clothing emergencies, and this will do for a quick fix until I can get home. It’s also useful for catching/holding stitches when you don’t have scrap yarn. If you do carry scrap yarn, I recommend having a baby/fingering weight yarn so it’s never too thick.
That really should do it. There are obviously other things you can get (like bobbins), but I really never bother with the fancy stuff. Hope this helps!
