tools i need to knit happy
in journal
yarn can be found just about anywhere you go, but good tools are harder to predictably find. so, i travel just about everywhere with these two little kits. the circular needle case is from ashland bay and my little hippo friend is from clover. i remember these were other animals, like alligator and.. hm, what else? anyhow, mr. hippo was the way to go. (every animal is now mr. or ms. ..i don’t know if that’s a mom thing or what.)
ocasionally i’ll use straight needles but generally prefer circs, and i rarely use dpns, so this case is perfect. i had to label the various pouches, which i could do with a sharpie i guess, but this works. i also have a denise kit somehwere (maryland?) and those knitpicks interchangeable ones, they’re good too, but these are my go-to knitting needles. i like how durable the case feels but it’s not totally butt-ugly. the way it folds, it’s quite satisfying to close up. still, i’m quite tempted by this wallet and i love that they have cases to store interchangeable needles too.
now to mr. hippo. none of the little tools are absolutely essential, but they make knitting a whole lot more fun. prettier, too. i have two rulers, one that also has a needle gauge and one vinyl roll-up ruler. there’s a bunch of clover products, like the row counter and chibi tapestry needle holder (i have eight varying needles in there, makes me happy. also makes a handy baby rattler (with supervision of course)). most recently i added a little sewing kit but it’s kinda ugly in cardboard so i might buy a new one (they have such nice ones here in japan, clover again). a pen, folding scissors, a clover cutting pendant (can’t imagine someone would actually use it as jewelry), and some needle hats. the smaller set, in blue, are looking a little old, like i could snap them in half. hm. then there’s a tightener for the knitpicks needles, a cable hook (i can cable without one but it’s more fun to use this, i think). lastly, a handful of various crochet hooks that mostly i use to pick up dropped stitches or when i have to undo a certain stitch x rows down and fix it.
i love how portable knitting is, especially compared to other fiber stuff that i love, like dyeing, spinning (on a wheel), weaving, needlefelting, but are absolutely not portable at all.
happy weekend ~ ~
