A few weeks ago I bought a bargain set of bamboo dpns from the Bamboo Knitting & Crochet Centre (thank you Jo for letting me know about them). Ever since they arrived I have been meaning to make a case to keep them in, and yesterday I finally got round to it.
The material is some bargain furnishing velvet I have had kicking around for ages. It came as a pack of 5 different colours, I think for something like £5, the only disadvantage being that you only got about 0.5m of each colour. I originally got it thinking I would make some cushion covers, but there is plenty enough for a needle roll and several big cushion covers too.
There are 15 sets of 5 needles (I got the longer length of dpn, which are 8 inches long, they sell a 5 inch set as well), and they range in size from 2mm to 10mm. The whole lot rolls up and fastens with a press-stud.
I am quite pleased with it 🙂 I also got three sets of their circular needles (in different lengths) and am contemplating the best way to make a holder for them too. I have some nice dark browny-red velvet earmarked for that.
The difficulty I am now contemplating is the best method of storage for all my needle sets, and other assorted loose needles. So far they have been stored in a tool bag from B&Q, but it isn’t nearly big enough, so the overflow is stacked on the top. Also in order to get at a particular needle, I need to unpack the whole bag, and then re-pack it, not exactly convenient. So I have been trying to think of a better method of organisation. I have a lot of needle sets, two packets of Knit Picks (one for the interchangeable set, one for fixed circulars), 2 Denise sets, a Boye set, a small set of crochet hooks, a small set of long straight needles, a bag with assorted circulars in, a bag of assorted straight needles, the new sets I just mentioned, and a few odd bits which don’t seem to fit in anywhere. So, how to store them so that they are all easily accessible and reasonably tidy? Also since I do most of my knitting in the lounge, and it would be handy to store my needles there so they are easily to hand, it would be nice if the storage is moderately attractive. If anyone has any ideas I would very much like to hear them!
I store mine in one of those Bagsmtih bags, which stay open on the floor next to me. I have them propped up, so I can see which bag / container to take out. I have Denise, Two lots of knitpicks needles, also their dpns. Two bags for circulars and 3 for dpns. My straights (not many now, I’ve given most away) are in a wine cooler pot by the fireplace. My bamboo and thicker circulars are in a Circular Solution, which hangs in the coat cupboard. My fancy straights are kept in the Bagsmith bag pockets. I also have three fancy knmitting bags, but I tend to use these for projects rather than tools.
It looks great Heather. My needles are a total mess. I have 14-inch and 11 and under inch separated and held together by hair scrunchies. All of the circulars are in a smallish shoe box and I’ve been thinking of making a similar needle roll for ages.
I have heard and read (but not done….yet anyway, well, I can dream!) that a good place to store circulars is in a portable (travel?) cd case, one of the ones with clear pockets…and I store my needles, the usual pointed at one end with a stop button on the other, in a drum which once held a huge amount of Jaffa Cakes, and the shorter ones in a similar drum, but narrower and shorter, which came my way at Christams full of Maltesers (they didn’t last long, I can assure you!)…the ends with the numbers on stick out the top and I can usually locate 2 that match….though I have discovered, by trial and error and also mistake, that a rough estimation is often good enough!!! And now a question…Do you know, is there a Ravelry group for Patchwork Knitters?
Oh, btw, the drums also have the benefit of fitting (lurking?) neatly behind the sofa out of sight! And I think Christams is quite a good new word for the C word nobody in my house is allowed to mention until at least mid-November…or else!
I could do with a couple of those, I’m still storing mine in the jiffy bag they came in!