How to Create Your Knitting and Crocheting Supply and Tool Kit

Knowing what you use and need for your knitting or crocheting projects can help make them easier and faster to complete. Understanding the tools of the trade will help you advance your craft, and learn new ways of doing your favorite needle craft. The best steps to creating your knitting or crocheting supply and tool kit are as follows:

Step One: Learn How to Knit or Crochet

There are dozens of ways to store your knitting and crocheting tools and supplies. Create a system that is organized and works best for you. You may not be able to store your larger supplies like yarn, needles, and craft books in your all-purpose tote, but you can purchase an all-purpose needlepoint tote to put your smaller supplies and equipment.

Here are some great ideas on needlepoint totes that you can put your tools in. You can store items other your needlepoint tools in your tote if you use them often. For example, you could store small things like your white out tape, sticky notes, small scissors, a thermometer, a needle gauge, your nail file, labels for your craft books, a small calculator, tiny notebooks, pens, pencils, markers, highlighters, paperclips, staples, a tiny stapler, stitch markers, point protectors, tapestry needles, a small knitting counter, your cable needle, a tape measure, a mini stapler remover, scotch tape, a small tube of lotion, a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer, headache medication, and anything else you use on a regular basis.

If you enjoy copying down your free patterns from the Internet on small notebooks, find a tote that fits those notebooks perfectly. Label each notebook with a number, and keep track of what patterns are in which books for easy reference. Keep a tiny notebook with a list of your patterns and a list of your favorite websites to copy free patterns for future reference. This way you can check your favorite sites frequently to see if new patterns have been published.

Some knitting and crocheting totes are smaller or more portable than the medium all-purpose ones. These are excellent for traveling or moving projects from room to room. If you include only the necessities for your current project in a small craft tote, you can transport your project easily from place to place. The following totes are perfect for your project on the go.

When traveling with a project, don’t forget the following supplies:

Depending on the size of the tote you choose, you may be able to fit your needles and the yarn you are using for your current project. Also, if you have knitting or crocheting craft books, they may fit perfectly in your tote as well. Small books like the following one fits perfectly in a medium sized craft tote. Be creative, and store in your tote the craft supplies you use frequently.

The following list is not all inclusive, but should put you on your way to having all the supplies and tools you will need to make the perfect knitting or crocheting project. Make your hobby of knitting or crocheting easy by having everything you will use at your fingertips. You will be surprised how much more fun you can have when you don’t have to stop projects to run to the store to buy a particular supply you don’t have on hand.

You can find your favorite color of scissors at your local craft store for under $2.00! You can buy one good pair you love for your all-purpose tote and a tiny sized pair of scissors for your portable tote. You can find tiny scissors in small sewing kits, nose-hair clipper sets, or in a First-Aid kit.

I usually like the big plastic tapestry needles, but I also use worsted yarn, which works best with plastic. There are a variety of different kinds to choose from. These needles work well for sewing the ends of projects in. Knots are not recommended. Rather, use the tapestry needles for sewing the ends of projects in and out, just enough so the project does not come unraveled in the washer when it’s being cleaned.

Stitch holders hold open stitches when they are not being used by the needle. This is very helpful when you need a particular size of needle for a quick project, but the needles are being used currently in another big project. You can slip the stitches off the big project onto the stitch holders; then, you can use those needles.

A needle gauge is a great tool for craft workers. There is usually a small ruler on it to help you with stitch swatch gauges. You can also size your needles that do not have labels on them to find the right size for the project you are working on. It’s an all-purpose necessity. They are very useful and not very expensive.

Most patterns have dimensions, and often patterns just say, “repeat rows 1-8 until desired length.” Therefore, it is important to have a tape measure and know the dimensions of what you want to make. For example, most scarves are 65” long, so after you have the proper width, you may want to measure as you go along.

Stitch markers as discussed in the next section are tiny and easy to lose. The problem is they are very expensive, so you want to keep track of them! I use a little box with a rubber-band around it, so that they won’t fall out. You may need a larger or smaller box depending upon the size of your markers and how many you have.

Stitch markers are great for complicated patterns. They help you keep track of where you are or where you messed up on the needle. You can get large and small ones, depending on the size of your needle. Basically, if you need to knit twenty stitches and then purl five stitches, you can place the stitch marker in between the knitted and purled stitches to ensure and count where you are at. They also make some that you can put in after you needed to add them. These are handy for mid-insertion.

Point protectors are especially handy when you wish to stop a project temporarily. They can be your best friend. Different sizes can be purchased for different sized needles. The rainbow shaped ones are for circular needles. Point protectors are inserted at the end of the needle so that the stitches don’t fall out when you pause on a project.

A cable needle holds your stitches in place so that you can adjust their order in order to create knitting cables. There is a variety of kinds of cable needles. They make them in different shapes, sizes, and textures. Some are plastic, and others are metal. There are even some with ridges that help you hold your yarn in place.

You may want to keep other goodies in your craft tote. For example, you may want some headache medication if you take it frequently, nail polish if you like to beautify often, or your remote control if you do your crafts while you watch television. Make your “goodies” work for you. Here are a few non-craft ideas.

Correction tape can be a life saver when copying patterns down from the Internet. Plus, the small tape dispensers are easy to hide in your craft tote.

Sticky Notes can prove to be very handy for marking pattern or reference books. They will show you the pages and books of the projects you are working on, thinking about working on, or deciding among many which one you want to work on in the future.

Tiny Notebooks can be your best friend. They fit perfectly in most knitting carriers. Record instructions on techniques you do not know how to do, free patterns you love but do not wish to print off, and your favorite free patterns knitting or crocheting websites.

Labels are great for labeling your small notebooks so you know which is which. Also, if you loan out your reference books, you can write “RETURN” on them so that the borrower remembers you want it back. If you sell your small craft items at craft shows, you can use labels to place on zippered clear pouches that have your project or pattern in them. You can put notes on the zippered bags as to what is inside, or you can label the price you wish to charge.

Tape is a versatile tool for many things. If pages in your books get ripped, you will need it. If you find something online that you really want, but you don’t want the whole page, you may want to just cut out the portion you want. Tape is essential to tape that portion to your notebooks. You may wish to copy down a pattern in one of your small notebooks, and tape a small picture of the project next to it in your notebook.

Often, you may staple long patterns you print. Then, when you decide to work on them, you may want to remove those staples so it’s easier for you to navigate through the pages. However, when storing the patterns, you might want them stapled so that pages do not get misplaced.

A stapler is an essential for printing dishcloth patterns. Often they are 3 to 4 pages long, and you need to keep the pages together. Mini staplers are very inexpensive, and you can buy one for your regular tote and one for your portable tote. Thumb tacks are ideal for blocking finished projects on a cork-board.

When doing needlework, you will find that your nails get a bit out of shape. Nail files are inexpensive and easy to store.

My favorite type of pen to use to copy patterns down is the rolling ball pen. This type of pen is precise and beautiful to write with. If you feel you may need to alter a copied pattern, make changes later on, or find many mistakes, you may wish to use a pencil so that you can erase.

You may want a highlighter when you are doing a dishcloth in order to keep up with where you are. You may also want to use them in another unique way. For example, you could highlight all the projects you finish, but have copied. You can use a variety of colors for different meanings. Be creative, and make your craft work station work for you.

Paper clips are another way to mark pages in books for the patterns you are working on. They are easy to store in any craft tote.

Binder clips are useful for large projects. You may copy many pages down and need them neatly bound together.

Crafts can be rough on your hands. Hand sanitizers and lotions are very important to keep nearby.

A calculator can especially be helpful when you are creating patterns or adjusting pattern sizes. You may also want to check on the person who created the pattern you are about to do. Often, people make errors, and there is nothing worse than being on row 12 and realizing you really needed to cast on more than was suggested in the pattern instructions.

Here is a collection of more fun knitting and crocheting supplies you may need or want. It mostly depends on your budget, what kind of projects you create, and how advanced of a needlepoint worker you are. It can be a lot of fun to expand your knitting and crocheting supplies.

• T-Pins
• Knitting Yarn Ball Winder
• Blocking Mats
• Conversion Chart for Crocheting and Knitting with a Summary of Knitting and Crocheting Abbreviations (FREE online)
• Fix A Stitch
• Craft Glove
• Knitter’s Reference Card
• Knitting Chart Keeper
• Circular Needle ID Tags

Be organized with your crafting by purchasing the right supplies. Learn how to use them, understand how to use new supplies, and purchase what you will need and use for your craft tote. Find the best craft store near you. Copy free patterns from the Internet, and knit or crochet your gifts or goodies with ease. You can create the perfect supply set to make any project a success!