The topic of knitting bags came up at “knit night” this week with my friends, specifically, what components are necessary in a knitting bag. The general consensus was that compartments are important but it’s the placement of them that matters. Pockets that are on the side of a bag aren’t as effective as a nice, middle compartment. Zippers are great for keeping things from falling out. The list goes on and on.
It made me looking at my knitting bag collection, and it seems that I’m not as picky about compartments, zippers, and doo-dads as some of my knitting friends. Depending on what the project is, I have a rotation of three bags: two tote bags, an Amy Butler Birdie Sling, and my Ravelry project bag in lieu of a real knitting bag for tiny projects. Sometimes it just works out better to throw that bag into a large handbag instead.
The question is: have I been happy with these compartment-less bags? Hmmm, I guess so. I use a small zippered bag to store my notions (scissors, tape measure, stitch markers, etc). in my bad and that usually suffices. I almost want to try out a bag tricked out with all sorts of pockets and places to stash stuff to see if I like it better since I really don’t know if I would. I’ve always used a tote bag for craft projects, like cross stitch or embroidery.
Then there’s the “designer” knitting bags from Jordana Paige, Lexie Barnes, and Tom Bihn – beautiful, but pricey. I owned a “real” knitting bag several years ago that I purchased from Namaste, similiar to the Cali Laguna (pictured above). It was great in that it had a large zippered pouch in the center of the bag and looked like a fancy purse from the outside, but it was huge, lime green (poor choice on my part), and I lost things so easily inside. It went to Goodwill last year when I was going through my stash and downsizing.
So maybe I have yet to find the ideal knitting bag…
What makes a good knitting bag for you? Does it need to be roomy? Lots of pockets and zippers?
