What is in My Crochet Bag?

To be completely honest, right now this is not what is in my crochet bag. Right now my crochet bag is full of a bunch of stuff, mostly cross-stitch and embroidery projects. But, this is usually what is in my crochet bag and what will be by the end of the week. Contains affiliate links.

Crochet Bag – I absolutely love my Cath Kidston Cranham and Wicker craft bag. I have a slightly different one than in the picture above. Mine has a white basket print instead of the blue and a rose print on the inside, but the style is identical. You can see my bag, here. Unfortunately, this bag is no longer available but you might be able to find one on Ebay.

Another plug for Cath Kidston is their customer service. It is great! I am in the US and the company is based out of the UK. When I ordered my craft bag I also ordered a few other little things including a super cute polkadot pen. They accidentally sent me the wrong pen, which wasn’t a big deal but I wanted to let them know. They emailed me right away and told me to keep the pen they sent in error and they would send me the pen I wanted right away. So great! I placed another craft order from a different company in the UK around the same time. Not only did I never get the items I purchased, but I was charged for them and then treated very poorly when I finally got to speak with someone from the company 6 months later! Needless to say, I was out $80 and extremely disappointed. Unfortunately, I am now very particular with who I order from outside of the US.

Tape Measure – You can really get a tape measure anywhere, but I found mine at Joann Fabric. They carry a bunch of different colors but mostly pastel, which I love. I bought several in various colors and put them in several drawers throughout the house along with one in my craft bag.

Craft Scissors – I have to say that if there is one thing I think every crafter should have is a good pair of craft scissors. You know the ones that are hooked up to sensors so no one can steal them. Yes, you can go to the Dollar Store and grab some scissors, but if you are cutting fabric or felt (and you have a little extra money) I say go to the craft store and buy a pair of craft scissors.

I use the smaller size Westcott Titanium Scissors. They are easier for me to use when I’m cutting felt than the larger scissors. I got mine at Michaels with my 50% off coupon several years ago. I’m not sure if Michaels still sells them but I think they run around $12.00. One thing to keep in mind is they are SUPER sharp. I’ve cut my fingers several times on them. Be careful!

Yarn Needles – A must have for every crocheter you can get them in any craft store and even Walmart. I have both metal and plastic, but I like the Susan Bates Plastic Yarn Needles the best. They slide through the yarn easier for me.

Zippered Pencil Case – This is something that I have found to be so useful to store my hooks. The best time to snatch these up for a really cheap price is when the school supplies hit the stores. You can get one for $1.00 or even $.50. Or you can look for cute and different ones, like I tend to do.

Another great place to look for smaller pencil cases is in the Dollar Spot at Target. I have found a couple of mine there. You can also make your own. With a little fabric, felt, or yarn you can whip up a pencil case in no time. I feel a tutorial coming soon!

I have started a bit of a collection with pencil cases. I have so many! My favorites are the one I got from Anthropologie last year that is double zippered, which I got on clearance and my Cath Kidston flowered pencil case, like in the picture above. It is bigger than a normal pencil case, so I can fit my scissors, tape measure, and other notions in there too.

Stitch Counter – I really need to buy several of these and keep them with each of my projects but they are around $10.00, which is a bit pricey but well worth it. I got my Clover Stitch Counter Kacha-Kacha at AC Moore with my 50% off coupon. I buy everything I can with a coupon! It is the best stitch counter I’ve had. Clover products are a bit more expensive than others but the quality is great.

Lip Balm – I always have lip balm with me. It is either Burt’s Bees, which is made in NC and doesn’t believe in animal testing or LypSyl, which is my absolute favorite and also doesn’t test on animals. LypSyl is a little harder to find than Burt’s Bees. I get mine at Walgreens when it is in stock, but you can order it online too. It is good stuff!

Gum – I always have gum with me too. The only gum I like is Orbit Sweet Mint. Not peppermint or spearmint or wintermint just sweet mint.  I stock up on that too when it is on sale.

Yarn – When I was putting this list together I had one spot left to fill. I couldn’t think of anything else that I keep in my bag and then it dawned on me that I had forgotten the most important thing: YARN! I only like to use acrylic and cotton yarn. No animal products for me if I can help it. I do have a few wool blend yarns in my stash that I have acquired as gifts or won in contests, but they will most likely be going into my big Etsy shop destash in the next few weeks.

My absolute favorite yarn to crochet with is Vanna’s Choice at Lion Brand Yarn. It is a softer acrylic yarn that really crochets well. The skeins are a bit on the small size, say compared to Red Heart Super Saver and Bernat but that is okay with me. There are always sales going on at the craft stores. The color palette is also great. I especially love Dusty Purple and Pink.

Pom Pom Maker – Another Clover goodie. I love my Clover Pom Pom Maker. I think I have every size including the heart shaped one that I found years ago on clearance at Big Lots. Last year I asked for the Small Pom Pom Maker for Christmas. I got three! I think everyone wants something with pom poms on it for Christmas this year. 😉

Water – When I’m out and about with my crochet I have to have something to drink. My vice is Pepsi, but I am trying to cut back and drink more water. I really don’t like water, but VOSS Artesian Water is one of the better tasting bottled waters out there. The container is bigger too, which works for me.

Colored Pencils & Graph Paper – When I design my graphs for my crochet projects or cross-stitch patterns I go old school. I can’t use a computer program to map out everything so I get out my colored pencils and graph paper and go to town. I should have added a good eraser too. I make A LOT of changes. I am actually working on a lot of new graphs for my Etsy shop relaunch in October, so the colored pencils and graph paper are really being put to use now.

I have both Crayola Colored Pencils and Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, which are fancier and more expensive. I don’t think it matters. I do like more colors than 24, though. For the graph paper, I like the 8 Squares per Inch size. It is tricky to find, so I had to order mine online. You might be able to find it when the school supplies hit the stores.

Stitch Markers – I don’t use Stitch Markers too often because most of the items that I crochet don’t require them. But I do have several kinds in my crochet kit. I have some that I made myself, some that I won in a contest, and some that I bought. It doesn’t matter which kind you use just make sure they are for crochet projects and not just for knit projects.

Crochet Hooks – I think I have as many crochet hooks as I do skeins of yarn, which is a TON! I like to try different styles of crochet hooks, plus I like to have several of the same sizes in case I lose one of have it attached to another project.

I prefer plastic hooks. There I said it! I know a lot of people don’t like plastic hooks and only use wood or metal, but my hands are moist all of the time (a much better way of saying my hands sweat) and the metal hooks make my hands smell like metal. Yuck!

I have different kinds of plastic hooks too but my favorites are the Clover Amour Crochet Hooks. They have a rubber grip which is awesome. I think I’m in the early stages of carpal tunnel syndrome and these hooks really help. They also come in metal with a rubber grip that keeps my hands from smelling like metal. Genius! They are a bit pricier than the other hooks, but I wait until I can use a coupon to buy them.

I hope you enjoyed taking a little peek inside of my crochet bag!