I’m reading a lovely book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket. The last chapter, on Travel, has an article about her Urban Knitters Survival Kit. It occurred to me that needlepointers should have the same.
The best thing would be to tuck all this up into a neat tin, but you could also, as I do, put the bits and pieces into the current project bag. Most of these things I have, but some I need to add to my kit.
- Needles and storage for same. I used to run out of needles often. Now I carry them all with me, all the time. Protected in a pretty, secure case. My favorite cases are those “silk” lipstick cases. They have hard shells, snap shut and are small.
- Needle threaders. I find as I get older these are more and more indispensible. I have a little square plastic box which holds three of them, so I won’t run out.
- Scissors with point protectors. The TSA changes these rules, but currently short blade scissors are allowed on planes. I like one with large finger holes and I use a point protector to keep the blade from sticking me or poking through the bag.
- Tweezers. You can sometimes find in cosmetic kits, very tiny (less than 2″) tweezers. Put one of these into your kit for pulling out stitches.
- Note pad and pen. You never know when inspiration will strike and a pretty, thin notebook is perfect for making sketches or taking down notes.
- Magnet. Two pretty magnets (I decorate them with buttons) attached to each other with a thin ribbon are perfect for holding your needle.
Other nice but not necessary things include a tape measure, stitch counters or markers, and a small size stitch dictionary, like SuZy’s Portable Stitches or Stitches to Go. You might also want, although it’s bigger, a magnifier and/or light.
With this kit and a small, portable project, you can needlepoint anywhere.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
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