Knitting Essentials - What do you have?

[partydiva]

I'm just curious to find out what everyone has in their knitting room/environment. Just getting started, I have 2 sets of needles, a few booklets, and some orange yarn. I would like to know what everyone has, what you feel is important having, and the things that have helped you along the most.

This is something that hasn't intimidated me at first try and I'm excited and ready to start buying things but don't want to over do it (like most of the things I get into). I have been looking at different patterns and it seems like they all use needles that I don't have or yarn I don't have. I am going to Home Depot this week to get the stuff I need for making my own needles.

I have some coupons that are burning holes in my pockets. Please help me choose the necessities. Thanks.

[CateKnits]

A tape measure! I don't have one, so I find myself borrowing my roommate's all the time.

[brightspot]

I really love my little 3 foot tape measure. It is just like a regular metal tape measure, so it stays stiff when you try to measure something and you can lock it, but it is only about 1 1/2" square, so it fits very well in my little knitting pouch thing. That, scissors, and place markers are the things I couldn't do without.

[brendajos]

i agree with a tape measure, i use my sheep tape measure all the time! Ya pull the tail and the tape comes outta his butt!

and something like this needle sizer thingy. mine doesn't look like this, it is a susan bates with a ruler, needle sizer, and the gauge thingy too.

[Ingrid]

Everything I own is essential. Even the 5,895 balls of yarn and the 1,879 needles. :rofling:

This is a hobby that can become so addictive that you can't stop buying yarn and needles and notions. You spend lots of time on the web looking at beautiful yarns. You gaze admiringly at the yarn pictures people post, even though you have your own stuff. It's a slippery slope, indeed.

The main thing you need to have on hand is a complement of needles. Since gauge is so important, you need to have the right sized needle for the job. Many people invest in interchangeables so that they have every size. These are circulars, but you can use them for flat knitting, and many people don't use straight needles at all. You can also build up your needle collection as you need them for a particular pattern--same thing with yarn.

There are so, so many types of yarn out there, too, from inexpensive acrylic to phenomenally expensive fibers. The yarn you use really depends on your budget and the final product.

[nicolethegeek]

I can't live without my fishing tackle box. It's just over 14" long. I can fit all my straights in the bottom of it. The cantilevered compartments are great for holding all my gadgets and doo dads {including circs and cable needles}, with room for more! I had fallen in love with using a tackle box while crocheting, and so it was one of the first purchases I made when starting knitting. DH was looking at me really funny when I was in the sporting goods section with a knitting needle, opening all the tackle boxes. {He'd seen me using my other one for crocheting so long that i think he forgot that it was originally for fishing tackle!} But now, when my stuff is actually put away, he's thankful that I bought one that can hold the vast majority of my tools. It also makes it easier to see what I already have, and put it up out of the reach of the kids.

Now that I'm doing a lot of sock knitting, my next "storage" purchase will be one of those adjustable tackle boxes that looks like the ones you get in the craft department for beads or embroidery floss... I can label them with the various sizes I have, and keep them organized since most of mine come in blister packs, not sleeves.

[newbieknit]

I just love stuff! I am the last person who should be asked what the 'bare necessities' are for knitting. I first picked up one of those 'teach yourself to knit' kits which has a bunch of necessary dodads (st holders, st markers, row counter, gauge figure-outer, tapestry needle, and a few other things I can't remember right now. I think that was the best way for me to start since I got all the necessary items in one package. Nothing too fancy, and I was able to purchase more stuff to expand my collection later when I progressed to that point.

[misstialouise]

Ooh.. my essentials..

My Boye Interchangeables, I would DIE without this set..
Various other bamboo, AddiT and Casein needles for specific yarns/projects
My Tape measure (got a great little free one off a knitting magazine)
My stash.. each ball of yarn has a project it belongs to... Whether it GETS to be that project, I'm yet to see :D
"The Knitters Stitch Bible"
"Knitting in Plain English"
Laptop (to get to all those nummy free patterns)
My little blue PVC project bag, which fits in my little backpack so I can knit EVERYWHERE! (this will do me until DH buys me a Jordana Paige Satchel bag)
Funky little hand therapy thing that stops my hands/wrists aching from knitting/crocheting too long
MP3 player, so I can listen to music, podcasts or audio books while I knit :D

[Jeremy]

Its interesting to think about stuff I really need. As Ingrid said it is a very slippery slope indeed. I can think of very few patterns that don't require some sort of measurement and every pattern tells you to check your gauge so a ruler of some sort is important. I would also say an embroidery needle of some sort because you inevitably need to weave in strands of yarn. If you can afford a modest investment, a set of interchangable needles is great. It certainly avoids running out to the store every time you start a new pattern. If you can afford a little more, I would suggest the Knitters Handy Book of Patterns which gives you a basic pattern for most things you would want to knit and the Knitters Companion which gives you easy to understand instructions on most basic things (along with a built in needle gauge and ruler)

[feministmama]

Yarn Yarn YARN

I have little baskets for each project. Pattern, yarn, needles all go into it. But lemme tell ya I got a lot of baskets. I did just organize some stuff. I got a whole bin of WOTA I'm saving to make a GAAA with dofferent colors, I got another bin full of acrylics, another full of various wools in Bulky, etc. Then I have a circ needle holder and a dbl holder. THen I have a shelf of books and a binder with plastic sheets with xeroxed patterns in each sheet. So I guess I'm lost without everything. :rollseyes: