Design | Knitting Guide

simple knitting projects for kids

Crochet Tool Kit Checklist

In addition to keeping the work off the couch and out of reach of pets, kids, and accidental spills, the advantages of keeping your yarn, pattern, finished pieces, notions, notes, and work-in-progress all together are numerous. With a dedicated crochet bag, you can quickly grab your project as you head off for a weekend away, an afternoon at a friend's house, or to a needlework guild meeting.

As simple and inexpensive as a leftover tote bag, or as luxurious as a just-forcrocheters designer bag, a dedicated place to store your project is a practical investment. If you've got multiple projects under way, consider placing each one inside a large freezer storage bag or other clear pouch so you can easily identify which is which.

It probably goes without saying that pets love yarn. It's soft, it's squishy, and it sometimes tastes like sheep. Although it may be cute to watch your kitten bat around a ball of yarn, it sets you up for a lifetime of problems when you go to work on your crochet. Much worse than that, even ingesting a few inches of yarn can cause a life-threatening emergency or death. Be safe. Always keep an eye on your yarn, and put it well out of reach in a closed crochet bag when you're not around.

Few things are more frustrating than getting ready to finish a project late at night and realizing that you're missing the yarn needle to sew it all together. Putting together a crochet kit, containing some inexpensive but often-used items, can help your projects go a lot more smoothly. Consider purchasing a small, zippered cosmetics pouch or other container to keep everything together and easily found in your crochet bag.

This list includes a few items that, although not always necessary, are great additions to your crochet kit. You probably already have most of them around the house — just gather them together and put them in a spot with your crochet hooks.

Scissors: Try to find a small, blunt-nosed but sharp-bladed pair for snipping ends.
Hard ruler: A 6-inch (or smaller) inflexible ruler is helpful for measuring your gauge.
Fabric tape measure: Look for a retractable fabric tape measure for keeping track of your progress as you crochet. You also can use this tape measure for taking body measurements when crocheting a sweater, hat, or other garment.
Pins: Straight pins, such as the type that sewers use, are handy when it comes time to sew your project together.
Removable stitch markers or coil-less safety pins: Your craft or yarn store sells pouches of plastic stitch markers with an opening on one side. These are designed to go around the stitch itself and be removed easily later. Some crocheters prefer safety pins without the coil on one end. (The coil tends to snag.)
Unless you're also a knitter, don't buy the solid stitch markers that are designed to sit on a knitting needle. You'll only have to cut them out of your work later.
Yarn and tapestry needles: Consider purchasing a range of yarn needles in different sizes for different projects. Because these are small, they'll get lost easily, but you'll need one for weaving your ends and stitching project pieces together.
Pencil and paper: Keeping track of your pattern progress can be helpful. A small notebook or pad of paper, plus a pencil or pen, makes life easier.

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