Tools

Mostly needles.

The Happy Hooker

| Verónica

I love it when someone can take a simple object like a crochet hook and make it come to life bursting with personality. That’s what Stephanie of Obey Crochet does with her irreverent and oh-so-funny hook humor.

She doesn’t mean to incite a battle between crocheters and knitters, but it is too funny to resist.

Even though I am mostly a knitter and only an occasional crocheter, I can’t help but crack a smile at her hook humor. Then I come to discover that she’s a fellow Texan! Go grab some more laughs at Obey Crochet. I will close with one more drawing that all hookers and sticksters can surely agree on.

{All images in this post belong to Obey Crochet.}

Wooli – Bespoke Yarn from New Zealand

| Verónica

This package crossed an ocean to reach me. As you can note by the postmark, this has been sitting in my queue for some time.

This thick yarn is designed by Nikki Gabriel and produced from recycled fabric remnants. The fiber contents include wool, alpaca, silk, cashmere and possum. The raw fibers produce this color which she calls Greige. Other dyed colors are also available.

Then there are these sturdy needles handmade from recycled Rimu wood, which is a tree native to New Zealand.

I like the concept of naming them “construction” tools.

I even got this nice thank you note from Nikki Gabriel herself.

In addition to creating yarn and needles, she is also a knitwear designer. She designed these beautiful flowing costumes for a performance of The Australian Ballet.

{source}

I would like to visit New Zealand some day and go to her shop, Gather, in Napier. In the meantime, I am content with reading her blog.

What are your favorite knitting apps?

| Verónica

After organizing my yarn and taking inventory, I entered my stash into my Vogue Knitting app.

The app is simple to use and well-organized with sections for Projects, Needles, Hooks, and Yarn. I often refer to the needle listing to avoid buying duplicates.

The yarn listing is helpful to determine if I have the right gauge and quantity of yarn for projects. I also like that I can track progress on my WIPs using the electronic row counters in the Projects section.

My one concern is that this app is not very stable. It often shuts down in the middle of searching my inventory or entering new items. The app goes for $3.99 which is not a lot but then most apps are either free or sell for only 99¢. I submitted a review for the app with these concerns and read that others are experiencing the same problem. I hope they fix it soon.

What knitting or crocheting apps do you use?

My Review ★★☆☆☆

16,112 yards of yarn

| Verónica

That’s the same as 9.15 miles.

Or the equivalent of 14,733 meters or 14.7 kilometers for my metric friends.

That’s the size of my yarn stash.

83 skeins or balls of yarn.

This does not include batts, rovings, locks or any other unspun fiber in my possession.

This past Christmas, I told my husband I wanted pretty baskets in which to keep my yarn. I had yarn stashed away in mis-matched baskets scattered around the house in closets, the guest bedroom, and in the living room. He selected these three baskets with lids from Pottery Barn. They’re perfect for hiding, I mean organizing my yarn.

I use this hand-woven basket we brought back from Oaxaca, Mexico for corralling knitting-related items.

I still have some random baskets. This small round one is from Morocco and is probably meant to hold bread but I keep pretty fiber in it.

I wonder if yarn is covered under my homeowner’s policy?

Oodles of Needles

| Verónica

Over the years, I have accumulated all sizes and types of knitting needles. I prefer to keep them all together to avoid rummaging through baskets and drawers in search of the right size. This needle organizer from Lantern Moon does the trick. First of all, I like the look of it with the two complementary fabrics. Beyond the aesthetics, it is quite useful. By opening it and laying it out flat, I have a birds-eye view of all my tools.

I can insert my circular needles in the center pockets. I place them from largest to smallest circumference, top to bottom. The right flap has long narrow slits for my straight needles, double-pointed needles and crochet hooks.

The left flap has a zippered pouch for all my various and sundry notions – scissors, tape measure, stitch markers, pom pom maker, stitch holders, etc.

When I’m on the go or just need to stow it, I can roll it up into a neat bundle and wrap it closed. The inner flap helps keep everything nicely tucked inside.

I have had this particular organizer for several years. I’ve had to stitch up the tie once (I tied the bow too tightly) but otherwise it has held up very well. I’m quite pleased with my needle caddy. It works for me. How do you keep your needles straight?