muji

Hey, knitting bag ... let me upgrade you. by jen geigley

knitting bag bookhou

When I was in NYC a couple of weeks ago, I spent some of my free time hanging out in Muji, home of all things organizational and minimalist and perfect. I swoon over every darn section in that dreamy store, but my first stop is always the stationery, with the tiny perfect notebooks and mechanical pencils and planners and binders. I love stocking up on these everyday items, but on this trip my mind immediately went to my knitting bag needs. I love carrying around a zipper pouch with all my notions and tools, but lately it had become a mess and I knew cleaning up my game would just made me feel better and be more inspired to work creatively.

So, knitting bag ... let me upgrade you.

Out went all the crazy odds and ends – a broken tape measure, dull craft scissors that I had stolen from my child's art bin, and the mess of whatever else that had accumulated in my multiple project bags over the years. I have to admit that yes, I've been reading 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' (like the rest of the world) so I am striving to keep and use only the things I truly love. I do think this is a magnificent idea.

Anyway, what's in my bag? Well, let's start with the bag itself, which is a large zipper pouch (In 'window' print) from Bookhou. I love it so very much and have been using it daily for quite awhile. It's hand-crafted and screenprinted – so much attention to detail. Everything they make is cool. The little tool treasures I snagged at Muji are the aluminum ruler, a wooden mechanical pencil, stainless steel + acrylic scissors, a tiny steel tape measure and a few notebooks in various sizes (where I keep my sketches and write down notes for new patterns.) A few of my other supplies have come from another favorite source, Fringe Supply Co.: the ebony repair hook, the matte black stainless steel 'facet' mini scissors, black rubber stitch marker and metal removeable stitch markers. Then there's my Wool and the Gang tapestry needles and my trusty Field Notes notebook, which I carry with me constantly. You can never have too many notebooks.

I love the contents of my bag now – cool supplies make the making more fun. What's in your bag? Are you due for an upgrade too?