I have a case of useful knitting tools that I carry around with me – as many knitters do.  I call it my Knitting Kit.  It is a cosmetic case, bought at Target a few years ago – 9 ½ inches long and 4” high with a zipper that goes up one end, across the top, and down the other end.  It is some kind of vinyl – half black, half clear – and is about the most prosaic thing I own.  It is my constant companion, too, going everywhere my knitting goes (though on airplanes, I have to pack it in my checked suitcase since it is filled with useful knitting tools that could, apparently, be converted to weapons of terror..).

What is in the Knitting Kit?  Only useful things that I might need at a moment’s notice when knitting.  Lots of things, as it turns out.  Too many things, as it turns out.

 I was digging through it looking for a pair of needle points (of an interchangeable set) (that turned out to be in Sarah’s knitting bag, but I digress….) I was digging through it and ended up dumping out the contents because I couldn’t find the needle points (which were not in there) and then, of course, once I was sure that they were not there, I started putting everything back in the case and, well, everything would not go back in the case.  At least not so as I could close the zipper.  Shrewdly, I dumped everything out and tried to re-load the case a bit more methodically.  Everything went in, but the zipper would not even pretend like it was going to close.  I tried again.  Nope.  So, I dumped everything out and…

There was a lot of stuff!  Well, thought I, what the heck all do I have in here?! 

120” measuring tape,  6” ruler with needle gauge holes,  folding ruler

Needle gauge hooked to a plastic “Official US Knitting License”

3 pencils and a highlighter,  2 emery boards,  a bobbin of gray thread

Plastic button that says “Will Knit For Coffee”

Packet of our business cards,  post-it note pad,  magnetic ribbon chart marker

6 stitch holders (in 2 styles, 5 roughly the same size)

3 crochet hooks and my set of travel “Darth Mal” style crochet hooks in a case

2 hook-style cable needles and 6 straight cable needles

Tool for changing interchangeable needles

2 bead-style row counters and 6 barrel-style row counters

Packet of sewing needles and 9 tapestry needles

7 point protectors (the kind that hold a pair of needles)

Double-pointed needle holder (the kind with 2 caps and an elastic in between)

2 dice (I use them as row counters sometimes – in theory, at least)

Packet of coiless knitter’s safety pins and packet of regular ones

2 plastic bobbins and 3 plastic bread bag clips (I forget why I think they useful)

5 packets of ring-style markers (say, 50 or so all together)

10 fancy bead markers (that I never use – I find they get in the way)

Packet of the plastic safety pin-style markers (I use these ALL the time!)

Scissors and a 5” piece of string

Except for the piece of string, I would have pulled out any of these and said, yep, that belongs in my Knitting Kit.  Until I saw it all strewn out on my desk!  Good heavens!  How many crochet hooks (tapestry needles, stitch holders, cable needles…) can I possibly need to use at one time?!

So, I am cleaning out my Knitting Kit.  Taking out the things I don’t need (or don’t need 6 of).  Keeping only the essentials.  And a couple extra cable needles (what it I drop the one I’m using and can’t find it?).  And an extra row counter, just in case.  And maybe a point protector…or 2….