Momma's Got a Brand New Bag

Lookee what four measly dollars buys you at Tarzhay.

These are totebag sized, roomy zippered denim bags with two front pouches under flaps. I've lifted the flaps on the reddish one so you can see the pouches. One is zippered, the other is a quilted patch. They're lined with bright broadcloth, and the combination of broadcloth and denim ought to be enough to withstand knitting needles.

Given the recent explosion in the number of KIPs chez Knitterary, and given recent frustrations with trying to fit all these KIPs into existing bags, I was quite happy to find these el cheapos. Life is so much easier when you have one project per bag. I thought about getting one of those lovely Jordana Paige bags, but the truth is that one bag wouldn't have suited my purposes, and I wasn't about to fork over the cash for multiples of her bags.

I also have recently acquired two small fake suede pouch bags, maybe the size of a half-sheet of paper, which were gift-with-purchase bags for Cashmere Mist. (I love their hand cream. It's very thick and feels so soothing after working with wool for a while.) Each of these pouches is going to be completely outfitted with a variety of accessories -- clicker-counters, markers, tape measure, holders, crochet hooks for emergency repairs, all the usual detritus of knitting adventures. Right now all this stuff floats loose between various bags, meaning I can never find what I'm looking for. But with two little kit bags all tricked out and easily transportable, I can just stuff one in the knitting bag of the moment and have all that I need ready to go.

So there we have it. Now if only I had the time to sort through all my knitting bags and get them properly organized.

Yes, it would be easier to finish a few things and have fewer knits in progress. But for almost two solid decades, I was a very disciplined knitter with usually only two, maybe three, projects at a time. That has changed. I don't know why, and I'm not going to stare at my own navel long enough to try to figure it out. Or to find a solution to my sudden lack of self-control.

Instead, I'm going with my favorite motto: It's only knitting. No need to stress over it.

And really, if my biggest problem in life is the presence of a few too many yet-unfinished knitting projects, then I'm in pretty good shape.