GoKnit Pouch
by KnowKnits
$18.00 USD [assorted sizes, prices vary]

You know when you find something and it just slips into your life so easily that you don't remember when it wasn't there? That's the GoKnit pouch.

I bought one of these over a year ago and never wrote about it, because I was too busy using it. Every day, everywhere I went, it went with me. Since that time, they've introduced new, larger sizes, more colors and new shapes.

But the key features have remained the same: ripstop nylon construction that can withstand the pointiest knitting needles; handy interior snap loop so your yarn feeds out easily without tangling; handy exterior snap loop that lets you attach the GoKnit pouch to the arm of a chair or your belt...no more wandering bags. Sturdy, almost weightless, affordable. Perfect for the sock knitter [your sock-in-progress will fit inside with ease] or if you choose the larger ones, most anything else you'll knit. Except maybe a one-piece afghan.

My only wish for this bag is that the design of the drawstring be tweaked...it can be fiddly to close.

Editor's note [added Sep 07]: They've done it. The bag design has been improved and now opens and closes absolutely effortlessly. See my updated comments here.

YarnBuddies Yarn Ball Bag
by Southern Goose
$15.00, 18.50, 22.50 USD [small, medium, large]

This bag came in for review several months after the GoKnit pouch [see above] and I didn't see why I would need another little bag that held yarn.

I was packing for a trip recently, and had two fresh-off-the-ball-winder cakes of silk yarn to take with me that I didn't want to muss up in transit. This bag was ideal for that -- it held the worsted-weight yarn balls perfectly and they arrived un-mussed at my destination.

Since then I've grown to appreciate its other features. I like the carabiner clip, which I have been known to hook to my belt loop or the strap of my knitting bag. I like that it's clear, so I always know what's in it, or how much yarn is left, if that's a concern. And the drawstring opens and closes with ease, which pleases me. I also like that it's made with silk fabric on the top and bottom, mostly because I am a Silk Ho™ and it's pretty. It comes in three sizes and multiple colors. A handy little thing, this bag. I like it.

Sockbug and Cicada
by Sockdiva
$30.00 USD[sockbug w/shoulder strap & drawstring]
$12.50 USD[cicada w/drawstring]

These sweet handcrafted pouches are reminiscent of Omiyage, or Japanese fabric gifts.

The big Sockbug has a shoulder strap so you can wear it as you work. The top two wings lift aside and you'll find a good-sized pocket, closed by velcro, for knitting tools. The knitting itself goes in the Sockbug's mouth, which closes by drawstring. Absolutely roomy enough for all sock projects and maybe bigger works in progress. The Cicada is a little ornamental delight. Store scissors or notions in his mouth and close with the drawstring. Or wrap a gift for a knitter friend in him and send him on his way.

Both the Sockbug and Cicada are handmade by the Sockdiva [who also sells some really gorgeous handspun] in a variety of fabrics and colors.

AS

Knit Fix
by Lisa Kartus
Interweave Press
$19.95 USD hardcover

Ah, the boo-boos that we do do. Do you fix your mistakes or not? This book not only shows how to fix basic knitting mistakes, but helps you to decide whether or not to fix them. It has a great chapter on Solving Problems Before They Grow that talks about setting up a good knitting foundation, cast-ons, even stitches, joining yarns, etc.

But, for me, a knitter that is in denial until the very end, the best chapter is Extreme Fixes: Altering When You're Done Knitting.

I really wish this was sized to fit in my knitting bag.

JM

Knit Picks Options
by Knit Picks
$59.99 USD

I'm going to cut right to the punchline: The Knit Picks Options set has earned a permanent place in my knitting bag. Why?

• the tips are pointier than any other needle I've ever used. They will slide right through a strand of yarn if you're not paying attention, but mostly they're just a lovely, precise tool to work with
• the tips screw on to the cables and don't come loose until you unscrew them
• the cable/tip join is smooth
• the cable is VERY thin, flexible and doesn't fight back
• the metal knitting tips are not "smooth as glass" as the product's advertising says. In fact, I find they are less slippery than other metal needles I've used, and for me, that's a good thing: slightly grippy metal needles are great with the slippery yarns I knit (like silk and bamboo)
  [editor's note: I did handle someone else's set and they were very, very smooth.]

So what don't I like? A few things.

• the case is excessively heavy and bulky for what it's meant to contain.
• the needles come on the card shown at left which has the size of each pair printed above the tip. But the needle size is not marked anywhere on the needles, and this really bugs me and other knitters I've asked. Please, Knit Picks -- put the sizes on the tips. [Because I know you're wondering, you're not meant to keep the tips attached to the card, because it won't fit in the case.]
• the storage options aren't efficient, in my opinion. You get 6 tidy zippered unlabeled plastic binder pages with pockets of increasing size. Putting a pair of tips in each pocket seems what we're meant to do, and I pulled out my label maker to get some kind of order into the system. But that's a lot of pages for just 9 slim sets of needle tips and a few cords and other little bits...surely there is a more compact way to store all this stuff.

Other things that don't bother me one way or other, but are worth mentioning:

• the tips are significantly heavier than any other needle I've used.
• though it may not be an issue, I'd never put this set in my carry on luggage when I fly. Pointy metal needles go in my checked baggage to prevent problems at security.

Knitting Essentials, vol 1 & 2
by Lucy Neatby
$29.00 CDN each volume

I popped volume 1 in my DVD player, pressed play, and before I'd finished two sips of my coffee, I'd learned two techniques I had never EVER even heard about from any other knitter, book or teacher. About bind offs. [I've been knitting since Laugh-In was a new show on TV, okay?]

Lucy Neatby, if you haven't been lucky enough to make her acquaintance, is a charming knitter who loves to share what she knows in classes and workshops all over North America. And man, she knows a lot. Her trademark is her bright hair -- sometimes pink, sometimes purple, and often both. She's got a soothing British accent, a warm personality and I can't imagine anyone else I'd rather have teaching me knitting secrets.

The DVDs are simply shot: the camera shows the knitter's eye view, the yarn she's working on stands out from the black background, and she works slowly enough for you to follow her, but not so slowly that you lose patience. She talks encouragingly throughout each segment, so that you can understand why something works the way it does and choose to follow her if you wish. She's very likeable and easy to listen to. The DVDs are well organized and if you want to skip to a particular topic, select MENU and they're all listed.

They're called "Knitting Essentials" and they're very well named. They are absolutely an essential addition to every knitter's library.

AS

Spin to Knit
by Shannon Okey
Interweave Press
$21.95 USD
SR: 36-53 inches

This is one of those perfect timing books. Spinning is exploding with knitters who are dying to learn. This book is perfection for newbie and wanna-be spinners who want to do it NOW! Clear instruction on what to do when and how, using materials and equipment that ranges from DIY to big bucks wheels.

For spinners, reviewing your skills isn't a bad thing, but you'll be lusting over the patterns in this book, from whole sweaters out of hand spun to using tiny bits of handspun, even your first handspun, alone or as an accent used together with mill spun yarn.

Scattered throughout the how to and what to do with your yarn patterns, are profiles of some of North America's spinning royalty, designers, wheel and spindle makers, fiber and yarn producers, a whole gang of people who make spinning the inspiring and addictive craft that it is.

JM

Romi - new pins
by Designs by Romi

elements [top]: $22.50-40.00 USD ea
sticks 'n' stones [bottom] : $30.00-40.00 USD ea

Beautiful new pins from Romi -- with the same quality we've come to expect from this classy artisan.

The elements line are made in hand-hammered sterling or copper. The pin has a gentle bump built in [in the middle of the pin, hidden behind the fabric] so it won't slide out of the decorative front section. Lots of different designs and styles to choose from, and Romi adds more all the time.

The sticks 'n' stones line are simpler still -- wooden spikes topped with semi-precious stones and silver plate or brass findings.

Both pins, as with all of Romi's line, are delicate and light, meant not to damage your handwork but keep it safely on your shoulders.

AS

Last-Minute Fabric Gifts
by Cynthia Treen
Stewart, Tabori & Chang
$24.95 USD