Way back, when I tried one of my new hobbies, namely crocheting, it went off with one hook, size 4, and a ball of yarn or two. Soon I would have finished my first hat and I was infected. For the sake of progress, I was searching for and devouring new techniques, patterns and motifs. Latest then, like always, my beloved and hated gear acquisition syndrome was about to strike once more. It was all about hooks and hook sizes, little gadgets to help me crochet easier, and most likely pretty useless stuff. So it didn’t take long for bathing in a vast amount of crocheting equipment. Not really hard to fall into, since the purchased stuff wasn’t really expensive. In fact, it helped to figure out what I really need and especially which hooks suit me the most. But looking at the mess, everything just loosely thrown into a box, I quickly grasped the need for assorting my crochet stuff.
A lot of commercial solutions are available. All sorts of boxes, cases, or bags for crochet and knitting equipment. However, none would meet my specific requirements. Either it is plainly an overkill concerning space and pockets, or not everything I wanted to use would fit in it. So, once again, a proper and clean do-it-yourself was the way to go. And what would be more appropriate than crocheting your own crocheting tools case?
First things first, so I figured out a layout that would gather all tools and take as less space as possible. The whole idea was to create some kind of roll-up bag. A single piece with pockets on one side. With everything stored it should be rolled close as a kind of sausage package. I know, sounds like a strange description, but I’m German and we have a preference for sausages, kitchen-wise. One or two buttons should keep it closed when not used. Considering the inside pockets for hooks, needles, markers, and such, I decided to use four different options. For the hooks, I wanted to have slim vertical sleeves, which should only expose the upper third of the hook. Like that they would be held in place properly and you can easily recognize their size. Same thing for the scissors. A sleeve in the shape of the cutting tool, and that’s it. A special treatment was required for a special tool. I have one measuring tape in my equipment collection. For this, I only used a wide loop attached to the main base of the case. Kinda like a ribbon wrapped around the measuring tape. The markers on the other hand required a bit more complex solution. Since they are very small, loose and quite big in number, the approach was to create a real closable pocket secured with a button. A case inside of the case. But since I have two types of markers, I decided to make two separate pockets. What was left are needles and safety pins. Well, what does a needle do best? Right, pricking. Always on the hunt for the easiest solution, the answer was pretty obvious. I just wanted to use small ridges through which the needles could be stuck and kinda secure themselves.
Getting the real work done, I started with the base. A simple rectangular piece. Since it is supposed to hold everything in place, the whole case (including all pockets, holders, and obviously the base piece) is worked from single crochet stitches. Tight and firm. It must be as rugged as possible, somewhere in between flexible and sturdy. But also some light design feature shouldn’t be missing. I extended the black base piece with a dark gray fringe. That little detail was also used for the sleeves and pockets. Basically, these parts are made from smaller rectangular pieces, which are then stitched to the main part. And for the sake of breaking up a bit this plain black pattern, these parts also got some small dark gray extensions. Making these smaller parts fit tight around the hooks and scissors and such, I worked the pieces around their future content. Like crocheting all around a crochet hook. As tight as possible. This thought is actually describing the whole project in all its entirety: crochet around crochet tools. That way, everything is fitted perfectly to its place and the equipment is really held in place. Nothing wobbly, nothing falling around. Easy to access and easy to store.
I guess, that making something for and from the same thing sounds pretty weird in the beginning, but is very rewarding in the end. Creative recursive crafting for a real purpose. And after all, it is the best start for further crochet projects and a slight diversion from all these scarfs and hats.