Which Knitting Notions Do You Need?

I keep my notions in a small tweed pouch from The Little Grey Girl, which measures approximately 6 inches by 4.5 inches. It can hold quite a lot, but is still quite small so I do have to be a bit picky about what I store in it.

Essential Items

There are a few things I keep in my notions pouch all the time as I know I'll need them for pretty much every project.

1. Tape measure: a lot of patterns require you to measure your work, as you may need to work in a specified pattern for a number of inches rather than needing to count your rows. When knitting clothing a tape measure is also necessary to measure yourself and check what size you need to knit before you get started, plus if you then need to knit a gauge swatch you'll need to measure that too.

2. Scissors: throughout a project you're likely to need scissors, for example when changing to a different colour of yarn, or if you happen to find a knot which you need to remove. You'll also need your scissors when weaving in your ends as you finish your projects.

3. Tapestry needles: these are of course needed to weave in your ends whilst finishing off a project, but I also find it handy to keep a sharp tapestry needle for if I decide to use a Russian Join to connect two skeins.

4. Row Counters: much like the tape measure, you're likely to need to keep track of what row you're on at some point in a pattern and row counters make this easy. Even when a pattern only mentions measurements you may still want to count your rows. I like to count my rows for socks and sleeves, so that I can ensure I knit the same number of rows for both of them.

5. Stitch markers: I keep both ring and split ring stitch markers in my notions pouch, if I could only have one type then I would choose split ring markers as they are more multi-purpose. When working in the round you'll definitely need a marker to keep track of the start of your round and I've found most patterns usually require you to use markers at some point. If you're on a budget a great alternative is to use some scrap yarn.

Optional Extras

Some items don't stay in my notions pouch all the time and are added depending on what project I'm working on, I've also listed some items here which are probably essential for me but wouldn't be for everyone.

1. Needle threader: my needle threader is specifically for yarn and it makes threading my tapestry needle extremely easy. This won't be essential for everyone as I know not everyone has trouble with threading needles, but it's certainly essential for me and is worth buying if you find you waste a lot of time just trying to thread your needle.

2. Scrap yarn: not every project will require scrap yarn, but for things like knitting jumpers you'll probably need to transfer the stitches for your sleeves onto some scrap yarn whilst you work on the body. I only add some scrap yarn to my notions pouch when I know the project on my needles will need it.

3. Needle tip protectors: I find needle tip protectors really handy, they keep my work firmly on my needles so there's no risk of stitches being lost while the project is stored in my bag. I always keep spare protectors in my notions pouch so they're easy to find when I start a new project.

4. Cable needles: these tend to stay in my notions pouch just because they're small and I could easily lose them, but really only need to be in my notions pouch if a specific project requires them.

If you're just getting started with knitting and working on your first few scarves, you can probably manage with just some scissors and a tapestry needle, but as you advance to more complex patterns the essentials I've listed above should be everything you need to get started. I always like seeing what other knitters keep in their notions pouches, as everyone's different and what we think is essential can vary hugely. Let me know what your notions pouch essentials are!