Sewing pattern for a case for circular needles

I like to have pretty accessories for my knitting. Functional accessories are a requirement, but pretty ones are like the icing on the cake. I mean, you could have cake without icing, but why?

I've been needing a new case for my fixed circular needles for some time. I had sock sizes (sizes US 0 to 4) in another case I'd made, but I had since accumulated several circulars for making hats, and they had no home. I decided I wanted to sew myself a pretty case that would hold all of them together. In my head, I played around with designs, taking ideas I liked from cases I saw on Etsy. I wanted it to have firm interfacing, so it would fold up like a needle wallet. I wanted a snap closure, or a magnetic snap. It would need at least 12 pockets, for the various sizes I already had.

Eventually, I settled on a design. I sketched it out on my handy 1/4" grid paper. I thought through how to assemble it. I pulled out my fat quarter stash (which makes it sound larger than it actually is!) and picked some nice coordinating ones, and I got to work. I was very pleased with the result, and I shared it on an online crafting forum.

Some of my friends there asked for a pattern, so I drew it up, and here's a link for anyone interested. It took me about 5 hours to make, from cutting pieces to finished project. Actually, come to think of, typing up the pattern and drawing all the diagrams took lenger than sewing the case! It's a pretty straightforward little piece. Enjoy!

Evolution of a Knitter's Stash

At one of the knitting groups I attend, I recently met a brand new knitter. She's already been bitten by the bug, and has a pretty bad case of infatuation with her new hobby. Last night, as we were discussing stash, she asked us all (in disbelief), "you guys buy yarn without knowing what you're going to make from it?" Her reply was a chorus of laughter.

It got me thinking about how we acquire stash. Knitters differ from each other in so many ways. Some of us are pickers and some are throwers, some are process knitters and some are product knitters, some only have one or a few WIPs at a time, and some have dozens. But I think we all go through the same stages in the acquisition of stash.

I present you with Katie's hypothetical Stages of Stash Acquisition:

Stage 1: The New Knitter. You buy the yarn for your first project, and you cast on. Maybe you finish it first, maybe you don't, but soon you buy yarn for your second project, and your third. Eventually (probably), you finish these projects, and invariably there is yarn left over. This is the beginning of your stash.

Stage 2: Oooh, I want to knit THAT! You've already got projects going, but a pattern catches your eye, and you just HAVE to knit it. You buy the yarn for it, and the pattern, and you set them aside for a time when you have fewer projects or life stuff going on. Now your stash includes not just leftovers from past projects, but yarn designated for future projects, too.

Stage 3: That Yarn Would Make a Great Hat. You've got projects on the needles, and projects planned already, but you see a gorgeous hank of yarn, and a project idea pops into your head. You may or may not have a specific pattern in mind, but at this point, you know about how much yarn you would need, so buy the yarn anyway, and stash it. Now, your stash includes leftovers, yarn for specific patterns, and yarn for vague future plans. Uh oh.

Stage 4 (terminal): What a Beautiful Yarn! You know you've got plenty of stash already. There are more projects in your queue than you could possibly knit this year (or this decade). But the yarn in front of you is so pretty, so unique, or so special that you just have to buy it, even though you have no clue what you'll make with it. You buy an amount that makes sense to you (enough for a pair of socks, enough for a sweater, or all the seller has, whatever) and it goes straight into stash. Every now and then, you see it there, pick it up, pet it and rub it against your cheek, just enjoying the sensation of it. Yeah, you're an addict.

I would venture to guess that most knitters hit stage 4 before SABLE, but anyone could reach SABLE at any stage. My own personal journey into stash acquisition was fairly quick. I covered stages 1, 2 and 3 in my first year as a knitter. It was probably another year and a half after that before I would admit to myself that I had bought yarn without knowing what I was going to do with it. I am solidly in stage 4 now. However, I still haven't reached SABLE.

What about you? Did you go through these stages? Did I miss something? Let me know what you think of my hypothesis in the comments!