A project bag fills up with things you do not need. This is the short list we actually carry, plus the small tools that make the difference between a calm evening and an hour of hunting.
The four that earn their place
- A tape measure with a metal end, because fabric ones stretch and you will not notice for a year.
- Six stitch markers you like the weight of. Brass hangs straight; plastic flips and gets knit into the work.
- A darning needle with a blunt tip and an eye you can thread without your glasses.
- A row counter, if you knit anything with more than forty rows of shaping.
The ones that are nice to have
A small pair of snips, a cable key you keep attached to the bag rather than loose, and a stitch holder. None of them are essential; all three save five minutes at a bad moment. The wristlet exists precisely because these are the things that go missing between the cushion and the sofa.
What to leave at home
The whole interchangeable set, when you are working on one project with one needle size. Every cable you own. A second tape measure. Anything that came in a kit you bought for one item. Weight in a project bag is cumulative, and a heavy bag is a bag you stop carrying.