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How to Organize and Store Knitting Needles

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I feel like I have my yarn stash pretty well organized (I was going to say under control but we all know that’s a lie) but where I really struggle is keeping my knitting needles organized. It’s something I want to work on this year so let’s explore some options!

Currently I have a big mug (if you must know it’s a novelty beer stein with the names of everyone who graduated from my high school that year on it, because the 1990s were weird) that holds most of my straight needles, and my DPNs and circulars are a jumble along with crochet hooks in a couple of different bags. 

Once I made some storage pouches that fit a little box I had to store needles of different sizes, but I made the first 3 in 2014 and never finished. I still think this is a solid plan and intend to finish them…sometime this year. 

I like this idea because theoretically it’s easy to slip the needles back into the pouch for their size instead of just leaving them on my desk for six months. They also could hold both DPNs and circulars, which I need. If I had to go to two different places I’m not sure I’d keep up with it. 

A needle roll is another popular option, which you can buy (for example this pretty linen one from Knitting Bag and Case) or make your own, say with a pattern from Pretty Patterns Design. I like this one because it has some big sections for circulars, but I have a much bigger needle collection that would fit in a single roll.

There are also storage solutions like these wooden organizers from Kainor Design and Embrcraft to name a couple, which have holes made to fit needles of different sizes. This looks pretty cluttered to me so I don’t know that I would enjoy it, but if you’d like to be able to see what you have all the time maybe it’s for you. 

If you have pro-level numbers of knitting needles you might want to use a photo storage option like Nimble Needles shares in their post about needle organization options. I like that each section can be labeled and you can easily pull out all the needles of the same size and mix DPNs and circulars or keep them in individual cases. 

Do you have a great method for keeping knitting needles organized? I need to hear it!

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Add Mushrooms to Your Knits with these Fun Knitting Patterns

A few years ago I wrote a post that was full of patterns for knit mushrooms, but I don’t think I ever did a post that was knitting patterns with mushrooms on them, so today’s the day. 

I love the Fungi Beanie from Jacki Bean, which calls for worsted weight yarn and uses duplicate stitch to add the mushrooms and other details. I think the colors she used for the design are tonal/multicolor so it doesn’t use as many colors as it looks like, but you can use whatever red, green, brown and white yarn you have in your stash for those details. 

How about some mushroom socks? The Magic Toadstool sock form Stone Knits includes a ring of mushrooms around the leg, contrasting heel and toe and a little more colorwork at the toe for extra cuteness. As shown it uses four colors and comes in three sizes. 

Or there’s the Fairy Ring Socks from Katie Green, which have mushrooms of two sizes on the legs, plus a bit of wavy grass. They have a contrasting cuff, heel and toe and some colorwork flecks in the body of the sock as well. This one is available in eight sizes to fit everyone from a baby to an XL adult. 

This trippy cowl from Hunt Hand Knits looks like a lot of fun to knit. The Fungus Among Us Cowl is shown using four colors of DK weight yarn, though you can do it with as few as two if you’d rather. 

Stitch some mushroom mittens with this cute pattern from Holly C Watson. This design uses three colors, and it’s shown with a self-striping yarn on the mushroom caps, which makes the colors change without you having to do any work. The pattern is charted but it’s a pretty easy repeat. The mittens are one size. 

If you don’t feel like knitting mushrooms but still want to give your project a touch of the forest, the Toadstools Cardigan from Julie Taylor may be what you’re looking for. It’s stitched as a plain cardigan worked in DK weight yarn and sized for newborns up to 4 years old. The mushrooms are added with embroidery and the pattern includes the design, which you can trace onto water soluble stabilizer to stitch the mushrooms onto your sweater. Or anything else you want. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.