Wednesday, February 3, 2010

How do you carry your tatting?

I tat all over the place.  I tat at home, I tat at my lunch break on the job, I tat on the train, I tat in waiting rooms, I tat standing in train stations, I tat in church.  It helps me.

(I had a really nasty person who tried to make me stop tatting in church.  She is ADHD - and my tatting distracted her.  I told her she needed to take her Ritalin. She moved to another pew. And I still tat in church.)  (Take that!)

Back to my subject at hand....

One of my favorite parts of tatting is that it is so very portable.  I throw pots - but it's really hard to lug around a wheel and 20 lbs of clay plus tools.  It's hard to lug a quilt you're working on.  It is possible to knit on the go, but you'd better be doing something small.

When one tats outside of one's home environment, one has to transport one's tatting and accoutrements.  But what to transport it all in?  What do you use?

Here's a selection of what I use:

The most basic - a sandwich-sized plastic bag that locks shut.  Cheap.  Replaceable.  You can see which project it is.  Slides into my pocket.  But it can rip.  Or be lost. And I frequently can't find it in the bottom of my purse.

Altoids tins - love them.  Just right for Clover shuttles and one project.  I can shove them in my pocket and find them in my purse. But I can't put a ball of thread in them.  And there's the minty smell.....

My funky little metal candy containers - found these at my favorite store, Target.  (The candy included is long gone.)  They're made like little metal lunchboxes and are almost twice as thick as Altoid tins.  You can put smaller thread (Perle) in them, plus bigger shuttles, like the nifty Russian ones I use for major beading projects.  But smaller projects rattle around in them.  And they don't go in my pocket.  (Although carrying them around by their cute handles is fun.)  I use these for projects with a lot of supplies.

Last, but not least - the blue and white pencil holder.  I like the cute animals on it.  Found it on clearance at Office Max.  (I be cheap.) It zips shut.  It holds everything - including size 20 Lizbeth thread.  I can fold a pattern and stick it in this.  If I'm careful, I can put a crochet hool in it.  And I can put two or three projects - in plastic bags - inside.  It will squish into different sections of my purse.  My current favorite.

By the way - I have a perfectly lovely tatting bag (like these) that someone made for me.  But it's stuffed with HDT and shuttles.  So it's not suitable for transporting stuff on the train.  Stays at home, on my desk.

So folks, show me how you shelp your stuff!

9 comments:

  1. My stuff doesn't get schlepped much. I am a part time stay at home mom, and when I work the little ones come with me, so that leaves no free hands for shuttles......

    So mine lives in tat corner, which has just been invaded by the baby who learned to crawl and pull herself up and help herself to my tatting.....but we are moving soon, so it will all change. I love the pencil case you use. I just saw a tinkerbell tin that I now have an excuse to buy. Thank you for enabling

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  2. I shelp my stuff in one of those organza bags!!!!!!!!!! My question is what sort of tatting project do you take? Love the tins! I have one like one of those old lunch box tins that I put my crocheting in.

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  3. At the moment I'm using the resealable sandwich bags that you mentioned. I agree about the not always being able to find them in your bag though that might mean we have too much in our bags!

    What I really want is a tin or a selection of tins but I haven't had time to go hunting for any yet.

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  4. Love the candy tins! I also use eye glass cases and contact cases. The hard ones are nice and you can find some 'pretty' ones at the Dollar Store.

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  5. Wow, I've NEVER had a plastic sandwich baggy rip on me whilst carrying tatting goodies, but then I use the slightly larger version with the Ziploc...maybe it's stronger??? Who knows! Enjoy all your methods of carrying tatting..whatever works...I say! :)
    Happy Tatting!
    ~TattingChic ♥

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  6. Tatting in church great!!! All for it, even if someone was doing it during one of my sermons, at least I would know that they were not asleep! Like you I have various small bags that I carry my tatting in, my latest is a large make-up bag, minus the make-up of course, tatting is far more important.
    Love all your containers and can imagine you producing them out of your handbag!!!

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  7. "Eye glass cases"... what a wonderful idea! I might try that myself.

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  8. I love little containers! I bought some of those at Target for my grands. I really bought them because I wanted them, but then i felt guilty. I love the idea of tatting in church. I like to doodle whenever I'm in a meeting, etc... Somehow it helps me concentrate better.

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  9. How do I schlep my tatting stuff? I used to use the small zip-top baggie method, until I bought a drawstring pouch with interior compartments. Much like your pouch, but taller. Now the pouch goes with me everywhere!

    I tat in the car while waiting to pick up DH at the commuter lot. I tat in the waiting area of Jiffy Lube. (I used to knit Harry Potter scarves during oil changes, but now I tat. Either one works great.)

    Watch my blog for a future post showing how I schlep my stuff!

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