Zip the top shut and four strands of yarn still run out through the holes in the lid — one for each colour you are working — while the balls stay inside, clean, off the floor and out of reach of a helpful cat. Drop the front flap and your hooks are lying there under their own elastic band, in the order you left them. That is the difference between a project bag and a tote. A tote holds your things. This holds your project, and keeps the yarn behaving while you work. It is 600D Oxford, cut square so it stands up on its own instead of slumping, with a zip across the top, three outside pockets, a clear-fronted pocket for the pattern, a compartment hidden inside, and side pockets deep enough to stand a pair of full-length straight needles in. Twin handles, reinforced where they meet the body. The four yarn feed holes Four reinforced holes sit in the top panel, inside the zip line. Thread a strand up through one before you close the bag and the ball feeds from inside as you work — so it cannot roll away, pick up lint off the carpet, or get batted under the sofa. Four holes rather than one matters if you do colourwork. Stranded knitting, granny squares, anything with two or three colours running at once: each strand gets its own hole and they stop wrapping around each other in the bag. Where everything goes Front flap — folds down flat and holds a row of crochet hooks or short needles under an elastic band, spread out so you can see the sizes. Clear front pocket — the pattern, a tape measure, stitch markers. You can read it without opening it. Left, right and back pockets — on the outside, deep enough for full-length straight needles, a phone, scissors, a water bottle. Hidden inner compartment — for the things you would rather not have fall out. Main body — the yarn, under the zip. One reviewer put her wallet and keys in the side pockets and stopped carrying a handbag as well. That is the bag working properly. What it holds Three or four standard 100 g balls, plus every tool you need for the project they belong to. In practice that is a hat, a pair of socks, a shawl, a baby blanket, the sleeve you are halfway through — a whole work in progress, packed once and ready. That is the size it is meant to be. Big enough that nothing has to be left behind, small enough to lift with one hand on the way out of the door, and square enough to sit upright in a car footwell without tipping over. Size, fabric and care Size — 23 cm / 9 in wide, 26 cm / 10.24 in tall, 14 cm / 5.51 in deep at the top, widening to 20 cm / 7.9 in across the base. A little shorter than a sheet of A4 paper and a little wider. Weight — about 430 g empty. Fabric — 600D Oxford, water-resistant, wipes clean with a damp cloth. Let it dry open rather than folded away damp. Colours — Blue, Grey, Purple and a dark tropical Leaves print. Included — the bag. The yarn, hooks, needles and notions in the photographs are there to show the pockets in use. How it compares Against a plain canvas tote. A tote has no yarn hole, so the ball rides loose and arrives tangled. It has no flat base, so it folds over when you set it down. And it has nowhere to put a hook except the bottom. Against a drawstring project bag. A drawstring sack is lighter and cheaper and fine for a sock. It will not stand open beside you while you work, it has no pocket for the pattern, and there is nothing to stop the hooks sliding to the bottom. Against a structured canvas or leather project tote. Those run from about $90 to $260 and they are lovely. They hold the same three or four balls, through the same kind of grommet, with the same sort of pockets. This is the same job in 600D Oxford. Questions knitters and crocheters ask Is this really usable for crochet, or is it aimed at knitters? Both, and the front flap is built for hooks rather than needles — the elastic band holds a full set of crochet hooks side by side at their thickest point. Several buyers came to it precisely because the bags they were finding were knitting-only. Will it stand up on its own? Yes. The base is a flat 20 cm rectangle and the sides are structured, so it sits open beside a chair rather than collapsing on itself. Will the yarn actually stay untangled? It will if you thread it through a hole before you zip the top. The ball stays in one place and only the working strand moves, which is the whole point of the design. What happens if it gets rained on or something spills? The 600D Oxford sheds a splash and wipes clean with a damp cloth. It is water-resistant rather than waterproof — don't submerge it, and dry it open. Where do long straight needles go? In the outside side pockets, which are cut deep for exactly that — a pair of full-length bamboo needles stands in them with the tips clear of the fabric, so you can pull them out without opening the bag. Is it a good gift? It is one of the things knitters and crocheters do not buy for themselves, and it arrives looking like a proper bag rather than a craft accessory. A lot of these go out as birthday and Christmas presents. Pack it once and it stays packed. That is the point.
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