Review: KnitPro Thames Bag

By -
I had a little treat last week. I’ve been so overly excited about it, that it verges on the ridiculous – so I thought I’d share it with you. I bought a beautiful new bag for my knitting needles – a KnitPro Thames Bag. I bought mine from A Good Yarn and if they’re not in stock, then they can be ordered in for you (I ordered mine).

They’re available in black, yellow, red, purple and blue. I bought the blue one and I’m really glad I did. It’s a beautiful blue – almost verging on purple and the velour material on the inside is such a rich colour.

P1090391

I do take my needles out with me to knit and natter quite often. I had one of the fabric KnitPro cases for quite awhile and it did the job, but if the case was upside down, then sometimes the needles fell out and the soft fabric didn’t quite feel like enough protection. I kept a few fixed circulars in one of the pockets too, which was a bit cramped for them; so I’ve been on the look out for something that fit the bill better. The Thames bag is perfect for what I needed.

The material is faux leather and the straps are detachable, so if you want it purely as a case then you can. The case is quite hard for extra protection. On the inside, it is like a folder. There is storage on the front and back covers, as well as, two “pages” on the inside.

P1090392

The elastic section is on the front and there is more than enough room to fit in my interchangeables. I’ve managed to fit in 13 pairs. Some share a space and the large needles have a section each – with a bit of jiffling, I think I could fit another pair or two in. The elastic is good and the needles do not move at all.


The next page has four deep pockets (all of them go down to the bottom of the “page”) and one sideways buttoned pocket. These would be quite good for notions, I store mine in a different way; so for the time being I have crochet hooks, needle gauge and some fixed circulars in mine.

P1090398


On the other side of the “page” is a full zipped pocket, which is perfect for all the cables for the interchangeable tips.

P1090402

The next page is a clear pocket, which I think is brilliant. I’ve used mine for all my short 16 inch circulars and the keys and stoppers. Being able to see what’s in the pocket is great, especially when trying to find the key that locks the interchangeables in place.

The back page has slots, which are very tight, so the needles don’t move about at all. I’ve put my most used DPNs and sock circulars in there. Though it could be good for crochet hooks too. At the moment the slots are perhaps a little too tight but I’m sure they’ll loosen up a bit with wear.

The whole thing zips up, so nothing is going to drop out of it. The one downside is the velour, which looks absolutely beautiful but will probably mark with use; particularly with the needles pressing on it.

If the case was another inch or two longer, then I would have been able to fit my 25cm straights in, which would have been the icing on the cake. However, I really love it and would definitely recommend them – particularly if you have a needle collection like mine!

And just because, here's a photo of my knitting...




Comments

  1. HillyT23 April 2014 at 09:23

    Thank you for writing this review, I have been thinking about buying one of these bags and this has been very helpful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne24 April 2014 at 11:52

      I'm glad it's been helpful. It really is a lovely bag x

      Delete
  2. Knititchings22 February 2015 at 16:47

    Lovely bag!
    I have to ask what is that yarn and pattern, looks great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne22 February 2015 at 17:15

      The yarn is Debbie Bliss Rialto 4 ply in the leaf colourway (I think). The pattern is just an Aran panel I had put together. It's a design swatch for a knitting course I'm doing. Worked beautifully with the yarn though.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Substituting Yarn in a Project

By -
Image
So you’ve chosen your pattern, but either you don’t want to use the recommended yarn or you can’t find it to buy. This does not mean you are stuck. Many knitters, especially when they are just learning to knit, get stuck on the idea that you can only use the yarn that the pattern is written with. There are, occasionally, a few projects where it can be quite hard to find an alternative but that is very rare. There are a few factors that you want to think about when changing yarn.  Yarn Thickness The main one is the thickness of the yarn. This is the one factor that you absolutely have to consider. Everything else that I discuss below helps to hone your decision down but yarn thickness is at the core of a project. If you use a thicker yarn, it could make the fabric too dense and often make it impossible to match the gauge of the pattern. If you use a thinner yarn, then it will be more open and airy than intended; there’s more scope with this but some projects such as toys an...
Read more

Photo Tutorial: How to Back a Knitted Blanket

By -
Image
Recently, I was asked to help out with a project. This wonderful blanket (designed by Debbie Abrahams from her book, Blanket and Throws to Knit ) was knitted by Ann. I was asked to piece it together and back it. The finished blanket is being used to raise money for When you Wish Upon a Star. The yarn was donated by A Good Yarn and the fabric and cotton by L & C Fabrics . I thought I’d show you how I went about backing the blanket, I went about it as I would a quilt. Though, I decided tying would be the best way of layering it together, as traditional quilting would be difficult on a knitted fabric. 1. Block the blanket. I pinned it out and spritzed it. Normally, I would wet block, but I was concerned that the red may bleed and it would take some time to dry too. 2. My blanket was too large for a standard width so I pieced the backing. The backing should be a few inches larger than the knitted blanket. Place it right side down on the floor. I then tape it down o...
Read more

Photo Tutorial: Estonian Cast On

By -
Image
I've recently been looking into different cast on methods. I've tried quite a few and they've all got their purpose but I have taken quite a fancy to the Estonian Cast On (a.k.a. Double Start, Latvian). It's quite simple to execute, it's stretchy and can be quite decorative too. It works well with 1 x 1 and 2 x 2 ribbing because it wraps around the base of the column of ribbing. It's a super cast on for socks. The tutorial is for the single strand method. 1. Measure out a long tail. I tend to use 1 inch per stitch for thicker yarn and 1/2 inch per stitch for DK weight and thinner; plus another 6 inches for luck! Make a slip knot and place on your needle. 2. Place your fingers between the strands and tilt your hand back into a catapult position. This creates a cross on the thumb strand. 3. Insert your needle into the loop around your thumb from below. 4. Reach across over the top of the strand on your forefinger. 5. ...
Read more