tools

As a crochet designer or just a maker of any variety, our work area is very important. You might be sitting for a long time, so it must be comfortable. You might (like me) use a lot of different tools for your crafts so you need lots of storage. If you’re following a pattern, you need a place to read that pattern that isn’t in the way of your work, is close enough to see and can accommodate a variety of reading materials. If you’re writing a pattern, you also need a writing surface.

I spent a lot of time creating the perfect work station for me, and I think I’ve nailed it. It all centers around my adjustable table.

It’s a handy computer desk that I can adjust to different heights. The base sits under my ottoman and I keep the table in front of me and to the right as I work. The best part of it? It’s magnetic! I had no idea how important that would be until I started using it. It is seriously my favorite feature.

Here’s a close up of the surface as I use it.

That’s a lot of stuff! But, it’s all at hand’s reach and I can manage each thing pretty much with only one hand. The magnets are the key to making it work so well.

1. Push Pin Magnets Love these! They look like push pins, but they’re magnets. Pretty self explanatory, lol.
2. Pop Socket Phone Holder Makes it easy to tilt my phone for various reasons and keeps it out of the way.
3. Burt’s Bees Lip Balm I happen to live very close to the Burt’s Bees home office, so it’s near and dear to my heart.
4. My ceiling fan remote! Isn’t it easy to lose those things? So much easier to keep track of now and always at hand’s reach.
5. Locking Stitch Markers I cannot have too many of these. I lose them constantly. So I keep this box full and my backups are stored in a drawer nearby.
6. TV Remote – I stuck a magnet on the back of this so it just snaps into place and I never lose it anymore!
7. Cuticle Cream What is more annoying than a hangnail when you’re crocheting, right?
8. Composition Notebook I buy these at back to school time when they’re super cheap. I keep a few dozen hand to last through the year.
9. USB C Phone charger, and there’s a white micro USB Charger on hand for older devices. My Kindle for example.
10. Tape Measure
11. Embroidery Scissors I like these because they come with extra point guards so the pair I keep in my bag doesn’t stab me.
12. Bent Tip Needles I talk about why I like these in this post. http://carochetdesigns.com/sewing-in-ends/
13. Nail File I’m a bit of a nail fanatic. I like my nails to be pretty, but I really hate when they snag yarn. So, I have tons of these!
14. Pencil Cup – built in and holds my crochet hook when not in use so it doesn’t slip between the couch cushions
15. Tweezers A good pair of tweezers will last forever. I used to be a professional hairdresser (before having kids) and I’ve had this pair for over 20 years. They help with fiddly little bits like nothing else.
16. Pocket Knife I swear by this thing. I have two of these. I thought I’d lost one so I bought a second because it’s indispensible. We were in the middle of a major move, though, and it turned up about a year later. I keep one on my key ring and my spare on my work station. I’ve been known to give these as gifts because it almost always comes out at crochet nights.
17. Miscellaneous other papers – this one happens to be my daughter’s Starbucks work schedule for next week, but this could be a pattern, notes from a previous project, a yarn label, anything!

That’s a whole heck of a lot of stuff to manage and it’s all in one place. If you don’t have a magnet board near your work area, I’d highly recommend one! I have a couple dozen of these magnets scattered around ready to be stuck to non magnetic things or grab whatever loose items I might have.

How do you keep your work area organized?