Small Snake Charmer as a knitting project bag

[terayon]

I ordered a couple of Small Snake Charmers because I really liked the double-sided compartments and the elongated shape, but I didn't really have a specific plan for them at the time. When I saw them, my first thought was, "Knitting bag!" (To be fair, my first thought when I see almost anything is often, "How does this apply to knitting?") I didn't really think this would work very well, because I figured my knitting needles would just poke through the mesh sides of the SC, but I gave it a shot because the shape of the bag fits so nicely into other bags, and the clip on the end would let me hang the bag out to work on a project.

And it works great! It's really nice to have tools on one side...



... and the project on the other. If I tuck the project and needles behind the yarn, the yarn holds them against the back wall of the compartment and so far, they haven't got anywhere near the mesh to poke through.



Here's all the stuff I've got inside (plus the iPad). It is not even close to full.





ETA: This works for this shape of yarn ball. A full cake wound with my ball winder would be a tough fit, I think, though it might work by flexing the centre wall well into the other compartment. I think for that type of ball, though, the circular Yarn Stuff Sacks rule the day for me.

[Badger]

zomg OWLLLLLZZZZZ.

...that is all.

[tebnewyork]

Love the mitten....

I was thinking of using one for a small traveling art kit.

[BWeaves]

My only concern is loosing something through the mesh holes, like a cable needle or tapestry needle, but I guess that's where a small or mini organizer pouch comes in. However, with a bag this small, I'd hope not to have to use another pouch inside it.

[Badger]

My only concern is loosing something through the mesh holes, like a cable needle or tapestry needle, but I guess that's where a small or mini organizer pouch comes in. However, with a bag this small, I'd hope not to have to use another pouch inside it.

I don't know where the cable needle in my household is at the moment so I can't test for sure, but I suspect it would take some force to push one through the mesh. A mini OP is probably the safest way to go for stuff like that, though; the Snake Charmer is actually very capacious so having tiny things in a pouch would save you from digging around.

[KmK]

It's so darn C U T E... which I'll grant is not the soundest of reasons for purchase or use... One of the things I like about TB, though, is the harmony between function and aesthetic. Simple, clean, interesting. Am looking forward to seing how I might use the small SC heading northward. I'm thinking writing-kit a go go... pens on one side, index cards/small Fieldnotes size notebook on the other... add in a few organizer pouches with quotidian hoo-ha like cash and keys... yes, I can see this working well and helping me slim down the necessaries. Oh, and did I mention, it's c u t e?

[moriond]

Small Snake Charmer as a knitting project bag

It's so darn C U T E... which I'll grant is not the soundest of reasons for purchase or use... One of the things I like about TB, though, is the harmony between function and aesthetic. Simple, clean, interesting. Am looking forward to seing how I might use the small SC heading northward. I'm thinking writing-kit a go go... pens on one side, index cards/small Fieldnotes size notebook on the other... add in a few organizer pouches with quotidian hoo-ha like cash and keys... yes, I can see this working well and helping me slim down the necessaries. Oh, and did I mention, it's c u t e?

@KmK,
You could totally put your Field Notes into the small snake charmer and use it as a writing kit. One of the things that I like about the Small Snake Charmer that I mentioned in my post about using it in my packup of the Small Yeoman Duffel as Music Bag is the fact that its profile has a cross-section like the 3D Organizer Cubes that I find so useful, but with the two sides (and especially with the Halcyon versions I ordered), you can either use them as either a pair of 3DOCs stacked, or a single depth 3DOC, depending on available space and need requirements. A reason that I never used the original design SCs, apart from the fact that they are huge for the amount of cables and accessories I need to carry, is that they don't transfer easily unless you have lots of space: yes, one fits into the bottom pocket of a Synapse 25, and can go into a Smart Alec or Brain Bag, but that's about it for me (and I don't have a Brain Bag). So I always used two 3DOCs instead. I still like the flexibility of the 3DOCs (and clever things like using keystraps or Double Carabiner clips to stack them vertically into hanging toiletry bags), but the small snake charmers are great!

I do have one possible concern for general use though: that's the stiffness and scratchiness of the mesh sides. The present batches are nice and pliable, but I've found a lot of variability in this for the black mesh over time, which is why I don't have as many mesh pouches and cubes as other versions of these accessories. I really love using my Coyote mini mesh organizer pouch, because the mesh has always been softer and pliable on that pouch, but I think there are real long term variations in this depending on source and time

Just my thoughts. YMMV.

moriond

ETA: If anyone else can comment on their experience with different mesh products and production batches over time, I'd be grateful. I think the mesh in these Small Snake Charmers are just fine for @terayon's use -- and the Fjord looks so classy, so maybe the solution is just to buy lots of these now?

I should add that I'm a tactile person. Not only did I find it difficult to believe that anyone could fail to detect the "aggressive" scratchy Swift handles produced this Spring, but I could also feel the difference between the earlier batches of 400d Original Halcyon and the later ones. The original Black (oBlack) Halcyon textures still feel better to me than the nBlack (dark grid) Halcyon. And on the Cafe Bag Freudian Slips the mesh pockets felt on the release versions felt rough enough that I called this out as a possible consideration for knitters wanting to use these is their Swifts with mesh side of the medium and large Cafe Bag FSs in contact with wool.

[terayon]

My only concern is loosing something through the mesh holes, like a cable needle or tapestry needle, but I guess that's where a small or mini organizer pouch comes in. However, with a bag this small, I'd hope not to have to use another pouch inside it.

I generally do cables without a needle, but I don't think any needle bigger than about 3.5 mm would be too likely go through the mesh. A tapestry needle definitely could though. Even if the sides were urethane, though, I would still keep little things like tapestry needles and stitch markers in a mini OP (that's what I do in YSSs also, but I also keep the scissors, needle sizer and tape measure in the pic above in the OP as well). The nice thing about the SC is that (a) a mini OP fits very nicely and I can clip it in so it stays where I put it and (b) the scissors, tape measure and needle sizer can be free in the compartment for easier access without getting tangled up in the working yarn.

[moriond]

@terayon,

Do you (or maybe some other knitter) have experience with other mesh pouches and/or accessories used next to wool? For some things (e.g., variations in the different generations of clear urethane used for clear pouches over the years as to clarity, thickness, stickiness, etc.) I can comment, but I just don't have enough experience with mesh batches -- just enough to note that I have found some batches stiffer and scratcher to the touch, particularly with black mesh.

moriond

[terayon]

I haven't got much in the way of mesh around other than one mesh 3D Organizer Cube, and I've never tried yarn in that. To my hand, it feels just like the mesh on the SC.

The yarn I'm currently using is a fairly robust sock yarn, plus it doesn't roll around inside the SC as I'm using it, so I'm not too worried. So far (I'm one and a half mittens into this project), the yarn has been completely fine. Fair point, though - a delicate yarn might pill, especially if it was not a centre-pull ball and there was a lot more friction against the mesh.

This is definitely not the project-bag-to-end-all-project-bags. A lot depends on the size and shape of the project and the yarn cake. But for some projects, it's a good option!

[threeteez]

Love your owl mittens! I was a Chi Omega back in the day and owls are the mascot. I'm barely competent as a beginner loom knitter so that is way beyond my skill range, but it made me smile to see your lovely work!

[Yokosmom]

terayon, is the owl pattern on Ravelry? I never even thought of using this for knitting (that's what I use travel trays for), but it is a great suggestion. I ordered a small Snake Charmer in Island, but haven't gotten it yet. I mostly wanted to try it out as the classic snake charmer turned out to be rather large for my electronic needs.

[terayon]

terayon, is the owl pattern on Ravelry?

Yes! It's Grey Eyed by Rebecca Tsai, and it's free!

[sageeyes]

I should add that I'm a tactile person. Not only did I find it difficult to believe that anyone could fail to detect the "aggressive" scratchy Swift handles produced this Spring, but I could also feel the difference between the earlier batches of 400d Original Halcyon and the later ones. The original Black (oBlack) Halcyon textures still feel better to me than the nBlack (dark grid) Halcyon. And on the Cafe Bag Freudian Slips the mesh pockets felt on the release versions felt rough enough that I called this out as a possible consideration for knitters wanting to use these is their Swifts with mesh side of the medium and large Cafe Bag FSs in contact with wool.

I thought this was just me being weird and picky about textures! I was given a Swift as an early xmas gift last month, and while I've really enjoyed using it over the past 3 weeks, I am finding I can't actually wear it on my shoulder when I have any hand knit items on, as the straps were starting to damage my precious sweaters and scarves.

Do you know if this a batch issue, @moriond , or anyone else able to comment? I'd like to order some LS when they come back in stock, but was hesitant to do so, based on my experience with the one I have now. I've not had any other issues with any of the TB stuff I've ordered this year(new convert!), so I was surprised by this.

[moriond]

Hi @sageeyes,

There was a batch of Swifts produced earlier this year when the new Halcyon combinations were released where this scratchiness in the handles was noted by a number of users. I'll link you to Darcy's response post and excerpt it here:

Apologies for the delay, guys! I wanted to take a couple of days to investigate this thoroughly.

We selected a variety of Swifts (current batch and from previous batches) and asked a bunch of folks here at the factory to touch the handles to determine if we too could feel a difference in the handles.

Some of us noticed a subtle difference and some of us didn’t: some folks thought there was a difference between the handles of specific color combinations, while some of us couldn't really tell a difference.

As I mentioned earlier, we haven’t changed the material (still 1000d Cordura® wrapped around Poron® foam) or the construction method used to make the handles of The Swift. Our best guess is that the difference you guys are feeling is a subtle variation in the “hand” of the 1000d Cordura used to make the handles of the Swift. Variations like this are actually fairly common from one batch of fabric to the next, and are considered the norm in “the industry” – it's perhaps a testimony to the consistency we are generally able to maintain that such a small variation is even noticeable. It's also a testimony to the high standards to which you guys hold us -- it's much appreciated.

The handles will soften slightly with time and use (I know this happened with my original Swift in Cork). If anyone has an unused Swift that isn't working out for them, they are welcome to return it. Note that we can’t pick out particular Swifts with handles that have a particular feel for new orders or replacement orders because some of us don’t notice the difference while others notice a difference but that difference differs from person to person, so we can't be sure what we'd send would be any or much different. (Does that make sense? I hope so! So many differents...)

If you look at the earlier posts in that thread, you'll see comments about this (starting with @jess's post #22 dated 06-15-2016). Best guess is that the Swifts made in that first release announced 06-02-2015 (all with the new Nordic and Black Halcyon, but possibly also original Halcyon/Wasabi and Burnt Orange/Ultraviolet, which were produced at the same time) might have the scratchy handles. @jess noted that this problem was not present in the Aubergine/Northwest Sky Swift she purchased in the previous April production batch.

I thought this was just me being weird and picky about textures! I was given a Swift as an early xmas gift last month, and while I've really enjoyed using it over the past 3 weeks, I am finding I can't actually wear it on my shoulder when I have any hand knit items on, as the straps were starting to damage my precious sweaters and scarves.

Do you know if this a batch issue, @moriond , or anyone else able to comment? I'd like to order some LS when they come back in stock, but was hesitant to do so, based on my experience with the one I have now. I've not had any other issues with any of the TB stuff I've ordered this year(new convert!), so I was surprised by this.

As for the present Little Swift Encore release, here's my comment from post #140 the November 28th Debut! thread:

Another statement about the LS. I was really worried that the handles would be the scratchy "aggressive" fabric they used early this year on the Swift (I returned a Nordic/UV Swift because of this -- the only time I found this to be the case in any of the Little Swift/ Swift/ Lux (Swift predecessor) bags). But they're totally fine, so I feel OK saying that you can order early and often.

The level of scratchiness in the mesh is much, much less. Even when I noted that the mesh pockets in the Medium and Large Cafe Bag Freudian Slip pockets might catch on wool, it's because these pockets are gathered at the bottom to hold bulky items, and therefore there are "pleats" near the bottom that can feel rougher. The Small Cafe Bag Freudian Slip and the FS for Swift/Maker's Bag both use a finer grade pliable mesh for the pockets (the same stretchy mesh fabric used at the side of water bottle pockets), so scratchiness isn't an issue.

HTH

moriond