I’ve lived with my roommate Katie for almost five years. She’s neat for lots of reasons. But one major common thread that brings us together is that she loves crafty things as much as I do! Okay, she’s not nearly as ridiculous as I am, but she has an appreciation for it all the same.

Just before Christmas, I taught Katie the basics of crochet. She was out of town for the holidays so I didn’t need to have her Christmas gift ready until she returned in January. The plan was to get Katie some of her own crochet supplies and a sew a neat little crochet hook holder while she was gone.

But then, a curveball. Katie learned to KNIT during the two weeks she was gone. And not only did she learn to knit, but she actually preferred it over crochet.

This was a problem for two reasons.

1. A crochet themed Christmas gift would be a really lame gift for someone who no longer likes crochet.
2. I know nothing about knitting. I look at all of those different needle sizes, and those weird curvy needles, and I just feel overwhelmed. Plus, I had no idea what kinds of supplies she’d already invested in or preferred to use.

But then, some Googling led to the perfect solution! I found the Amanda’s Knitting Bag pattern by The Sometimes Crafter. Hey, I don’t know how to knit, but I sure know how to sew.

At first I hesitated because I have way too many unused patterns in my life, so I try to refrain from buying new ones whenever possible. But this bag just looked so perfect for knitting supplies and I couldn’t resist. I bought the pattern on etsy and it was worth every penny! It’s an instant PDF download so I was able to get started immediately.

The bag has neat pockets on the front to hold any sort of craft supplies, but they work especially well for knitting needles – and can accommodate those funny-looking round needles, too. (I don’t have any knitting supplies so I had to use my crochet hooks for the photo, which doesn’t look nearly as whimsical as the photo on the pattern with all of the lovely knitting needles, but you know, life goes on).

There’s a little zipper pocket with a “leash” inside for little scissors.

And of course I had to customize one side of the bag with Katie’s initial. I’ve always been partial to the letter “L,” but I have to say that the letter “K” is a pretty decent runner-up.

The bag is lined with matchy polka dot fabric, and there’s plenty of room inside for skein after skein of yarn!

The boxy bag construction was a little different than I’m used to when making bags, but I liked it. I would totally make this bag again. And it makes a great gift!

To date, this is the project that I’m the most proud of – and it never would have happened if Katie hadn’t abandoned crochet for knit. So, sometimes even curveballs can lead to a great end result.

Who knew!