Where do darning needles go?

[untonuggan]

I admit, when I first read the Yarn Harlot's repeated warnings that darning needles and measuring tapes tend to wander off or disappear, I was skeptical. I kept mine in my knitting bag in the same place and did not move them. No problem.

Only now I am moving, and I put a bunch of my knitting supplies *somewhere* during the Open House because we were supposed to secure our valuables and knitting needles are expensive. (Okay, maybe I was paranoid, but whatever.) So now I am pretty sure that they are in a wall of boxes in my office, which is...not good.

I have four dishcloths that are gorgeous, if I do say so myself, and I need to weave in the ends. I had been procrastinating on the finishing for too long so I thought I should seize the moment and do it while I was inspired. I went searching for a darning needle last night and couldn't find mine. "No problem," I thought. "There are two other knitters in this house, surely one of them has a darning needle."

Theirs had disappeared as well.

I should probably just bite the bullet and search for the rest of my knitting supplies, because otherwise I am not going to be able to finish the small stuffed animals I am making for my nephews for the trip I am planning in July. I have other knitting I could do in the meantime, of course, that is already on the needles...but I really wanted to make those things.

This is the problem with putting things "in a safe place."

Comments

[liseuse]

I think your darning needles may be in the same place as all my darning needles.

Because all mine are definitely nowhere near where I keep them.

[untonuggan]

I thought it was hard to find my glasses until I started knitting and needed a darning needle.

[epershand]

I think darning needles must have special hubris detectors. No sooner did I become pleased with myself for having bought a case to store them all in so they'd top wandering off, did the entire case disappear.

[untonuggan]

That must be it!

[jumpuphigh]

This reminds me. I still haven't found my lost tape measure.

[untonuggan]

They are tricky beasts.

[izzy]

oh god. i am in the process of moving right now. i think my plan will be: stick all the knitting stuff in one large box, label it clearly, attach seven red helium balloons to it, wrap flashing xmas lights around it, and possibly an airhorn as well.

though i'm pretty sure the measuring tape already went in another box. sigh.

[untonuggan]

This made me laugh out loud. Thank you, needed it this morning. Maybe I will just go buy another darning needle, because clearly then the other ones will turn up. Right?

[jumpuphigh]

That has often been my solution. In my head, I just say, "Well, they are cheap."

[piemancer]

And they do turn up again once you buy another...

I magnetized one and stuck it to the fridge. That's the one I can always find.

[indeliblesasha]

I have 10 darning (tapestry) needles and probably 5 measuring tapes. I can tell you where one of the tapes and 2 of the needles are right off the top of my head...I have no idea where the others are :D

And I recommend trying a bobby-pin for weaving in your ends. It's not perfect, probably a bit of a pain, but it'll do in a pinch ♥

[untonuggan]

This would work if I had a bobby pin. Sadly they all went when I chopped my hair off. Thanks for the tip, though, I will remember it for the future (and other knitters I want to aid).

[bedlamsbard]

I actually keep my darning needles in my jewelry box, but that's mostly because at the moment I live in a dorm room and that's the easiest place to put them so that I can get at them quickly. (My stitch markers are in there too. Eh, metal, shiny things, knitting gadgets, jewelry, same thing. Makes sense in my head.)

[katemonkey]

This is my trick for keeping track of darning needles:

Buy a pair of earrings.
Save the plastic bit they're on.
Poke darning needles through the little holes.
Put into knitting tin.

Yay!

[notyourwendy]

I confess, I have them all. Sorry.

I just opened up my box of odds and ends and found three darning needles where I thought I only had one. That's in addition to the needle case in my sewing box that somehow has another extra five or so. I have no idea where they cone from, because I'm certainly not buying them.

[onlysmallwings]

Your box of odds and ends is the multiverse's depository for darning needles. Obviously.

[untonuggan]

It is clearly a wormhole. Are you hiding my missing socks, too? ;)

[evilawyer]

And if you bite the other bullet and simply go out and buy more, the ones you can't find now will pop out of their hiding place and yell "Surprise!"

[untonuggan]

I wanted to do that yesterday and my partner was all like, "No, no, we'll find them!" but then we never got around to looking, and now I am afraid I will lose the momentum for weaving in ends. It's a tricky business. I think I may have to go get more today when she's not around.

[oakmouse]

Borrowers. You have Borrowers. *g*

One of my friends keeps her darning needles in one of those little plastic tubes. She runs a safety pin through the little hole in the little tag that sticks out on the top of the tube, and pins the tube to the inside of a pocket in her knitting bag. After hunting for a darning needle earlier today, I'm beginning to think she has a good idea there.

[untonuggan]

Borrowers. You have Borrowers. *g*

Clearly! Why didn't I think of that?

[woolychicken]

I have a cute set of them in a case by Clover. I also tucked a mini crochet hook in there. I always know where mine are now!

Measuring tapes...I'm not admitting how many of them a own. Mostly because I am not sure.

[labellementeuse]

I recently moved, and have unpacked all my boxes ... and except for the two current projects and the stuff I was keeping with them, all my knitting needles and one of my best books have disappeared. It's enough to make you sick. (Really sick actually. Most of them were pretty cheap straights, but I had six or seven of the wooden knitpicks interchangeables that I'm really grieving.)

Which goes to show it's not just the little stuff, I guess. Woe. D:

[untonuggan]

Oh my goodness...that is awful. I am so sorry. *takes deep calming breaths* Um, maybe you need a therapeutic trip to a yarn store?

[babs_bee]

If I ever found all the darning needles I bought over the years, I'd probably be able to supply every knitter in the world with one! I even have those cute little Chibi containers but they still are lost.

I've come to the point where every time I go to my local yarn shop, I buy darning needles.

[untonuggan]

I think my local yarn shop buys them in bulk and marks them up, because they're 50 cents each (versus about $1.50 for a whole pack of them at the big box craft store). They are a lovely store, but they're exploiting our weaknesses.

[babs_bee]

Oh I pay more than that because I like the Chibi needles with the bent tip and the little case they come in. Of course I continually lose that case and the needles. Okay it's probably not really lost but I dont' know where they go!