Tonight we had a family dinner to celebrate my brother-in-law, my twin and my birthdays. We had a good time at the restaurant, and I came away with some pretty cool stuff from my mother and aunt!

Mom gave me a Simplicity Bias Tape Maker, which will come in pretty handy for some quilting projects I have planned - I'll be starting with potholders, to keep it simple, and I've also got plans to make a roll-up crochet hook holder for my friend, CraftySasha.

My aunt and uncle gave me a collapsible "yarn drum", some crochet hooks, knitting needles, and some knitting labels for finished projects.



So, with that, I present my first craft item review!

The yarn drum is designed as a handy travel case, with slits on the top for easy access to stored yarn inside - merely feed the end of the yarn through the holes, and it keeps everything neat and tidy inside.

Pros: The bag has a good amount of storage space on the inside, and I was able to get at least 15-20 yarn balls of various sizes inside. It's tall enough to fit knitting needles without creating bulges or poking out of the top. There is a net storage pouch on the side, which could hold anything from patterns to scissors or anything else you can fit, but it is flush - holding paper is most likely the intended use.

A shoulder strap is included, and clips to rings on the top, side, and/or bottom of the drum - they give three different loops to clip to, so you can connect them however you like. Another plus is an accessory pouch, shown in the picture as laying in the "lid" - it has a clip as well, so it can be attached to the side if there is no room for it inside the drum itself. The pouch has plenty of room for tools, such as scissors, labels, crochet hooks, etc.  

Cons: The open slits in the top of the drum would not make this an ideal long-term storage bag. Depending on where your supplies will be stored, they may need to be put in a sealed container if there are any problems with insects or mice.

Final thoughts - the yarn drum is definitely handy to have if you plan to take your knitting or crocheting projects with you on a road trip, or even just to have around the house. It's set up nicely for easy access to your supplies, and doesn't take up an excessive amount of space.And when you're not using it, it collapses back down for easy storage, making it a very useful item to have on hand.

Oh - and it's purple. Purple is awesome.