6 Best Easel Attachments For Holding Supplies To Use

Knitting is an ergonomic challenge that requires keeping tension, pattern charts, and essential notions within arm’s reach to maintain a consistent rhythm. While most knitters focus on the needles and yarn, the workspace itself—often anchored by a floor easel or a dedicated craft stand—frequently lacks the surface area needed for complex colorwork or lace projects. Utilizing easel attachments can transform a standard stand into a professional-grade command center for fiber arts. These tools prevent the frantic search for a stitch marker or a cable needle that inevitably happens when one is deep in the flow of a complex row.

Jullian Original Side Tray: Best for Portability

The Jullian Original Side Tray offers a streamlined solution for knitters who move their projects between the living room and a dedicated studio. Its primary strength lies in its slim profile, which adds workspace without shifting the center of gravity of a lightweight easel.

For those working on intricate fair isle patterns, this tray provides the perfect ledge for a printed chart and a small bowl of bobbins. It is an ideal companion when managing multiple yarn colors, as it keeps skeins from rolling onto the floor and picking up unwanted debris.

However, be mindful that its lightweight nature means it is not designed to hold heavy reference books or multiple heavy project bags. It serves best as a quick-access station for immediate tools like a row counter, scissors, and spare needles.

Meeden Large Artist Supply Tray: For All Your Notions

The Meeden Large Artist Supply Tray is effectively a workhorse for the serious knitter who prefers to keep every tool in sight. Its expansive surface area allows for the arrangement of varying needle cases, measuring tapes, and even a beverage without crowding the space.

If you are working on a massive project like a queen-sized cabled blanket, this tray accommodates the sheer volume of extra notions required. You can easily organize your cable needles, stitch holders, and crochet hooks for picking up dropped stitches all in one place.

The tradeoff here is the footprint; the tray is significant and may feel intrusive on smaller, compact easels. Ensure your easel base is sturdy enough to handle the extra weight distributed to one side to prevent any accidental tipping during a vigorous knitting session.

U.S. Art Supply Brush Washer: For Needles & Hooks

While originally designed for solvents, the U.S. Art Supply Brush Washer functions as a brilliant, deep-well organizer for long tools. It is exceptionally effective for storing sets of double-pointed needles or long circular needles that often tangle when left on flat surfaces.

The vertical orientation of this tool saves precious horizontal real estate on your workspace. It allows for the sorting of needles by diameter or material, ensuring that you can grab the specific size needed without hunting through a cluttered bag.

Avoid using this for sharp tapestry needles, however, as the depth makes retrieval difficult. It is best reserved for circulars and DPNs where the “reach” is a significant portion of the tool’s length.

Creative Mark Easel Partner: The Versatile Option

The Creative Mark Easel Partner bridges the gap between a tray and a clamp-on organizer, making it highly adaptable to various easel frames. Its modular approach allows you to reposition your most-used items exactly where you need them for maximum efficiency.

For knitters who suffer from wrist fatigue, having tools positioned at a specific height can prevent repetitive strain by minimizing the distance the hand must travel. This attachment is particularly useful for those who switch frequently between different needle types, such as transitioning from slick metal to grippy bamboo.

Consider that the clamping mechanism requires a sturdy frame edge to grip properly. If your easel is made of very thin, lightweight wood, test the pressure before loading it with a heavy ceramic yarn bowl or a dense notions jar.

Soho Urban Artist Palette Holder: For Your Pattern

The Soho Urban Artist Palette Holder acts as an unintended, but perfect, vertical support for knitting charts and schematics. By mounting this at eye level, you remove the need to constantly look down, which is essential for maintaining proper neck posture during long knitting marathons.

This tool keeps your pattern clean and free from coffee spills or accidental yarn snagging. For those working from complex written instructions, having the page elevated prevents the common error of losing one’s place in a repeating row.

It is not designed to hold heavy items, so keep the weight limited to printed patterns or lightweight tablets. Overloading it may cause the hinge to drift, so check the tension screws periodically to ensure your pattern stays exactly where you want it.

Tangkula Easel Drawer Unit: Maximum Storage Champ

The Tangkula Easel Drawer Unit is the ultimate upgrade for knitters who want to keep their supplies completely dust-free and out of sight. It provides a massive amount of internal storage, which is a significant advantage if you share your living space and need to pack away your notions quickly.

This is the preferred choice for storing delicate items like hand-dyed wool or silk yarns that should be kept away from direct light. It allows you to designate drawers for different categories, such as one for notions, one for WIPs (Works In Progress), and one for spare needles.

Because this unit is heavy, it effectively acts as a ballast, making the entire easel much more stable. The downside is the lack of “at-a-glance” access compared to an open tray, so it is best for long-term storage of items you do not need every single minute.

How to Choose an Easel Attachment for Your Craft

Selecting the right attachment requires a clear assessment of your primary knitting needs. If you tend to work on small-scale projects like socks, you need a tray that keeps small items from vanishing into the crevices of your sofa or workspace.

Conversely, if you are a multi-project knitter, storage capacity becomes the priority. Ask yourself whether your biggest pain point is losing your place in a pattern, misplacing your needle gauge, or having your yarn balls rolling into the path of a vacuum cleaner.

• Frequency of use: Does the tool need to be grabbed every minute, or just occasionally?
• Project scope: Does the project involve high-complexity charts or just repetitive stockinette?
• Space limitations: Does your setup need to disappear into a closet when not in use?

Compatibility Guide: Will the Attachment Fit?

Before purchasing any easel accessory, measure the width of your easel’s legs or frame. Most attachments utilize a clamp or a hook system that is intended for standard wooden easels, but they may struggle with metal tripod easels or unconventional handmade stands.

Examine the material of your easel frame. Plastic-clad metal frames may be slippery, requiring an attachment with high-friction padding to prevent sliding. Wooden frames often have a lip or groove that can be exploited for a more secure, permanent mount.

If in doubt, look for universal attachments that use screw-tightened clamps. These offer the most flexibility, allowing you to tighten the attachment firmly against a wide variety of leg thicknesses and shapes.

Tray vs. Cup vs. Box: Which Style Do You Need?

The choice between a tray, cup, or box usually comes down to the ergonomics of your knitting technique. A tray is best for tools you need to see and reach quickly, like stitch markers, cable needles, or a row counter.

Cups or vertical holders are superior for managing long-handled items like needle sets or scissors. Boxes or drawers provide the best protection and organization for luxury items like interchangeable needle tips, cable cords, and delicate fiber accessories that require a bit more “cradling.”

Mixing and matching is often the most effective strategy. Using a vertical cup for your needles combined with a side tray for your active project notions provides a balanced, efficient, and highly functional knitting ecosystem.

Clever DIY Storage Hacks for Your Craft Easel

If commercial attachments do not fit your specific easel, standard office supplies can be repurposed with a bit of ingenuity. A simple magnetic strip can be adhered to the side of an easel to hold metal tapestry needles, stitch markers, and scissors securely.

Small, adhesive-backed plastic containers designed for locker organization can be stuck directly onto the frame to act as mini-bins for notions. For yarn management, a simple carabiner hooked onto the easel frame can hold your project bag or a small yarn bowl in place, keeping it off the floor and at a convenient height.

Always prioritize the safety of your yarn. Ensure that any DIY modification is smooth, snag-free, and clear of rough adhesives that could catch on delicate fibers like alpaca or cashmere, causing unwanted pilling or fiber breakage.

By strategically incorporating these easel attachments into your fiber arts workspace, you can significantly improve both your comfort and your productivity. Whether you prioritize deep storage for your extensive collection of needles or simple, immediate access to your stitch markers, the right accessory ensures your focus remains entirely on the stitches. Remember that a well-organized station is not merely about aesthetic appeal; it is a foundational step toward more consistent tension, fewer dropped stitches, and a more enjoyable, professional knitting experience.