Does the Perfect Knitting Bag Exist?

My mom had a cool little bowling tote.  It had a special place for a monogrammed ball and, I guess, various other items one needs while bowling.  She also had a snap-top coin purse type thingie to hold her cigarettes, which was perfectly designed for the job.  (Hey, it was the 70s.)  I understand and admire bags perfectly designed for the job, like tennis, hockey and golf.  The questions is, do we really need specialized knitting bags, or are there perfect bags in the real world that will do the trick just fine?

I take my knitting everywhere.  I knit in Cubs traffic jams, at stop lights, in the school pick-up line, at the gym waiting for my workout buddies, waiting for the kids at swim lessons, etc.   I need an everyday tote - not one special bag that holds only knitting.  Although how cool would it be if they made monogrammed knitting bags like my mom's bowling one?

I've come to the realization that the perfect bag for a knitter is an open-top tote with magnetic snaps and two shoulder handles.    

My perfect bag also:

• Can also hold my MacBook
• Is lightweight
• Is neutral enough to go with almost everything - no Sally Sunshine prints, please
• Is waterproof (duh!)
• Has two distinct sections - one for knitting, one for regular life stuff like calendar, cell phone, a petrified sandwich and part of a Transformer toy (how does that always happen to me?)
• Has NO zippers - expensive cashmere yarn, meet the zipper that mangled you......
• Looks cool (natch)
• Stands up by itself
• Knits 10 inches of K1P1 for you while you sleep  (a girl can dream)

Lately, my around-the-town tote is  this bag.

It is big enough for my needs, but not so big that it overpowers my frame.  And...it looks WAY better in person - really, really cool.  What's not to love about a bag you can clean with Windex?  Unfortunately, it doesn't have separate sections and it can't stand up by itself.  But, it's good for now.

While researching this post, I came across two potential new bags that actually are marketed for knitters.  First, this one from Jordana Paige.  

Second, this one from Namaste:

I'm going to order both of these and see if either will do the trick.  They look a little on the plastic side in the photos.  But, I've had other faux leather bags that look beautiful in person so I'm willing to give them a try.  

When I was organizing the stash, I discovered I have two Della Q bags.  They are pretty, but they are not waterproof or durable enough to be that everyday bag.  I have an EGD purl pod bag, which my wonderful SIL got me for Christmas.  I just love it and I use it for those big sweater projects that I work on at home or LYS only.  It isn't the right shape for an everyday bag, even though it is waterproof.  

I saw something in a recent knitting magazine about Dorothy Turk totes.  

While I like their design, I'm not thrilled about the fabrics, as they are not neutral enough to carry with a wide variety of outfits.  They sort of scream, "I'm a knitting bag."  They also are not waterproof.  Bummer.  But...I'd like to encourage them to keep going.  The design is cool and could be executed in a really awesome dark brown or black patent leather or even waxed cotton.  It should look more like this Tory Burch tote (not big enough - I checked)  in terms of design aesthetic.  

So, dear readers, I will check back with you on the bags I'm ordering.  In the meantime, if you know of any other bags (knitting oriented or not) that fit my checklist....please leave a comment and let me know.