Knitting needle Organization

First, a couple pictures of my project, a self-designed Fair Isle, which I call Alaska-- they are in order of knitting, increasing in size.
This is the lower section of the body--

The braid is causing a little folding issue (grr) so I am taking a break from the color work to knit an anti-bend repair.  Blocking might fix it just fine but it is driving me bonkers and I just want it to stop.

OK so the real topic I want to discuss is-- knitting needle storage and organization.

Over the years I have accumulated quite a few knitting needles. (ahem)

The double points were in a box, still in their wrappers (many of which are pretty darn battered. Some had no wrappers so every time I had to pull out my needle sizer to check which needles were the size I wanted.  (the angst 😉)
I finally broke down and bought a DP roll from Della Q.  Mine is red and I totally love it.

I love Della's labels, and the little pockets hold at least 2 sets-- and there are two layers of pocket.
This case is a winner.

 I do have some larger double point needles but I decided I only want to organize-- and store for easy access-- the needles I actually use.
I have banished the enormous ones-- except for one gorgeous set of wooden size 13-- to the outer darkness.
The huge ones may never get used but, my word, they are beautiful.  They did not make it into the above photo because they are aaall the way to the right, off camera...

OK so, the DPs were pretty easy, and Della's roll is quite lovely and well made, but the circulars were another story all together.
For years-- years-- I kept all my circular needles in their packages in a huge box.
Right.
An awful system-- there were so many and it was brutal trying to find the right size.

Years ago I made myself (I used to be a decent seamstress) a hanging case, hand labelled with sizes in millimeters (my preference. Seriously.  It is a fixed standard unlike all the "number 3" silliness which, wait, how big is the diameter really?
Sorry.  Climbing down from my soapbox).

The hanging case was ok but, frankly, an eyesore, and awkward to store. And brutal (ok, impossible) to travel with!
So one day I went out on a limb and got this:

I believe it is actually a case for fishing lures or hooks or whatever (not being a fisherman or fisherwoman I am clueless what all one would store in all the little pockets-- but it is a great case).

I hand labelled all those little zip-sacks, and stored my needles there-- STILL in their darn cases. Not sure why I did that, possibly because I wanted it to hold all of them and only some of them were actually needles I like to use so== leaving cases let me quickly determine the "good" ones.

Why did I feel I had to put *All* of them in there? Frankly, quite a few needed to be banished or at least put somewhere metaphorically like the very top shelf of the pantry -- because I never use them.
I think I hoped the bag would be portable.  I put little tools like markers and so on in there.  And it sat in my closet taking up a bunch of space and being really annoying.  At least to me.  The pockets aren't the greatest and I didn't think it solved enough of the problems.

Too much silliness stored in there and the bag is just big and awkward, and doesn't fit the portability/ease of access wickets I have for it.

The other day I became totally annoyed with the state of affairs and tried one of Della's cases.  It couldn't hold all my sizes and the multitude of needles-- not her fault, I frankly have Too Many.
So I did this:

Binder with the only sizes I actually use (and frankly 5 and 5.5 mm don't really get used either... they may depart to the metaphorical high shelf.  Not sure yet)

This is my master "I use all of these needles/all these needles pass my usefulness test"

Each pocket has expansion capability (unlike, say, page protectors)-- and a side zipper.

Pages with needles

 I put a piece of paper (initially a piece of white printer paper but then I got cheap and used cruddy notebook paper that no-one in my house likes or uses) with the mm size in each pocket.

On the front side of the labeled paper I stored the 32 inch or longer circs.
On the back side- still in the same pocket-  I put anything shorter than 32".
This totally works for me-- I either want a long needle (32 or above) or I want a shorter one.  I had thought about separate systems by length-- multiple Della Q circular storage bags, e.g.-- but wanted all the needles I actually like in one central place.

Here's the 2mm page, with all my 32" or longer circs.
At least, the ones that aren't already in a project...

Here's the back of my 3.25mm and the front of the 3.5 mm page, illustrating, sort of, the length separation system.

OK so-- my master plan is to ultimately carry *in my knitting bag* a small circular needle case with one (maybe 2) of each size of needle that I really love.  This will only be my favorite needles-- the ones that can, in a pinch, do most any of the knitting I love (lace, fair isle, fingering weight yarn or finer). (OK, maybe sport or DK. Maybe)  Currently my all time favorites are the ChiaoGoo Red Lace needles.   (They are available in many spots, that link happens to go to Jimmy Beans Wool)

The only question at the moment is-- what case will that be, what form will it take?  Della's smaller case doesn't go down to the smallest sizes I like (and need-- I am a loose knitter)-- so I can relabel, or maybe make my own.  Not sure.  I do love the fabric cases-- soft and flexible-- a pleasure to carry around.  Della's are beautiful...  The answer to this is Yet To Be Determined.

Oh and I definitely need a bigger binder.  The yellow one is 2 inches.  It needs to be 3 inch at least...

What do you think?

PS yes, I know-- the binder is not portable.  That will be served by whatever small fabric case I get to just hold, say, 2mm thru 3.75mms)