(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her first novel, The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, now available where books are sold!)
One of the things I love about stationery is that it never stops surprising me. I don't know why I didn't know that pencil caps, like the Iconic Pencil Cap, are a thing, but I went from not knowing about them to needing them with alarming speed. They're such simple, obvious things, but I'd never tried one before.
I work in a library, where pencils rule the desk drawers. We use pens, too, of course, but you can't walk ten feet without encountering one of those wee yellow golf pencils. And we have handfuls of regular pencils that get handed out to students or used behind the desk. If you're reading this, I know you won't judge me when I admit I bring my own pencils from home. Don't get me wrong--I love those golf pencils. They're a symbol for "looking for books" which is sacred. But they're awful to write with. So wee! No eraser! Never sharp! If you try to sharpen them, you end up with something unusable! I know you understand me.
Transporting pencils is fraught with peril. You can snap the point, or even damage the core so you get random breakages for the rest of that pencil's life. You can get graphite all over the inside of your case or bag and anything else in said case or bag. You can jab yourself and get one of those accidental graphite tattoos. Peril!
Yeah, it turns out there's a simple solution--one that we already use for pens: caps!