Carrying a sock or bandana and a roll of coins in your pocket might raise questions, especially if pre-configured the way described. And if not pre-configured it would not be ready when you needed it.

Leather gloves? That might work, but I can't see myself wearing gloves all day every day, and even carrying them during the summer would be a pain (my pockets are already too full). Also, there is no standoff with this method - as soon as you were in striking distance you'd also be within your adversary's range. This is an especially undesirable situation if he has a knife.

The beauty of the keychain lanyard is that it's ALWAYS THERE. I may have to leave home without my EDC firearm depending on where I'm traveling. My knife? Usually there, but like the sidearm, it may not be legal for carry in some places I go, and I knife is the best self-defense weapon in the first place. But my keys - I never, ever leave home without them, and they are allowed anywhere and everywhere, and no one ever thinks of a keychain as a weapon. Sorry to post twice on this, but I'm a huge proponent of the "fighting keychain", and I think it's a valuable resource that's greatly underestimated.