Chicago Bag: March 2004 Archives

Not much knitting tonight as I spent most of the evening eating well (Saussy on Grand Avenue... just two words... pesto gnocchi) and finishing up the pattern for Red Line. Inspired by all your kind comments, I put everything together. If you scroll down you'll see that just below Blue Line I've added a button for ordering Red Line.

Maggi asked about the difference in dimensions for the bags... here they are:

Blue Line is wider and shallower, Red Line is taller and narrower.

Claudia asked about whether the shape could be scaled up. Most definitely! It just requires a little graph paper and a compass. However, felt is a lot less stiff than leather so you'd need to re-inforce the bottom if you didn't want it to get sack like when you carry things around in it.

Wanna see what I got in the mail today?

Pretty Knitting Visitor Bowl

Inspired by an idea in Melanie Fallick's Weekend Knitting, I wanted to have a knitting bowl in my living room. The idea is to put some needles and pretty yarn in a bowl where guests can get to it. When knitting friends visit, they can select a yarn they like and add to a small scarfy project. Over time it grows into a long chain of knitted memories. I asked my dad if he could turn me such a special bowl... and you can see the result. (That lovely dark blue/black yarn is a new arrival from Melissa who kindly shared the Peace Fleece she had left over from her Banff. I'd never been able to lay my hands on Peace Fleece before. It's really lovely! Thanks, Melissa!)

Here's a look at the inside...

Insdide the Pretty Knitting Bowl

The inside is so smooth and beautiful it's almost a shame to cover it up with yarn. I'm just in love with this bowl! Thank you so much, Dad! I can't wait to set it out in my living room with a complement of pretty yarn to welcome knitting visitors.

P.S... I just realized that I put the wrong info in the form submission code for Red Line (when you tried to add it to your cart it told you it had added Blue Line instead). It's fixed now. Sorry to anyone this may have been confusing for.

I didn't time it this way, but Red Line's second debut coincides with my 300th post. Certainly a good mile marker, as far as I'm concerned!

I finished the knitting for the bag tonight. Here's a shot before she hits the bath:

Red Line Prepares for a Swim

Before felting, this bag is 13.5" wide by 5" deep at the base and 9.5" tall with an 18" strap. The flap is 6".

Here she is after a couple of trips through the wash:

From the Front

After felting the bag is 8.5" wide by 3.5" deep and 5" tall. The strap is about 13" and the flap is about 4-1/4". This is a small bag --a wallet, keys and a small cell phone are about it's capacity.

I decided to stick with the longer flap, although the pattern will include instructions for a shorter wider flap if that makes you happier (I kind of like the more elongated flap, and the extra length helps hold the flap down so that you don't need a closure if you don't want one. I also modified the flap shaping so that the edges are much smoother. I think it looks much better than the flap on my green model.

In Profile

I'll be taking more pictures in the daylight because the swatch picture (below) really doesn't do these colors justice. The blue color is a beautiful combination of blue and green and purple that looks stunning in person and goes well with the heathered lavender.

The Swatch

I was pretty pleased with the instructions I put together. I found a few small changes that I want to make, but otherwise, it's almost ready to go. The pattern will be for sale sometime later this week.

And almost on cue, my All Seasons Cotton for Rogue arrived at my door... as soon as my 4.5 mm AddiTurbos show up I'll be ready to roll with Rogue!

P.S. This little bag is going to live in Columbus... and I am pleased to say that I am going to get to hand deliver her this weekend. Julie and Bonne Marie and I are going to hit the open road and meet up with the ThreadBears and a good friend of mine. I can hardly wait!

Everything But the Handles and the Flap

I had hoped to get this bag finished tonight, but it just wasn't to be. No matter, I wouldn't have had time to felt it tonight anyway. But I am eager to see how the colors look when they are felted. I find myself very into this shade of purple, and I am hoping it felts up well.

So far I am pleased with my first draft of the pattern. I haven't found any obvious mistakes, and my counting seems to be correct. If all goes well, this pattern will be available by the end of the week.

Since I find myself without anything more to add here, I leave you with a picture of my Beezle, who can't resist anything that looks like luggage:

Alternative Uses for a Laptop Bag

Yes, I know, he looks peaceful... but he is really a dangerous yarn terrorist in disguise. But he does have the right idea I think. Time for a nap!

A big thanks to everyone who left nice comments about those crazy pants. I wore them a few times over the weekend and must say that I like them a lot. Gravity is having a small effect on them, but not much, which is surprising to me given their weight. I can't wait to see all the different pairs that will be springing up around and beyond the ring. I hope everyone has as much fun with the project as I did!

During the weekend a lot of projects passed through my fingers. I had been hoping to get a spring project started, but both of my swatching adventures led to the realization that I didn't have any US size 7 AddiTurbos. A quick "trip" to KnitPicks fixed that problem, but left me wondering where I was going to go next.

Even if I wanted to, I couldn't spend all my time on my lace jacket. It takes too much concentration -- I can do 6 rows (105 stitches/row) in about an hour. I like my needlepoint "cushion" (that will become a wall hanging), but I'm enjoying working on that a little at a time as I come home from work. I've got a pair of socks that is a carry along project, but with spring coming, I'm not in a wool sock mood.

So it seemed like a good time to return to the Red Line version of my Chicago bag. I'd set it aside for a while, and put the pattern out of my mind so that I could try to knit it "fresh" and be critical of the pattern instructions.

Here's the colors I am going to put together:

Cascade 220 in 9324 and 9336

The blue yarn (it really is more blue than green) has purplish highlights that I think will look lovely with the light purple when the bag is felted. The nice thing about Red Line is that it really is a quick project.

Another Red Line Begins

I finished up the base of the bag in a couple of hours and I am just about to switch to the contrasting color. I may not have the bag finished by tomorrow, but it will definitely be done by Saturday, when I'll be making another trip to Columbus, Indiana