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Monday, January 08, 2007

Kirstin's Bag

Janice over at Willow Way Knitting sent me the pattern for the bag she created to make a bag for her daughter - the Kirstin Bag (I'm sure if you ask, she will be willing to share the pattern). I got it done last week, but wanted to wait until it was dried before taking a picture of it.

I used Lion Brand wool in the "Flower Garden" colourway (very pretty and spring-like, in my opinion). The colours are pretty accurate in the picture, though they may be an 'eensy' bit lighter than in real life. I double stranded, and used nearly 4 skeins of yarn (2.75 ozs/78 g skeins). I think...or at least I hope...that I have enough of the yarn left over to make a small child's pair of mittens. Most of the last two skeins were used to make the handle (an I-cord), which I think could have been felted a little bit more...either that or I could have made it a little shorter.

I loved this pattern! It was so easy to do, and didn't take very long either. This was also my first attempt at making an I-cord. I was a little scared of them before because they looked like they might be complicated to make. But I challenged myself to learn some new knitting techniques this year and decided now was the perfect time to learn.

I have a British knitting magazine that I got last fall, and was flipping through it again not too long ago. They had a little column in there that told and showed how to make an I-cord, so I followed those directions. What had I been thinking? This was sooooooooo not difficult to do! Easy peasy! The only thing I didn't like about it, was that I had to make it so long, and that was just time consuming, lol!

I've already used my bag; I took it to church with me yesterday, and I got a couple of comments on it (they were positive ones), though I hadn't really showed it to many people.

In other knitting news, I am working on another sock. I got the pattern from the Sockamaniac Sockalong that I joined not long ago (the button is on my sidebar, under groups, and you just need to click it to take you to the group page). I just turned the heel on it a little while ago and am about to start picking up the stitches for the gusset.

I'm using the Opal yarn that I won from Karen's contest last month, and I'm liking it so far. I'm just worried that I'll either not have enough yarn or that when I cast on for the second sock it won't start anywhere near where the colour that the first sock starts at. I don't mind if it's off a little, but if it is off a whole lot then I don't know what to do. I only have the one skein of it (it's a 100 g skein though). Oh well, I'll just plug along and see what happens. No sense in worrying about it right?

Anyway, I can't wait til these socks are done. I really like the pattern, though I think it might look a little better if it was in a solid colour (the pattern is a lacy one, and while it looks good in this yarn, I think it might show off the lace a bit better in solid). It's still noticeable though, and looks good. I'll show pics when they are completed. School starts back up on Wednesday, and I want to get as much knitting done before then as I can.

Happy knitting!

10 comments:

Charity said...

Great bag! Looks pretty and functional - gotta love that! :0)

Amy said...

bag looks great, makes me think of spring

Anonymous said...

Looking good to me! I love felted bags ... oh and slippers too. I've got to do some slippers.

Anonymous said...

Very cute bag! You do know that the "I" stands for idiot, right? I forget the story of how it got its name.

You mastered it, so obviously you aren't one!

Anonymous said...

Great bag!

If you're using the German made Opal yarn, don't worry...you won't run out. And, generally, you can find the same spot in the colorway to start your second sock. However, some color lines, like their Rodeo line, the pattern colorway is too long to find a common place to start. So, only fraternal twins are possible with that line.

However, their other lines are pretty easy to find the color repeat to match where you started your first sock and be able to make your 2nd sock match.

I generally separate the yarn into 2 balls when I start and find a common place in the color pattern to begin both socks at once.

Have Fun!

Shelley L. MacKenzie said...

Liz - I wondered why it was called "I-cord"...had no idea what it stood for. I'm going to have to see if I can find out why it's called that now...lol

Shelly, yes this is the German made Opal (at least I assume so because the wrapper is in another language - presumably German). I have yarn from the Dreamcatcher line. Never thought to put it into two balls. I haven't tried two socks at once yet, but that is also something I want to learn this year.

Thanks Rhonda, Amy, and Charity for your compliments :o)

Anonymous said...

Oooh, how fun to see my pattern on another blog :-) Thanks for trying it out!! The bag looks great. I love your choice of colors. Nice to 'Think Spring' on a cold winter day!!

Yes, I-cords are not bad once you get the hang of it. Kind of mindless knitting... good to do in front of a movie or football game etc..

I'm trying to decide what to cast on... I have a little knitting time tonight.

lexa said...

I love the bag! Very pretty colors.

Anonymous said...

Great looking bag! I think the colors also work in winter, since they're on the cool end of the spectrum.

Don't you find that almost anything in knitting is easier than you think it's going to be once you buckle down and try it? I try to remind myself of that whenever I'm being a chicken about trying a new technique.

Karen said...

Don't worry...you will have plenty of yarn. I always have leftovers. If you start a sock at a color change you can match the socks that way...you just have to remember where you did it. Love the bag.