The Year of the Bag

You know how the Chinese have the Year of the: Dog, Cat, Parakeet, Pack Rat, Armadillo, Boa Constrictor, Agapanthas and Dragon? Well, this year has been the Year of the Bag for me. That's right, it has been the bulk of my knitting projects for this year. And today I can finally unveil the finished products.

Behold, the bags:

Four different patterns are represented here. The outer rows show the four bright and beaded bags called Take Along Bags. Each of these bags were knit using Red Heart yarn in variegated colors. I found this pattern in the Creative Knitting magazine July 2007 edition. I took some liberties with the pattern and added a linen stitch to the section that became the flap of the bag. It really turned out nice. The beaded fringe makes the bag more fun.

In the second row from the left, starting with the turquoise bag, is a row of Amanda Squatty Sidekick felted bags. This pattern is available free on the Net. All of these were made out of one skein of Cascade 220. Each one I knitted I learned more about how a pattern is written which is helping me write a pattern for the kittyghan to submit to the Knitting A Pattern A Day calendar for 2009.

The denim colored bag at the top of the third row is from Debbie Bliss Home book. It is called Felted Bag in the book. I call it a bucket bag by virtue of its round bottom construction. I used two skeins of Cascade 220 to construct this one. The pattern was not as clearly written as I needed for the first attempt, so when I went in to buy the yarn for the project I asked the gals at Needleworks by Holly Berry in Old Colorado for tips. They were very generous with their ideas, experience and suggestions. With their help this bag turned out just the way I wanted it to. I added the longer handles.

The lavendar bag is made from the Bucket Bag pattern by Two Old Bags. According to their website, they call this one a "feed bag" style. They are also the creator of the Lucy bag pattern that you may have heard of. I made the smaller version of this bucket bag from the pattern. It turned out beautifully and was a fun pattern to knit. I used two skeins of Cascade Eco + yarn to knit this one.

Update from December 8th: The snow-ice storm kept me home. So the kitty donations will have to wait or will go to a local cat shelter. Since I spent the day indoors I decided to clean and decorate for Christmas. I had help, of course.

Really, I Do Knit

I believe that everyone who knits or does any type of craft should have supervisory/quality control staff. As you can see above I have that particular help in the furry form of Pedro, The Pirate Prince of Pasah. Nothing leaves my house without being inspected by "boss."

In that picture he is examining the cream colored kittyghan that I made for The Cat Care Society donation drive. It is made with garter stitch, bramble or trinity stitch and seed stitch triangle stitch. It turned out really nice and I am also going to submit the pattern for consideration in the Knitting Pattern-A-Day calendar for 2009. (Better get busy, the deadline is December 15th -- this year). Also in the picture are three of the five Amanda Squatty Sidekick felted bags that I have done for Christmas. The turquoise one that is mostly covered by gold and white is the unfelted on, the other two are felted and awaiting buttons. And the multi-colored one in front is a Take Along bag with fringe and pony beads. The pattern came from Creative Knitting July 2007.

Below is another pic of the kittyghan being tested for how well they fit on the back of a recliner and how well they show off the intended recipient. He is so helpful. I believe he may have a career in modeling.

I still have several items to knit before the holidays so I will be busy.

Hope you are having a good time in your life.