Fabric Tote Bag

I made this bag as a gift for my Mum, she uses a fabric bag all the time and her favourite "Elephant Bag" (because it has elephants on it, naturally) has been worn to death. There is something of a quest going on to find the right replacement for the Elephant Bag. I have thrown my hat in the ring with this as a contender.

I used twill cotton, bought on eBay from Favourite Fabrics. I used about half a meter for the bag and same for the contrast.

I used the dimensions from a couple of existing bags that I have. The blue is cut 71cm long and it wraps around the bottom so there is no seam at the base. The contrast and straps, co-incidentally, are also 71cms long. Contrast is 14cm tall, straps are 7cm wide.

I made the blue lower part first, I used French seams for the side seams. Then cut the white fabric to match the dimensions and sewed it in a loop. I attached it to the blue with a flat felled seam. My first ever! It wasn't too bad, but my machine, and the straightness of my seam struggled with all that thickness of fabric. But I like the extra strength, and the fact that there are no raw edges anywhere on this bag.

I love the little crosses where the straps attach to the bag. I feel like it makes it look just like a "real" bag!

Total cost: £6.33. This is quite a bit more than you expect to pay for a fabric tote in a store, but I think it looks more like a handbag than a shopping bag.

The real question is: will the Elephant Bag finally be consigned to the scrap bag in the sky?

The importance of blocking

Who would have thought that I would be converted to believing in something as boring as blocking? Something I considered just a distraction from "real" knitting? Well... witness these before and after pictures.

Before:

After:

See how curled and misshapen it is? Then how lovely and smooth it comes out?

For the record, my blocking method is: I soak in cold water for at least 20 minutes (or until someone in the household says "What's that in the basin, Mummy?") After gently squeezing out the excess water, and arranging in the shape I want, I let it dry flat for about 12-24 hours, or until completely dry.

Gosh, with all this being sensible and mature about finishing my garments properly, who knows what I'll do next? Maybe knit a gauge swatch..!

Doll Cardigans

The dollies have new cardigans ready for the summer.

I am delighted to have found a use for this Noro yarn, Yuzen, which I do not like at all. It is perfect for this project, since no human skin has to wear I such a scratchy yarn. I do love the colours and I love the way they keep arriving throughout through the knitting. A small project like this is great for showing it off because each colour section is a good size, rather than being a small stripe.

I used a great pattern, the Top Down Doll Cardigan, (Ravelry link) I can see this being useful again and again in many different variations: for example a long sleeve, or a coat.

I changed the design of the second cardigan slightly. I made the collar and hem out of seed stitch. This stitch shows off a variegated yarn like no other and makes a stable edging. I went for a single button closure and I skipped the eyelets, because the don't show up in this yarn. The eyelets of the first cardigan are a little different from the pattern too, I went for alternating rows.

With the short sleeve style, these two cardigans used up exactly one skein of yarn for both.