A Special Bag

This purse holds very special memories for me!  I made this for my wedding day.  I had previously knit a beaded amulet bag for my daughter to use in the wedding.  It came out very nicely & was quick & fun to knit.  I would show pictures of it, but I have no idea where its hidden in her room! Anyway, I decided to make one for myself, but much bigger.  This is the result of my effort!

While this is based on another pattern, I sort of consider it my own, because I didn't have a pattern to follow.  Any improvisions were my own.  It uses seed beads, tons of them!  I originally ordered prestrung beads, but the color wasn't right.  Off to the local craft store & I found just what I wanted, but I had to string them myself.  That was very time consuming!  It was all a labor of love & I perservered! 

The knitting itself is very simple, it is a garter stitch base, & the beads are slid into place between the garter stitch sections.  It makes for quick knitting.  The bag is shaped by the number of beads placed between the sts.  Very easy!  I used a very fine silky thread for the knitting.  The needles are lethal!  They are very fine steel double point needles, about a size 0000.  This is the tiniest knitting I've ever done.  It took a while to get used to the small needles, but once I got moving, it went quickly. 

I tried a few different things for the handle, but ended up using tons & tons of the thread to make a thick twisted cord.  It was the perfect size for a few tissues & lipstick.  The bag is rather heavy with all the beads, but it is very slinky.  It feels wonderful in your hands!  I showed a coworker who also does crafts, she said it was exquisite!  Wow!  It is pretty neat! 

Would I do another one of these?  You bet!  Maybe not the large size, but the smaller ones are wonderful!  I have the fixings for a purple bag waiting for me to start.  The beads are even strung for me this time!  I just need the motivation!

Offspring

This purse is a descendant from the beach bag shown in the last entry.  It is made in the same basic style, but with my own "innovations" added!  I started without using the pattern from the beach bag.  I thought I could remember it pretty well, since it was a fairly simple design.  I found some great worsted weight cotton in a deep purple shade.  This was very nice to knit with.  I also used much smaller needles than recommended on the label.  I wanted it to be tightly knitted so it wouldn't have gaps between the stitches.  It was to be a purse, after all!

Again, the bottom of the bag is a garter stitch square, the stitches are picked up around the square.  The bag is knit in the round to the top.  The beach bag has "corners" to make it rather square-ish.  I didn't add these in the purse because I *forgot*!  But it was still okay!  I did add a little interest with some reverse stockingnette diamonds on the front & back of the bag.  I continued with a flap closure knitted in a seed stitch.  I added an I-cord strap & a seashell for a button. 

The body of the bag is rounder than the beach bag because it doesn't have the corners.  I don't mind though, it makes it different in that way.  This is my favorite bag for gathering shells on the beach!  It is lightweight, dries quickly if needed & it is still loose enough that some of the sand will sift out.  Yet it is knit tightly enough that I do still have to dump most of the sand out of the bottom.  It is also a great purse to carry for those times when I don't want to take the "real" purse!  This bag is about 5 years old now, & it is holding up very well! 

This bag also has memories for me!  Don't they all?!  I started knitting this while we were on our honeymoon.  I purchased the yarn in North Carolina, and started it right away.  However, we had to evacuate due to an approaching hurricane.  We were lucky to have friends in Raleigh who let us stay with them for a few days.  I remember sitting in their lovely living room knitting away on this bag.  Though our honeymoon was cut short from the storm, I have great memories of friendship & knitting! 

The Bag That Started It All!

This is the bag that started it all!  The bag that began my fun journey into knitted tote bags & purses.  This has to be one of the best bags I've ever made!  It was a pattern from Knitter's Magazine, some number of years ago.  This bag is almost 10 years old & is still holding up very well. 

We use it as our beach bag.  It works great, because it stretches more than you would think possible.  I can fit 3 large beach towels, 1 huge beach blanket & assorted goodies.  Any sand that goes in with the items gets sifted out through the stitches.  Being made of cotton, it dries quickly, too. 

The bag has launched me on a knitting journey of designing my own bags.  The bottom is knit as a garter square, then stitches are picked up around the square & the body of the bag is knit in the round.  There was a little reverse stockinette stitch design to add interest, & garter stitch rows at the top.  Add I-cord handles & a closure, there you are!  Many of my own designs are based on this format. 

Also, for me, it holds fond memories of the knitting process.  While on vacation in North Carolina, I stopped in a yarn store & found the whole thing in a kit.  Yarn & pattern.  The yarn is a very thick  cotton.  It reminds me of the yarn used for the old dust mops.  It also had just enough color to make it interesting & fun.  I just had to get it.  I made it on the beach that week & was done before we left for home.  What a great fun project & memory!