FO: Cacti Project Bag

Sometimes you make something that makes you smile from the inside out. This is one of those types of projects. This is an oversized knitting project bag for large items, such as sweaters, keeping multiple projects in one bag, or for blankets, if I ever climb on the crazy wagon (I dislike knitting on heavy projects).

This oversized project bag, despite the machine attempting to eat the fabric multiple times (I had to dismantle the needle plate even), was simple to make and is exceedinly pleasing as a project bag because:

• The cute cacti fabri (it just HAD to come home with me from JoAnn's)
• The material is very stretchy
• The material is thin and flexible for a large lined bag
• Pull-string bags are just fun to open and close

I have purchased a number of faux leather tags to add to projects, but haven't used any of them until yesterday. It's hard to find an object that can use such a large tag, but this project fit the bill.

Just between you and me, the tag is actually covering up a minor sewing error (one part of the folded hem was coming loose, so I had to sew a 2 inch line under the existing line to keep it in place)--and noone can tell! It's actually a blessing in desguise that I needed something like this in this exact spot because it makes the bag look more store-bought and adorable.

I have a Weekender Sweater in there that is nearly complete and there's still about half the height space left for additional knitting or yarn.

I love it so much. I plan on using the leftover fabric to make a small project bag for socks. I might, however, have to turn it horizontally, as I don't have much left, but I feel like I can't chunk the leftover fabric from this print. It's too cute!

My husband was pretty impressed with this one. He looked at me and was like, "you really should sell these Anna!" My response was that I'm still learning to sew and I worry that there will be a flaw (like a seam not wearing well due to my novice skills), and it took me two hours, despite it being an easy project. Maybe in the future though, when I feel like all of my homemade project bags have held up well in the years.

But for now, he has volunteered me to make a backpack-style one for going to places like Six Flags.

FO: Christmas Project Bag #1

It's December 3rd! Can you believe it? I can't! We have one of the two trees up and I have yet to decorate the outside of the house because it keeps snowing.

Since it's officially December, I figured I would share some Christmas project bags that I sewed early this November. This was my first pull-string project bag (and Christmas bag) made, and the process went smoothly. Win, Win.

The 12'' x 14.5'' size is just right for shawls, hats, mittens, light-weight sweaters, etc. I have been squeezing in my flax sweater for twin B in there, but with the two yarn hanks inside, it's a little snug.

The fabric is festive and playful with a hint of glitter, so it's fun to have this around during the holiday season. Since the fabric was a little busy, I decide to go for a solid cream colored liner.

I hope you are enjoy the joys of the seasons, both in the way you celebrate and with the start-up of vlogmasses, and such. It's such a wonderful time in more than one way.

Next post: Christmas project bag #2 (a quilt-like pull-string bag).

Copycat Fringe Supply "Field Bag"

Friends, I don't know about you, but I caught the "Field Bag" project bag bug from constantly seeing knitters show off their bag on my Instagram feed.

I looked up these supposed bags online at the Fringe Supply Co., and they are priced at $65, not including shipping! Yikes! (They are really well made, I'm sure they are worth the cost, but I'm too cheap to spend over 70 bucks to ship one to my door.) The maker in me accepted the challenge to find material similar to the original Toffee version (and others) and voila! A really close copycat version! Thanks Joann Fabrics!

^^ LEFT column photos coypright: http://www.fringesupplyco.com

Photos on the left column are the original bags, and photos on the right column are my re-creation. Aside from the lighting in the photos, and a couple of subtle differences such as width in strap, the label and minute differences in dimensions, I have to say it is really close! I added a "KUAS" tag so it wasn't naked in the front. Heck, I even folded the bag and ironed the vertical crease and included pockets in the inside because you have to have the little details if you are going to go all out anyways!

 I am very pleased with this bag. I will be creating more in the future, but I still have to work on another Christmas project bag before it gets too late in November.

Not bad for not having a pattern. I have made bags in the past, and took those templates and made the bottom boxier for this one. My one gripe was that after changing my sewing needles out for the "heavy duty" ones, because I was using canvas fabric AND thicker thread, the machine kept eating the fabric and kinking up the thread and I must have re-threaded that machine 30 times (and unpicked dozens of stitches) before I realized that I inserted the needle in the wrong direction, and that does make a difference in performance!!

My next bag will have a "webbing" strap and slightly thinner rope for the pull-string. I'm a happy knitter! Have a great weekend!

You've gotta pick a pocket or two

Hi there! This Pumpkin Ale Sweater is getting so close to completion, I can taste it! I've been keeping you in the loop about every single adventure along the way in this sweater, so I hope you aren't bored to tears seeing photos of this orange object!

I believe it is my most involved-not largest, but most tricky-knitting project thus far, and I feel incredibly slow at it, even though I've been putting in hours a day. But it's worth it.

You'll have to excuse the inconsistent color of the sweater in the next photos because I took them at different times of the day (it gets so dark so quickly now!), but I'm convinced that orange, even heathered, is non-photogenic under most lighting conditions. My colorway is almost exactly the same as Ysolda's.

I am just about at the second cuff, so let's get talking about the pockets!

I made sure that I did not confuse the ends of my provisional cast-on by making several extra crochet chains and securing it with a knot. This helped me find the end that unziped all of those live stitches.

Oh, by the way. I was a little rebellious. Nothing too serious, but in the pattern, the pockets were the last thing to complete, and I decided to get a head-start on the more fussy things so that I have less work by the end. I also decided to make the knitted portion of the pocket a little bit longer, in hopes that the liner will sit further down, making it more hidden. Rebel. Mwa ha ha.

A long while back, I bought these circular needle stitch holders on clearance from Hobby Lobby, and I am finally using them. I do have every variety of stitch holders known to man, but who can help themselves with a 75% off knitting notion? I had no idea what the little white contraption at the end was for until I got a closer look at it. It locks the needle and the end together. Cool.

Anyways, this is what the knitted potion of the pocket looks like. You don't knit the full pocket. You start knitting a couple of inches, and then bind off. You sew yourself a liner and attach it to the bind-off area of the pocket in the end. Ysolda instructs you to make a faux-seam of purling a stitch on the sides. I think the reason was for it to match the edge seams in the liner easier.

Next, I picked out my liner. I had this leftover from a purse liner from the Fake-a-gamo purse many years back. Just in case you are curious, the second purse is my cute modified clutch version.

Now here's when things went a little sour. My sewing machine decided last night that it would rather eat fabric than sew. I took that thing apart as far as I was comfortable with, but couldn't find the problem. I found lint (which I removed), but couldn't find out why it would work fine without fabric, but once you but feed the cloth through, the needle would tangle inside with the thread underneath and chew through the fabric. I re-threaded many times, re-adjusted the needle, the footer, the bobbin, etc. I'm not a seamstress, so I haven't a clue.

So, I also got to use this portable Singer sewing machine for the first time. Now, let's be real. Sewing actually scares the crud out of me. I have nightmares about my finger getting in the way of the needle. Now, this machine is like that nightmare on crack. Once you bring the needle up, you have to physically lift the metal footer up to slide the fabric under... and quick frankly, I almost ran my finger over with the needle a couple of times in the process. The sewer would turn on if I bumped/pushed down slightly on the red top portion which lifting the footer. Yikes. The sewing isn't as neat as the real machine, and I couldn't zig-zag to have a nice border, but it did the job. I went over it 2-3 times just in case. Sorry, I'm not hand-sewing the whole thing:

"Ain't nobody got time for that."

After my sewing fiasco, I was further disappointed that I had no idea on how to attach this thing. Like I said, I don't sew. I can do basic, basic things and this knowledge does not come naturally.

So, if you are in the same boat, let me gift you with my discoveries to save you some time and frustration! In the photo above, notice how I pinned the knit pocket fabric. I only folded the side that is closest to the garter border. 

First, do your necessary sewing for the liner's edging. Do yourself a favor and iron the top where you are going to pin (unlike me) and then pin the fabric to the knitting as such, right at the bind-off edge of the knit pocket.

Now listen up! You want a nice, clean, invisible sewing job, right? Make sure you do a sneaky-sneaky "slip-stitch" job around the fabric. Youtube it, if you've never done the stitch (that's what I did). Trust me, you don't want to see a visible sewing job because the top portion of the liner is visible to the public. Like in the photo, do your slip-stitching just behind (but not too far behind) the edge of the liner and then do your sewing into the knit fabric right around the same area and it should HIDE all that sewing. Neat, huh?

You'll probably want to sew behind where the fold in the knit pocket was, but I haven't finished this yet. Don't judge my liner's edging...remember, my sewing machine was broken and I couldn't zig-zag it!

The result? A beautiful and well-invisible sewing job.

Like I said, I haven't knit the garter border yet, but when I do the pockets, the liner will be fully hidden, and I will sew the liner edge to the border so it doesn't "flop" around. :) Almost done, people! Yay!