I started that bag last week and it’s coming along really well. I finished the body of the bag and did the casting off bits I told you about. Pix next – sorry they blurred a little bit, but I needed to take them without the flash to show the cables.
Right now I’m finishing the flap. I’m going to shape it to a point, so the cabled part will be diamond-shaped – the flap should end about halfway down the front.
On the other side, it’s easier to see the construction. The front has been cast off and the cabled handle is on waste yarn on either side. I’ll finish the handle after the flap.
You can see that the front hem is rolling, as stockinette is inclined to do. I’m going to do some applied I-cord all the way around the opening, to stabilize this edge and also finish the flap edge.
This has been one of those lucky projects. I’ve been pretty much winging it, but the counts have come out beautifully – for example, I have four purl stitches on the each side of the cable work on the back/flap. When I had increased the cable pattern to its largest width, there were four knit stitches left on either side. Just like I’d planned it!
Plus I found a wonderful new book for cables – it’s called CONTINUOUS CABLES by Melissa Leapman. This diamond cable isn’t from the book exactly, but after reading her explanation of how cables work, I was able to make it up.
It took 3 balls of the Rowan Denim to finish the body and I’m into the fourth one now. It looks as if I’ll have enough with the 6 – I’d like to do applied I-cord on each side of the handle and around the bottom of the bag, but that might have to happen in a contrasting colour. The RD is supposed to shrink in blocking/washing, and I hope it stiffens up a bit too. Right now, it’s droopy and soft, like old jeans, and doesn’t feel as if it’ll wear that well in a purse.
Which means it also needs to be lined. Maybe this is one of those little projects that keeps getting bigger!
(P.S. – I sewed up that seam before taking the pictures.)
Here’s the inside, which looks kind of like funky pyjamas:
It shrank about an inch in each dimension, as the label warned and I think the fabric tightened up nicely. It has some sturdiness now, especially with the lining. I only had a little bit of the sixth ball leftover, so I maybe could have knit one more repeat on the strap. Pretty efficient knitting, and I’m very happy with the end result.
Alive & Knitting 