So, I couldn't resist using some of the umbrella print on this. I had sort of wanted a new knitting bag for a while, but had a perfectly adequate one already, I just didn't like the colour and decoration... Then Lucky 'helped' by deciding to chew off the corner....so I needed a new bag. I had originally intended to use a beige or olive green bias trim, zip and lining....but couldn't get hold of anything that matched locally, so went with the blue. I'm mid knitting project at the moment so didn't want to hang about.
The design is a copy of the old bag, I rescued the wooden dowels (only slightly chewed at one end) to use again as the handles. Not the most funky of designs, but I like it as it can stand up unsupported and I can leave the yarn in the bag while I knit - keeping it safer from Lucky and Jaffa. To help it be sturdyish I interfaced the outer layer (and as I knew from past experience it also frayed like crazy) and used a layer of fleece too on the front back and bottom.
I also wanted a 'warm up' project before making a 'charming bag' for my BTRS Swap partner (from Amy Karol's book 'Bend the Rules Sewing'). With all the layers in this I thought that it would be challenging and help me work out how to manage that on my machine. I'm a little nervous about the Swap. I'm not too (too) worried about the sewing, I've made a few of these bags as gifts and they have turned out fine and been happily received, just worried about making something that my partner will like... the only guideline I have so far is 'not brown'. I'm sure this means that she is really easy-going and perhaps she'd like a surprise, but I'd hate to make something that was a disappointment for the recipient. I'm not sure what swap protocol is, perhaps I can contact her and find out a bit more about the things she likes? She makes lots of re-useable material shopping bags for an environmental organisation to persuade people to stop using plastic bags, so perhaps something that relates to the environment and nature. (I have looked, but there is no info on her flickr profile or 'favourites' that I can see, and she doesn't seem to have a blog). Oh well, I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed!
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