Purse Ends and Bottom

Now you have the two sides for your purse. To give the purse dimension, we need to add ends and a bottom. Measure one of your purse side pieces around three of its sides. Knit a 3" strip this length.




Sew one side of the completed strip to one of your purse sides, right sides together, easing the strip around the corner so it fits nicely. Work with the two pieces to make them match, stretching one of the pieces if necessary. Use any seaming method you prefer.



Now attach the other side.



You now have a purse shape.

Cast-On Methods

I learned to cast-on using the backward loop method, which is the least sturdy and smooth cast-on method, but is the quickest for me. Cable cast-on takes forever. The second quickest for me is the Long-Tail Cast-On, but of course the problem is guessing how much yarn to pull out for the long tail. I never guess right. The other evening I tried about six times and finally did the backward loop method! Then I read this tip on 1870 Pearl blog. Click on this long-tail cast-on instruction and learn how to estimate the right amount of yarn for your long tail! And while you are on her blog, enjoy everything on this blog. It is one for your bookmarks!

Zipper Source

Thanks to Diane D. (see comments on last blog entry) I can give you a source to order zippers for your purse. It is an Ebay store called Zipperstop.
You can order individual 14" black ones for 95 cents apiece, or there are color assortments. Under "zippers" in the store there is a category for "handbag zippers" and you can look over the selection.

Note: if you just plan to make one or two purses with zippers, the YKK dressmaker zippers available at Walmart and various fabric shops are adequate to the task; just get a clip on zipper pull or tie some yarn on the pull to make it easier to grab. I carry my purses everyday and the zipper gets a lot of action and has so far been up to the task.

Zippers & other Lining Issues

I was thinking ahead to the lining on this purse KAL and did some zipper research for you. I have always just popped into the fabric store and bought an ordinary dressmaker zipper in the color suitable for my purse. However, many of the handmade purses you see in boutiques have heavier zippers. So I started googling and found a site where you can order these nice zippers. However, it is a 3 week delivery time and you have to order 12 of one color. Other sites I visited were also bulk orders.

So for those of us who just make a purse now and then for our own use, we will have to make do with dressmaker weight zippers. I did find a snap-on decorative pull on the "button wall" at Hancock's Fabrics, and it does make it much easier to grasp the teeny zipper pull provided on the zipper. I generally have just been tying some yarn onto the zipper pull. I made a beaded pull once, but it eventually fell off!

So, for those of you thinking ahead to your purse lining, you need at least a 14" zipper and 1/2 yard of fabric. I like to choose a cotton print that coordinates with my yarn. For the interfacing, I like to use quilt batting. I prefer to buy the batting that looks like a blanket. Two nice ones are Warm & Natural batting and Heirloom Cotton Blend. You can also buy some sturdy non-woven interfacing. Fabric stores and Walmart sell this by the yard. I have used both, and prefer the end result when using batting. If you are also a quilter, you will have batting lying around. If not, you might find it easier to buy some interfacing by the yard.

Starting to Seam

Once you have four knitted squares, decide on what blocks to sew together for each side. Use your favorite method of making a seam; this is a simple running stitch.





I decided to embellish my seamline to introduce another color. I took some green yarn and crocheted a chain.



I fastened the chain over the seamline using a running stitch with the same yarn.



This is the other side of my purse.



Our next step will be to knit a strip that will become the sides and bottom. Stay tuned.

Second Square

For anybody still searching for knit stitch patterns, here is the second square I knitted. My book calls it "Little Checkers" but it is kind of a giant moss stitch.

Multiple of four stitches.
Row 1: *K2, P2* repeat **
Row 2&4: work each pattern stitch at appears on this side of the work (k the knit and p the purl)
Row 3: *P2, K2* repeat **

This is mindless knitting, pretty much. You are stacking (on the right side) two purl stitches and two knit stitches, then reversing the order on the next two rows. I consider it a double moss stitch.
Here is a REAL closeup. If you look carefully you can see where the knit and purls are.

Chatting

Knitters always like to chat about their projects and share ideas. If anybody wants to email (my email is in my profile) me with your design decisions, etc, I can send group emails to everyone in the group. Low tech version of a yahoo group, I guess!

And I am going to want pictures of these finished bags!

And please remember, leaving a comment on the blog is great, but if you are asking to be on the list, I can't put you on my email list unless I have your email. I am not ignoring you, I just don't know how to reach you.

NanKnits Cooks, Too

I also like to cook. I have a blog called NanCooks but lost my password for now so will occasionally talk about food here instead. When I cook something especially good and easy will tell you about it. Will also give out some tips. I've started listening to some food podcasts and am learning interesting things.

Last night I cooked ground turkey breast (with only .5 grams of fat per serving, I am trying to learn to like this stuff) with a chopped onion and a handful of shredded carrots (I buy the stuff in the bag in the refrigerated case at the store). Added a jar of Ragu Organic Spaghetti Sauce, Traditional Flavor. This is the best flavor of any sauce in a jar that I have tried. Not too tart, not too sweet, an organic as a bonus.

I served this sauce over gemelli. It is a very nice pasta that holds some sauce and is easy to eat with a fork. I don't like rotini, spaghetti and fettucini is hard to eat, bow ties say 'pasta salad' to me, so I started looking for other shapes. Radiatori is also very good. This pasta web site shows you all the shapes. Finding them in the grocery store is another matter.

I also take sliced gourmet style bread and toast it, then drizzle with olive oil to serve. My store carries LaBrea Bread

You watermelon lovers out there: cube it and put it in your green salad with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Yum.

Getting on the List

I am NOT tech savvy. Not at all. I don't even know how to "Steal a Button". Gotta buy Blogging for Dummies I guess. Anyway, if you want to be included on my official list, I need your email address. Am putting everyone into a group in my address book. If you simply post a comment and your email is not in your profile, I am stuck getting in touch with you. Now, if you have a Blog, I can go onto it and reach you that way.

I checked, and my profile does include my email link. (It also listed my age as over 200 years old...I typed in the wrong year of birth evidently, so I took that off altogether)

Design Decisions

I have heard from quite a few knitters who are eager to join me in designing a purse. And if they are anything like me, they want to start NOW.

You have a couple of design decisions to make before you grab that yarn.

1) The most important decision is how big you want your purse to be. The size of your squares determines the finished size of your purse. Make your squares half the width of the finished purse and the height you want your purse to be. You should add an extra row at the top and bottom and and an extra stitch at each side for seams. We are adding sides and a bottom to this purse, so you don't have to allow for that, if your square is 7x7, your purse will be 7x14 more or less.

2) Next in importance is color. I am using purple, turquoise, hot pink, lavendar. The sides and bottom are unknown; I have to go yarn shopping. All one color would be fine; the texture is going to be awesome on your purse. I would not advise using variegated on the squares for one reason only: you lose all the impact of your tediously counted pattern with variegated. I have read this fact several places. I personally LOVE variegated yarn and this was a hard lesson for me to learn! If you are going to use variegated in any of the squares, use a very simple stitch pattern, such as plain garter stitch.

2) The stitch patterns you choose should not use holes as a design element unless you are very careful of the color of your purse lining; it will show through. Knit/purl combinations to make textural designs are best. I discuss this in a previous entry. I know you dishcloth knitters like to make recognizable designs using knit and purl and this is a good showcase for those. Maybe your initials on one side?

3) The smaller your needle, the denser your knitted fabric, obviously. Either a #6, #7, or #8 works for me. When I did my first square, my #6 and #7 Denise were busy, so I grabbed my #8. With a lined purse, it really does not matter if the stitches are bigger. Plus, you finish faster with bigger needles.

4) Make it easy on yourself and as you flip through your stitch library, look for patterns with similar stitch requirements; I have found quite a few that call for a multiple of 4 +3 (4x6=24+3=27) and my squares are 27. If all your squares are the same size, it will be simpler, although these squares can be stretched a bit or scrunched when you sew them to the base.

5) Dishcloth designs tend to have borders to make them more userfriendly. You won't need borders on this square, but you can make them; they would certainly add interest to your purse. And probably make sewing the seams easier. Hmmmmm........

With all this to mull over, I'll see you on Monday. You can start making those four squares any time! Here is my first square:

The pattern is from The Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns and it is called "Furrows".

If you like this pattern and want it for one of your squares:
Multiple of 6 stitches plus 3
Cast on 27 (on #8 needles I got 6 1/2" wide square)
Rows 1 and 3: P3, *k1, slip 1, k1, p3*, repeat * *
All even rows: work each stitch as it appears on this side of the work (k the k sts and p the p sts)
Rows 5 and 7: K4, * slip 1, k5* repeat **, ending last repeat with k4.
Rows 1-8 make a pattern repeat.

Knit a Long

Wow! I posted my idea on Knitlist and Monthly Dishcloth KAL and already have some interested people. This is going to be such fun. A learning experience for me, for sure. Everyone asked if they needed to sign up and I said no. Then I realized I needed to be somewhat organized about this (not a normal thing for me) so as I get inquiries from you, I will put your email into a "group" in my address book and send out notices when I post a step. The first four steps will simply be the patterns I choose for my squares.

Musings about Fancy Stitch Patterns

In preparation for the knit-a-long I am designing, I spent yesterday with a ball of cotton yarn, a Denise needle #8, and my stitch dictionary. That is some strong Sugar 'n Cream yarn! I have used the same yardage about ten times. Rippit, Rippit. I am a notorious multi-tasker and it is hard to count stitches when your attention is divided; I am usually either watching tv or listening to a recorded book while I knit. Probably why there are so many mistakes in my pink lace shawl!

I started with really dazzling stitch pattern choices. I discovered after about six separate attempts at fancy patterns that you can't multitask and get the stitch count right! Also, cotton yarn and plastic needles don't comfortably do more than knit, purl, and yarn-overs. Dipping down to do a "long stitch" or hauling that slipped stitch over the next couple of stitches is not easy with sturdy yarn. I also noticed, even when I got the pattern right, that those fancy techniques tend to leave openings in the knitted fabric that I don't want for my purse fabric.

So for this purse project, I will stick to knit and purl combinations and am trying for easy repeats. I DO want one of the squares to be have bobbles, though, so will give a simple pattern a try on that. You'll find out later if it was successful.

Purse Knit-A-Long Supplies

Let's make a purse! First choose your colors and your yarn. This is designed for leftovers; those of you who knit dishcloths, I know you have lots of partial balls of cotton. Ideally, you will have five or six coordinating colors. Each side will be two squares, each end will be a rectangle, and the bottom will be a rectangle. All the pieces can be different colors or any combination. Your purse could also be all one color or shades of one color; up to you. I want contrast on mine, so my four squares will be pink, purple, turquoise, and lavendar.

You also want to chase down a stitch dictionary or go to your files and get some patterns you are saving. If you are a member of a dishcloth knit-a-long, you probably have a whole stash of cool patterns. Pick four. You want to avoid lace patterns and lots of yarn overs or any kind of holes in the pattern choice.

Use whatever needle, size 6, 7, or 8, that you like for washcloths. I'm using an 8. If you don't plan to line your purse, choose a smaller needle so the fabric will be tighter.

I'll post to the list each time I put up a step.

Purse Knit-A-Long Introduction

I want to design a new summer purse. I have a Stitch Dictionary. I have some partial balls of Sugar 'n Cream leftover from washcloths. Put these all together and I came up with an idea for the purse. Other knitters always ask me how I make my knitted purses, so I thought I would share the creation of this purse with as many knitters as possible via my Blog. So here is a knit-a-long. You can watch the purse emerge and make one later, or you can knit one along with me.

This is a chance for you to design your own purse. Although I will be telling you the colors and the stitch patterns I choose, you will be choosing your own colors and stitch patterns. I am simply giving you a blueprint or technique for making a purse.

And for those of you who crochet, you can make this purse, too. Just use your crochet stitch dictionary.

Charleston

I am going to be in Charleston week after next and Googled yarn shops there and there is one walking distance from my hotel. It has a very succinct name: Knit. Their May newsletter was all about socks so I can expand my knowledge, maybe. I had already planned to take my knitting to the park down by the water. Now I can also sit and knit surrounded by yarn for awhile. DH has a conference there on Monday and Tuesday, so am on my own except for an afternoon cooking school (my other interest). The shop is closed on Sunday and Monday and I am with hubby on Saturday, but I will certainly be knocking on their door Tuesday morning!

I don't have a good track record of finding yarn shops on trips; I will relate that tale at another time. But this one looks like it is REALLY there. And walking distance, to boot.

Sock Knitting Adventures

I finally decided my next challenge would be to knit socks. I want to see what all the fuss is about. I tried the 4 dpns and that is just not my favorite way to knit, although I do know how to use them (the arms of those Icelandic Lopi yarn sweaters I made while living in Iceland had to be knitted on them).

I do know how to knit using two circulars, so decided to try that method. But my instructions were for dpns and could not translate. Then I went online and found some instructions but could not figure it out, either. Decided on the Socks Soar on Two Circulars book. When I got to the shop I decided on the book Sensational Knitted Socks instead. This book has amazingly useful charts and allows you to actually design your socks and size them, etc. I have a very small foot and all the patterns I find are for a medium sized ladies' foot. This way I can gauge my yarn, measure my foot, and knit custom socks for myself.

This book also has a "class sock" and I am actually knitting it! I absolutely hate to knit something I can't "use" so this is tough for me. The LYS told me that they had taught lots of sock classes, some using the teeny "class sock" and others where you made your "real" sock right away and that the "class sock" is better. Primarily because you use bigger needles and knitted worsted.

I am currently doing the gusset. This is a steep learning curve. I have to say the book is exceptionally well written. There are not really pictures of the process, which is okay, since I absolutely cannot learn from pictures. Everything is in words, and so far I can follow.

When my teeny "class sock" is finished, will post a photo. Curiously, though, the cuff of the sock is big enough in circumference that I can pull it over my foot. This is not a miniature sock at all. I think the only thing small about it is the foot length.

The grafting has me scared, though!!! The "words" say to put the needle into the stitch purlwise in one place and knitwise in another, but the "diagram" looks exactly the same. Oh well, should NOT be jumping ahead..........my biggest fault (along with not finishing items).

String Bag Maybe, Maybe Not

Just read the post from pinkerbell and since I don't know how to answer her directly, will post on the blog.

I went to a wonderful LYS on Monday to buy a book on sock knitting and of course poked about and chatted with the staff. I asked about the Louet Sales linen yarn; I have been unhappy with knitting with it for a towel, which is why I thought of the string bag. They said that was a wonderful idea. THEN they showed me a black shawl knitted with the yarn. It had been washed and dried and felt absolutely amazing to the touch. So I decided to come home and start a shawl with the Feather and Fan pattern.

But.......that string bag WOULD be so useful. And I already have a lot of shawls which I rarely wear.........hmmmmm...........plus I would have to buy more of the linen yarn, since I only have 2 skeins, and one of those is partial since it got VERY knotted up when I tried to wind it into a ball and I had to have a go at it with my scissors. So one of the small balls is Knot very user friendly.

So stay tuned to see what my decision will be!

String Bag

At Knitting Guild a member brought stuff in a knitted string bag. I fell in love. I've got two hanks of Louet Sales Linen yarn and started a dishtowel and am not impressed. So I had an Aha! moment and Googled a pattern and this string bag pattern popped up. So another WIP coming up!

Thanks to all the generous knitters who blog and put patterns up for free. I hope to someday actually design a pattern to post on my blog. (I would put up the 'pattern' for my purses, but I kind of make them up as I go along and for patterns you need stitch counts and types of yarn and ounces needed, etc, and I am just not that organized; I'm glad other knitters ARE)

New Needles

My KnitPicks needles arrived! I did not order the set, but ordered #4 and #5 tips and two cords and a #3 special for my socks. I changed the cotton lace shawl onto the KnitPicks needle and they are amazing. I have always heard that lace called for sharp metal needles and that is correct. The needles also have a hole in them, so I can put my lifelines in easily. The hole is tiny, so I threaded the floss into a sewing needle to be able to push it through the hole.

Flower Power Placemat

Here is a completed Flower Power Placemat. This is the first time I have had a placemat that my china from Germany actually looks good on!

It took a full skein of cotton yarn. This yarn was Fantasy Naturale by Plymouth and is just this side of "bulky". I chose it because of the color, but liked the way it felt in my hands. It knitted up soft and cushy.

After knitting, I dampened it and blocked it so it would lie flat and smooth.

I showed this placemat to my Knitting Guild and one member was so excited about the pattern that I gave her my pattern copy. Becka, you have started something!

Life Lines

Well, I finally realized that I was going to contiue to make mistakes on my pink cotton lace shawl; if nothing else, I drop those yarnovers when I do my pearl row. My knitting friend Sandra told me about using dental floss for the life lines. She also told me that my Denise Needles had a nice hole that I could thread the floss through, snap on the cable and knit the row, dragging the floss along for the ride and voila(!) an instant lifeline. I have a Knitpicks needle on order and that has a hole, too, I think. I need a metal needle for this cotton thread!

I also listened to a podcast that recommended inserting a lifeline for every repeat. So I am doing that, too. Hopefully my mistakes will decrease; at least I will be willing to frog back, now!

A New Friend

This past weekend I was in Greensboro, NC for my brother-in-law's birthday party. The host and hostess, Brooks and Elizabeth, graciously invited us to spend the night so we would not have to make the two hour drive home that night. It was a lovely party with delicious food. After the other guests left, I mentioned knitting to her. And she is a KNITTER. Not only that, she is a British knitter! We had such fun.

She loves to knit baby sweaters and showed me a completed one and one in progress. They are gorgeous. She uses Sirdar patterns. These are British and are adorable. We discussed that it was a shame that most American new moms prefer Baby Gap to handknit sweaters. Or maybe it is just that most new moms aren't lucky enough to have a grandmother like Elizabeth to knit these lovely confections for the babies?

She also assured me that knitting socks was easy. She has been knitting socks since she was a child.

Her next project is to knit heirloom dolls. The pattern was sent to her from England and is very hard to find. I hope when she completes it she will share a photo with me for my blog!