Fandango Brick Wall Bag – Finished Version

I have finished the Fandango Brick Wall bag – it took just over a week to knit.

When I am constructing a bag – I do the main part of both sides (the interesting bit) – then the side bits, then the bottom rows and join the two sides together using a 3-needle cast off with the ridge on the inside.  I then do some of the top to until the knitting covers most of the lining.  Then picked up stitches along each side and joined the sides using a 3-needle cast off.  I sewed in and cut off all of the ends.

Before I actually attached the knitting to the lining – I sewed the handles on.  I then finished off the top of the bag by knitting in the round.  I also knitted a separate strip for the inside of the bag.  I mainly used  Fandango yarn for sewing up but I also used black sewing thread to sew the bag to the lining at the top - inside and out.  I also added a row of black cotton stitches to the handles – because I have learnt from experience that if you don’t do that – the knitting twists when the bag is used.

For me the bag was very easy to knit.   I did not find my notes on how many stitches to knit for the handles and how many stitches to pick up for the sides but I did not worry about it too much.  Now that the bag is finished – I have found them!  That will come in useful when I knit the next one.  I want to knit a blue bag but I can’t find any more linings at the moment – I have put them somewhere safe.  The moral of this story – is never tidy up.  I am now off to look under the bed in the spare room.

Fandango Brick Wall Bag – Work in Progress

I have wanted to knit this bag for years.  I bought the yarn about 5 years ago – with this project in mind.  By that time  Colinette had discontinued Fandango yarn but they had a few odd skeins left which I managed to buy.  I do love this yarn.  It makes a terrible mess.  It is cotton chenille and sheds lots of bits – but it is stable once it is knitted – and at the moment it does not matter about the mess because I am not going to have any visitors.

Here is the first piece on the beach bag which I will use for the lining/framework.

Sometimes I knit one side of a bag and then knit the other side, but this time I have been knitting both sides at the same time.  This is the pink side.

The lining bag slopes  as it goes up - so I have had to knit the bottom 2 rows of shapes slightly larger than the top 2 rows.  I did consider doing a 5^th row but it is easier to get the right fit if you pick up and knit some rows at the top and the bottom.  I confess I may have to darn a few holes too - but the yarn is such that they are very hard to see and no one will notice the darning.

The photo below - shows the blue side of the bag.

I will also need to knit some rows on the sides as well.  I have been trying to find the pattern that I have written before about how many stitches and rows to do for the handles and the top edge.  Unfortunately I can’t locate it at the moment.  It is not where I had hoped I had put it.  I can work it out again if I have to but it would be better if I could find the pattern.   I am going to have another look for it.  The problem is that I have tidied up!  I suppose it may be in the box file labelled “Accessories” – or maybe not!

Happy Birthday Maud Tabron Blog!

This blog is one year old today.  I have decided to celebrate this fact by looking back at some of the items that I have knitted since February 2014.  I often think that I haven’t done much knitting - but the photos below show some of the items I am particularly pleased with.

Last year I knitted 5 Arizona Dreams throws for Colinette – 1 in the Mojave design. 1 Denali, 2 Sonoran and 1 Yosemite.  I keep changing my mind about which is my favourite.

Arizona Dreams - Mojave Design

Arizona Dreams - Denali Design

Arizona Dreams - Sonoran Design

Arizona Dreams - Yosemite Design

I also knitted a throw for myself from my own design which I think is beautiful.

As for garments and accessories - I knitted a cardigan, 3 jumpers, 2 baby coats, a sunglasses case and 3 scarves – and my favourite thing of all – my latest knitted bag.

Last summer I knitted about fifty tea cosies mostly for All the Fun of the Fair, but also a couple to try out ideas!  It can be good to knit tea cosies in the summer because they are small and you don’t spend hot days with a lap full of yarn.

Looking ahead – I hope I get the chance to knit some more throws for Colinette.  I also want to knit 2 or 3 for myself (I have lots of ideas to try out).  What I am most looking forward to (I wonder if I will manage to do it) is knitting another bag – I have an idea in my head which arrived there when I was finishing the last one – and I said to myself – “next year!”

Postage Stamp Inspired Bag

As it is winter now I decided that the summery bag I knitted earlier in the year was not appropriate and so I have found another one to use which I knitted a few years ago.

 

It is very bright and cheerful looking.  Both sides are made up from small mitred squares.  I got the idea from Kaffe Fassett’s various postage stamp inspired designs.  I have just counted the squares and there are 7 rows of 10 – so 70 on each side.  It sounds a lot but I don’t think it took very long to knit.  I was just using up odd bits of Colinette Fandango which has a very short colour change – so every small square is quite interesting.

I have done very little knitting this week – I have been too busy – I have knitted half a sleeve!  I have a few things I want to get done before Christmas, but at the moment preparations for Christmas are taking precedence.

I often knit Christmas presents, but this year I am only knitting one – a small baby’s coat which I intend to start soon.  I wanted to leave it until the last minute so that the baby would not have grown out of it before she gets it and it might actually fit her!

Modular Knitting or Strip Knitting?

In this blog I tend to use the term “modular knitting” to refer to all forms of knitting which involve knitting shapes – squares, oblongs, L-shapes, triangles or even irregular shapes.

Horst Schulz uses the term “patchwork knitting” to describe his modular knitting.  I tend to use this term just for quilts and throws.

Vivian Høxbro uses the term “domino knitting” to describe her modular knitting – but she mainly uses squares and shapes involving squares.

There is another lesser-used term – “strip knitting”.  Much of my modular knitting is really strip knitting.   The photo below shows a commercially bought bag covered in strip knitting.  I was trying to use up very small bits of Fandango yarn – so I knitted very narrow strips.

 

The tea cosy that I am currently working on is an example of strip knitting.  When I say “currently working on” I mean “thinking about” – actually this week I have been knitting a very small jacket for a baby who arrived last weekend.  This afternoon I am going to get on with roughing out a pattern for my tea cosy.

Modular Knitted Bag’s First Excursion

 

I admit it – this post is just an excuse to show you a photo of the other side of my bag.  I used it yesterday with the green side facing outwards, but today I showed off this other side.

What I like about using Fandango yarn is that the modules and stripes of knitting are not clearly defined – they merge together.  You can achieve a similar effect by felting wool, but it involves a lot more hassle.

Now I am at a loose end – what shall I knit next?  I would like to make a start on a jumper but I think that I had better do something easier.  I may attempt a tea cosy to commemorate the First World War.  I have an idea in my head – I hope I will be able to translate it into knitting.

Modular Knitted Bag – It’s Finished – Almost!

 

I have now widened and lengthened the 2 side panels, made handles and made an inner rim for the top of the bag. 

In order to produce the sloped shape I used a basic mitred square of: 9+1+9 at the bottom and 8+1+8 at the top.  In fact there are no individual squares – and so I used oblongs of 9+ 1+18+1+9 and L-shapes of 9+1+18+1+18+9 for the bottom shapes and oblongs of 8+1+16+1+8 and L-shapes of 8 + 1+16+1+16+8 for those at the top. 

All the knitting is stocking stitch but it is hard to tell!

I have said the bag is finished – well it isn’t quite – I need to do some more stitching to secure the inner rim inside the bag and I need to use sewing thread to do a line of stitches along each handle to stop them twisting when I use the bag.

Modular Knitted Bag - Second Progress Report

 

In odd moments during the week I have managed to finish the second panel of my modular knitted bag.  I think I am happy with it!

I was thinking about the yarn – which is Colinette Fandango.  I know the light grey is the shade called Slate.   I was trying to identify the others.  I think the following is correct:

• Grey: Slate
• Green: Forest?
• Dark mauve: Fruit Couli
• Blue: Blue Parrot
• Light mauve: Lilac
• Brown: Copperbeech
• Gold: Pierro
• Pink: Cherry
• Blue/Pink/Gold:  I am not sure - it may be Morocco.

I used to be more organised and tie a piece of yarn to the band so that I knew which colour was which.  I still have lots of scraps of yarn from old projects, but more recently I have foolishly thought I would remember.  It doesn’t matter really.  If you forget what colour yarn you have bought from Colinette – you can send a small amount of it to them to be identified so you can have some more.  Sadly that doesn’t apply to Fandango.

Modular Knitted Bag - First Progress Report

I have finished the main panel of the first side of the bag.  I am pleased that I managed to use a different number of stitches to get the panel to slope in at the top so that it will fit the red bag lining.

The light grey background looks OK but I tried using dark grey for the other side and I thought it looked too gloomy.  I want a summery look – so I think I am going to use light green.  I know my other maze bag is green but it looks completely different. 

Although I always make the sides of my bags different – so I can turn them around for a different look – I like there to be some link between the 2 sides – so I intend to use the same colours – the green background will make the panel look different. 

If in doubt, give up!

I have always found that when I start to question whether my design is turning out right – it is time to unravel and start again.  Sometimes I have tried to carry on, convincing myself that it will be OK when I have done a bit more, or added another colour – but the doubts remain, spoiling my enjoyment.

What am I talking about?  I was going to make a crazy patchwork bag but it isn’t happening.  I think there are three problems – firstly I haven’t got enough yarn in plain colours and the patterned yarns I have don’t go together.  Secondly: I think the design would work out better if I had less yarn so that I was forced to make small patches, and thirdly I am being too impatient.  I want to knit something that will knit up much more quickly.  If I was prepared to spend the time on it – I could use the yarn I have to make lots of small patches - although that would seem a bit of a waste.

Instead, I think will do a new version of my maze bag which is a bit battered now as I use it most days.  The design was based on a maze with green hedges.

 

I can’t just copy the previous design as the bag lining I have is smaller and slopes inwards towards the top – so I will have to try to ensure that the design slopes in towards the top as well – probably by using fewer stitches in each shape.  The design originally used mitred squares, oblongs and L-shapes.  I have roughed out a new design which just uses oblongs and L-shapes.  I now need to do some experiments to see if the shapes are the right size and decide what colours to use.  At the moment I favour grey as a base colour – but I may change my mind when it looks awful!