One of my personal goals for this year is to learn how to knit. Properly. Not just basic knit and purl, but proper casting on, a variety of stitches, following a pattern and making something other than a scarf (of which I have made several over the years). Despite by accomplishments with fabric and the sewing machine, I honestly thought that real knitting was beyond me. Every time I have looked at a pattern, the lines have looked just as unintelligible as a foreign language. One I haven’t studied at that! To cut a long story short, I am thrilled to bits to say that I have overcome my fear and am totally hooked! That said, most patterns are, no doubt, still incomprehensible, but I at least have the confidence that it isn’t totally outside my capabilities. To be honest, up to now I have still only made 2 scarves, but the first was a good ‘swatch’ and I used a variety of stitch patterns. My Mum then showed me how to do cables, so I felt confident enough to attempt a pattern from the Debbie Bliss book, “The Knitter’s Year“. The Chunky Cable Scarf has a 16 row repeat and involves cables, bobbles, seed stitch etc, so posed a fair challenge! I enjoyed it immensely and am keen to expand my knitting experience.
The point of this post is that, not surprisingly, I’m also using this as an opportunity to design a new bag! I’m planning a knitting project bag and am keen for any input from more experienced knitters about that features they would love to see in a bag. As you know, I am driven by function and practicality, so there will be plenty of pockets! These are some of the features I am planning to incorporate into the bag:
– firm base
– comfortable handles
– structured sides so that the bag stays upright
– pockets for needles and/or separate roll for needles
– zippered pocket
– clear-fronted pocket for ease of finding stitch markers etc
One thing I am not sure about is whether people would want a separate project bag or a handbag that carries a knitting project too. I would appreciate any feedback on this! Obviously, each knitter will probably have different requirements and my bags are custom made for each individual, so they can certainly be tailored to suit. However, I need a starting point and asking more experienced knitters seems the most sensible way to go. If you have any thoughts, please email me.
