In the Bag

Last week I posted a selection of clutch and wrist bag patterns; in today's post I offer my picks for handbag/purse designs. I've also done posts on selected tote bag, messenger bag, and backpack designs.

The above photo is of the mini-backpack and handbag of the Tensity pattern, designed by Talitha Kuomi. Having scrolled through 65 pages of handbag designs on Ravelry to find the eighteen patterns for this post, I can tell you that I definitely recommend using commercially made handles, buckles, and other hardware to finish off a handknitted bag. It elevates the look from "homemade" to "polished". These bags simply wouldn't be nearly as smart-looking without their straps and buckles. Since selection of straps, handles, and hardware can be limited, I also advise purchasing them before you begin your project -- perhaps even before selecting your yarn -- as it can be such a letdown to finish one's bag project and then not be able to find complementary hardware. I also advise lining your bags whenever possible, even if the pattern doesn't call for it (these particular bags are lined), not only with a durable, washable lining fabric, but also with a sturdy interfacing and possibly also batting if it seems necessary to give the bag shape. This will generally require the use of a home sewing machine and at least basic sewing skills.

The Damask bag, from the Berroco Design Team. Felting is another recommended direction for handmade bags, as it makes the bag far sturdier than knitting alone can do. And it can be used to create some interesting visual effects. Love the damask flower on this bag, the handles work perfectly with it, and the braided cord adds a lot too.

The Viking Bag, by Karen S. Lauger. A classic bag. Interesting yarn and hardware choices will go a long way towards mitigating the "knitting bag" look.

The Billington Bag, by Snowden Becker. How cute are these bags? The stitchwork gives the simple shapes and colour choices all the interest they need.

The Cinch, by Nora J. Bellows. This looks exactly like the kind of bag you'd see in an expensive store and sigh over. The little metal label is a nice touch.

Molly's Carpetbag, by Cricket Toomey. This bag is so cute, and smart enough to carry with a suit. If my enthusiasm over this quality comes across as over-the-top, well, you weren't sitting beside me as I trawled through the aforementioned 65 pages of handbag designs on Ravelry, a disturbing proportion of which looked for all the world like toilet paper cosies with straps.

Tree of Life Felted Purse, by Cindy Pilon. The exception I would make to my "go with commercially made hardware and straps" advice is if you want a monotone look like this one, which of course you're often not going to get with anything but handles made from the same yarn.

Trellis Tote and Flap Bag, by Diane Sutliff. This one's a lot of fun. Noro yarns like these will make a uniquely colourful bag.

Bag of Checks. A felted, oversized houndstooth effect combined with a good shape.

That's Mr. Morris to You, by Jenny Tabrum. Here's another appealing handbag with an attractive felted motif and a good shape.

Floral Felted Bag, by Nicky Epstein. I think I'd know a Nicky Epstein design if I met it in the dark. She's very fond of whimsy and of tapestry-inspired designs.

Wishbone Cable Handbag, by Karen Payzant. Some interesting cabling in this, and the shape is good.

Bow Me Over, by Bonnie Golding. This project would be a fun one to pick out a yarn/fabric combination for.

Junior Doctor's Bag, by Mel Clark. The chevron stitch used here is such a good look with a classic shape.

Lacey Leaf Satchel, by Pam Powers. Very pretty and distinctive bag.

Evelyn, by Carol Galasso. Reinforcing flat felted straps with fabric is another handle option, and a good one, as this bag could definitely pass for "commercially made and sold at an expensive, trendy store".

Magnolia Handbag, by Sini Huupponen. Felted handbags make good canvases for some charming embroidery motifs if you're so inclined. This is adorable.

Plaid Felted Purse, by Cindy Pilon. Another super cute bag. Make this bag in a woman's personal palette of favourite colours and it will be a perfect and useful accent bag for her wardrobe.

Clutch This

In today's post I'm going to offer a selection of clutch and wrist bag patterns. I'm planning to do a series of posts on selected patterns for knitted bags over the next several weeks, starting with this post of clutch and wristlet patterns, moving on to a post on handbag patterns, and from there to a selection of tote bag patterns, and winding up with backpack and messenger bag posts. It'll be a good, useful series of posts for my readers, as well as a way to harmlessly indulge my fetish for nice bags. Because I can't knit every beautiful bag design I see, can I? (Narrator, sternly: She cannot.)

Let's start with the Grace Clutch, designed by Julie Grantz LeFrancois. How smart is this clutch? This one's not an evening bag, but would be fine for any occasion to which a woman can wear dressy street clothes: a daytime wedding, a lunch or dinner date. And as you can see it's the perfect accessory for a simple black outfit.

This is the Clutch This bag, designed by Debbie Bliss, and available in the book Knits to Give: 30 Knitted Gifts Made With Love. This little clutch would work just fine with evening wear. After checking out 15 pages of clutch and wristlet patterns on Ravelry to find patterns for this post, I can tell you that knitted evening clutches require certain yarns and findings, as clutches knitted out of regular sweater-type yarn tend to look too homely and unpolished for evening wear. You'll need to go with certain kinds of materials to wind up with an evening bag that looks right with evening wear: yarns that have a sheen or a halo, metallic yarns, novelty yarns that contain sequins or ruffles, and/or add beads or other embellishments.

Smocking Clutch, by Laura Zukaite, available in Luxe Knits: The Accessories: Couture Adornments to Knit & Crochet. This one's another daytime bag that is a little more roomy than any of the others in this post, and therefore more practical -- women tend to need to carry much more stuff with them during the workday! I'm not thrilled with the yarn choice used here (though it is an alpaca silk), but I do love the shape of this bag.

The Buckle Bag, designed by Cecily Glowik MacDonald. This pattern is available in Vogue Knitting on the Go: Bags Two! This one's another smart clutch that I'd consider best employed for daytime wear, though it could be turned into an evening bag with a different yarn and possibly buckle choice, if you can find fancier buckles.

The CoCo bag pattern, designed by Janine Le Cras, imitates the classic Chanel bag. I'd be inclined to make this one in a glossy black yarn and run a silk or velvet ribbon through the links of the chain strap, rather than yarn.

The Verdigris clutch, by Charmaine Fletcher, looks like the perfect little daytime summer clutch to make in a cotton or linen.

Envelope Clutch, by Gwen Bortner. This pattern was published in Bortner's Entrée to Entrelac: The Definitive Guide from a Biased Knitter. Another daytime/street wear clutch. I'm having fun thinking of all the different variegated yarns this one might be done in, though of course a neutral-colour clutch is the most versatile.

Ada, by Louisa Harding, published in Harding's book Knits from an English Rose: 25 Modern-Vintage Accessories. Love the stitchwork on the flap of this one.

Felted Clutch, by Jill Wright. Felting is a good direction to go with in making bags, because it's a considerable help with the sturdiness factor. And the right toggle can do a lot for a clutch.

The RYTA Felted Clutch Handbag, by Tanya Alpert. If you're like me and like the look of a nice brooch but don't like actually wearing them because they leave little brooch holes in your clothing, a felted clutch such as those shown here can be the perfect way to showcase a family heirloom brooch or a pretty inexpensive brooch that came from your local discount or thrift store.

But I Wanted Tiffany's, by Cheryl Erlandson. I'm not a big fan of frame bags, which have a rather too fussy look for my liking, but I can hardly overlook such a classic small bag style (I even own a few myself), so I'll close out this post with a selection of four of them. This is an undeniably sweet little confection of a bag.

The Cascading Ruffle Clutch, by Christina Behnke. This bag would hold its own alongside many a far more expensive, commercially made evening bag, and it's a good way to use a novelty ruffled yarn. If you'd like to save money on the frame, check thrift stores for old frame bags, as the frames can be stripped and reused.

Morning Glory, by Angela Sixian Wu. The combination of Rowan Kidsilk Haze and beads makes for a very pretty effect.

Diamonds are Forever, by Theresa Williams. This pattern was published in Williams' Bead Knitting Handbags 1. This has an Art Deco, 1930's vibe to it, and I am here for that.

The Ties that Bind Off

Today's post was originally intended to be a post about ties and waistcoats for my series on knitting for weddings. But when I researched tie designs, I soon realized that they deserved a post of their own. So although this post may certainly used as a resource for knitting ties for weddings, I've tried to write a fairly comprehensive post on ties for all occasions.

Knitting a tie that looks right can be a bit of a challenge. Many of those I looked at looked too limp, too thick, had rough-looking or uneven edges, were twisted, or just didn't hang right. They looked homemade as opposed to handmade, and I'm sure you all know the difference between those two looks. It's so important that an item that is worn front and centre with a suit in a professional or formal setting looks doesn't look "loving hands at home". And achieving that seems to be a matter of getting the shape, proportions, and weight just right.

The best and most classic width for a tie is 3.25 inches, although any measurement from 2.75 to 3.5 inches is fine. The successful patterns I looked at all recommended fingering weight/4 ply yarn, and though silk was often used, a wool/nylon blend will also work, or a cotton yarn for summer wear. It seems to me that no knitter will ever need a lot of tie patterns, but should just select one good pattern for each shape desired (standard, straight, and/or skinny) and keep using it, changing the colourway and patterns as desired.

The Preppy Tie depicted above was probably the best example of the standard tie that I found. The fact that it is knit on the bias is probably the key to its success, as the usual three or sixfold woven tie that men wear is cut on the bias. It might be a little difficult to get a hold of this pattern, as it was originally published in the January/February 2011 issue of Knitting Today!

Here's another bias knit tie from Interweave Knits. It's very similar to the one above, but this time the pattern is readily accessible as a $4.50(USD) download. It is too short on the model. Make sure the length is right when the tie is on: just touching the waistband of the wearer's trousers. It always looks a little...Freudian...when men get their tie length wrong.

This pattern for Traditional Neckties, also from Interweave Knits, again looks very similar to the two above, but might provide some pattern variations, and is available as a $5(USD) download. I really like the pattern of the tie in the top right-hand picture.

If you'd like to make a straight tie, this basic seed stitch tie pattern from Benyamen Conn might serve you well. It's a free pattern.

The Ed's Tie design, by Sally Melville, has a good texture and seems to hang well. It appears in The Knitting Experience: Book 3: Color.

The Angelus Knit Tie is another straight tie with a great texture and bit of stripe. It's a free pattern.

Here's a striped tie, designed by Christy Pyles for Knitter's Magazine.

This New School Tie is from Knit 2 Together: Patterns and Stories for Serious Knitting Fun.

If you'd like to make a skinny tie, the Rustic Elegant Tie is a good textured skinny tie pattern. It appears in Knitting Classic Style: 35 Modern Designs Inspired by Fashion's Archives.

If you like a more sporty skinny tie, the Tsubaki Cotton Necktie might be the design for you. It's a free pattern.

And of course, I can't leave out the bow tie. Here's a pretty good one, the linen stitch Gestrikt design, by Malia Mather, as modelled by Stephen West. It's a free pattern.

Pencil in Some Knitting

Today is the first Tuesday in September, and that means it's the first day of the school year for most students in Canada and the United States. So I thought I'd do a back-to-school type post, and soon settled on the idea of picking out a selection of pencil case knitting patterns for you all. I can hardly think of a more classic going-back-to-school purchase. My father still has the pencil case that was bought for him when he began first grade back in 1944, although his pencil case was not the zippered fabric or plastic envelope that is used today but a narrow wooden box with two compartments and a sliding top. He tells me the cool kids in his class had a three-decker wooden pencil boxes, and that in his day schoolchildren didn't have backpacks to carry their books in but fastened a strap around them and carried them by the end of the strap.

The pencil case above is, of course, quite literally a Pencil Case, and is designed by Katie Startzman. I'd almost feel like making a book-shaped backpack to go with it. The pattern is available as a $4(USD) download, or as part of an eBook.

This Abacus Pouch pattern by Derya Davenport harkens back to an even older educational tradition than wooden pencil boxes and book straps. It's a free pattern.

This plaid pencil case pattern by Debbie Bliss appears in her book, The Knitter's Year: 52 Make-in-a-Week Projects-Quick Gifts and Seasonal Knits.





This Bright Pencil Case, designed by the Lily Sugar n' Cream yarn company designers, seems perfect for holding a selection of coloured pencils. It's a free pattern.

The Daisy Dachshund pencil case might be perfect for a small child who doesn't like leaving the family dog or his or her stuffed toys behind at home during the school day. The pattern is by Mel Clark and appears in Knitting Everyday Finery: Practical Designs for Dressing Up in Little Ways.

Here's a simple yet eye-catching striped pencil case, designed by Stephanie Mrse, from the book 50 Knitted Gifts for Year-Round Giving: Designs for Every Season and Occasion Featuring Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted.

The Cabled Pencil Case pattern, by Dissolved Girl, is a free pattern.

The Sanquhar Pencil Case pattern, by Tom of Holland, is available as a £2.50 download.

The pattern for this flowered pencil case, made by Ravelry member Cassidy Clark, is not available but would be easy to copy.

For that matter a pencil case would be an easy beginner design project and a good way to use up some odds and ends of yarn. If you're making it for a child, it's a good idea to involve the child in the design process. There's always a schoolyarn social dictum as to what's in or out, and as an adult, you may not have any idea as to what the equivalent of today's three-decker pencil box is.