Totes Adorable

Today we're going to have a look at the selection of tote bag patterns I've picked out. This post is the third in the series of five bag posts I've done -- I've also done posts on selected clutches/wristbags, handbags, messenger bags, and backpack designs.

The above pattern is the "Hello" Fair isle bag, from Bergère de France, although I think it could also be aptly named "the Hell Bag". Isn't there an expression about how one's life is "going to hell in a handbag"?

For those who feel unable to leave their Hudson's Bay blankie at home, I present this Felted Knot Bag, by k | knits.

Summer Fling, by Espace Tricot. A light, minimalist style bag. It's a free pattern.

ATX Linen Tote, by Staci Perry. Another light, sling-style bag with a smart stripe pattern. This bag and the one above aren't the bags for carrying a lot of stuff, but sometimes one doesn't need to carry a lot.

Plaid Squared, by Susan Rainey. This one looks both smart and sturdy.

Bedouin Bag in 3 Sizes, by Nora J. Bellows. These look as though they came from an expensive shop. The simple ridges add so much.

Felted Tote with Kureyon Scraps, by Janet D. Russell. This one would be an awesome stash buster.

Flock of Sheep Bag, by Denny Gould. How cute is this little bag?

Sand and Sea Felted Tote, by Maria Do Souto. Love the stitchwork on this one.

Felted Snowflake Tote, by Lion Brand Yarn. I really like that this one employs two complementary patterns.

Plein Air Tote, by Amanda Scheuzger. Love this one, though I believe I'd size it down a little, perhaps by using a slightly lighter yarn or smaller needles, as it does look awkwardly large.

The Bag, by Wendy Wonnacott, published in
No Sheep For You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo, and Other Delights. The other sample photos on the Ravelry page for this design show other, more muted colourways, but this bag looks best in the sharp contrast of black and white.

Bar Harbor Shell Bag, by Madeline Langan. This would be a fun one to plan a colourway for.

Intricate Stag Bag, by Norah Gaughan. Love the stag graphic in this one.

Shigra Diamonds, by Vicki Square, published in Folk Bags: 30 Knitted Patterns & Tales From Around the World. Ooh, this colourful harlequin-like effect is a lot of fun.

The Medallion Travel Bag, by Nora J. Bellows. The stitchwork on this is fabulous.

The Fleur Tote, by Ann Kingstone. Very pretty!

Tree Hugger, by Vickie Howell, published in AwareKnits: Knit & Crochet Projects for the Eco-Conscious Stitcher. I love the Shaker-like image of the needled-felted tree on this one.

Everything Totes, by Nora J. Bellows. These are so polished, and they also look capacious.

Bird Bag, by Pierrot Yarns Patterns. This one has an attractive folk art appeal. It's a free pattern.

Felted Tribal Bag, by Lion Brand Yarn. This one would be just the thing to wear with ankara, kente, or dashiki print clothing. And it's a free pattern.

Celandine, by Diane Bertolatti. I like this one's simple shape and neutral tone. It could go just about anywhere with just about any woman's outfit.

Amethyst Organiser, by Diane Bertolatti. This one's fun, and it also looks practical, because handy little pockets are always a nice feature in a bag. Making your own bag can be such an advantage in terms of the bag's convenience, because you can customize the pockets by adding whatever size and style of pockets you want to the body or the lining.

Just So Bag, by Andrea Babb. This one's both polished and visually interesting.

Superb OWL: The Felted bag, by Deborah Tomasello. A cute bag for the owl-lovers among us.

Wheatsheaf Carpet Bag, by Linda Cyr. This one's definitely a stand out. I remember reviewing it when it appeared in Interweave's Jane Austen Knits in 2014. The bag gets its great shape from an internal frame, and those are the best felted handles I've ever seen -- they look as good as leather or vinyl handles in the same style. The pattern's lovely too.

Rose Window Tote, by Laura Barker. As someone who does stained glass, I am always here for stained glass effects in knitting, and this an especially pretty example of a "stained glass window" knit. I would replace those wimpy-looking straps with leather or vinyl ones, though.

Carpet Bag, by Susan Mills. Very much like the pattern on this bag. It's a free pattern.

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.