Knitting down the Gauntlet: Gloves and Purses for a Bride

This post is the third in my series of posts on knitting for weddings, and features a selection of patterns for purses and gloves for the bride. (You can see the other posts on knitting for weddings here.)
Let's look at the purses first. It may take some planning to manage both a bouquet and a purse on your wedding day, but you may want to do it anyway, because you will likely want to freshen your makeup and to have some tissues handy. (Or, if you have second thoughts, bus fare.) The purses here may be used as an evening bag after the wedding, or perhaps as a handy sachet for the bride's dresser drawer. The purse above is the Heirloom Bridal Bag, and the pattern is available for £3.00(GBP).

The pattern for this simple little beaded bag is available for free. There will be a lot of ways in which a bride's purse can be made to go with her dress and/or the wedding decorations: by using similar beading or other notions or a similar lace pattern, or lining the bag with fabric that is in the wedding colours or is left over from some other item or garment that has been made for the wedding.

Here's another beaded bag, the pattern for which appeared in Knitting the Easy Way by Terry Kimbrough.

This Valentine's Day Wedding Bag uses beading and also an elegant silver frame. The pattern is available as a $6 download.

I would want to use a more polished-looking yarn than the one employed in this Bridal Clutch, but it has a cute shape and I love the frame. You can also add beading if you like. The pattern is from the November 2011 Crafty Ever After.

Here's a felted Bridal Rose Bag that may make you decide you don't need to carry a bouquet. The pattern is available for $7.50(USD).

There are so many beautiful glove patterns on Ravelry that you'd be much better off looking for yourself than just looking at the few I can feature here. But, since we are here, I've picked out a half dozen or so I think are lovely. The Terzetto Lace Mitts are quite something. I'd put these with a fairly simple dress that didn't have much lace on it. The pattern is a $7(USD) download.

The Lillyana Fingerless Gloves are simpler and, if knitted in cashmere as shown here, perhaps more suitable for a winter wedding. I did try to find fingered gloves for this post but didn't like any of those I saw and had to settle for a selection of fingerless ones, which after all are better for the ring ceremony. This pattern is available as a £3.00(GBP).

The Armstulpe wrist warmer pattern, with its falling ruffle, might appeal to the bride who doesn't want a full glove. This pattern is available as a $2.90 download.

These beaded wristlets are a little more dramatic and arty. This pattern is available as a €3.90(EUR) download.

The Water Lilies Gloves are a simple pattern that would probably suit the most brides of any of those in this post. This pattern is available as a $4.75 download.

Another pair of beaded lace wristlets. This pattern is available as a download for $2.90.

I don't think a bride will want to wear these Wedding Mittens for her wedding unless there are skis, snowboarding, snowshoes, ice skates, rubber tubing, or snowmobiles involved in the ceremony, but they were too cute not to include. They'd be nice for a honeymoon at a ski chalet. The pattern for these mittens is available for $6(USD).

Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Something Knitted

Last week I published a post of selected bridal gown knitting patterns, and I've decided that post will be the first in a series on knitting patterns for weddings. I can't say how many posts there will be in this series, but I do have quite a few ideas in mind, so I'll just try to do one a week until I'm done. (You can see the other posts on knitting for weddings here.) This is the second post, and it features selected patterns for garters and hand-knitted bridal stockings. I'm trying to write this series of posts in such a way that they can also be of value to those who aren't planning a wedding. I've no intention of ever getting married myself, but I'd just love to knit myself a fancy pair of thigh-high stockings at some point.

Let's look at the garters first. They're a purely decorative item for most bridal outfits, and though garters are normally not an item for public display, bridal garters are commonly tossed to the male guests by the groom at the end of the wedding (as the bride's bouquet is tossed to the single female guests by the bride), with the catcher being supposed to be the next person to get married. Brides often consequently supply themselves with a second, simpler and/or less expensive bouquet and garter specifically for tossing so that they may keep the more elaborate bouquet and garter that saw actual use during the wedding. If you're knitting a garter for a wedding that will feature a garter toss, you may want to make one special garter to be worn and buy or make a simpler version for tossing.

Garters are probably one of the items a knitter might be most likely to make for a wedding, because it can be done so quickly and inexpensively. As I found when I looked for garter patterns, they are very likely to be the standard white lace with a blue ribbon threaded through it, and so be the "something blue" the bride wears for luck. I've tried to find some different styles, but even then they were pretty much all in blue and white or ivory. There's really no reason why a bride can't wear a garter made in her favourite colours or wedding colours.

The garter above is knitted of ribbon, and of course it's possible to use a variety of ribbon types or colours. The pattern is designed by Julianne Smith and is available for free.

This Angora Mohair Garter pattern appears in Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Small Indulgences, edited by Judith Durant. I'd say this one is for a winter wedding, because if I had to wear anything angora all one hot summer day, I'd be taking it off and chucking it at someone long before the end of the wedding.

Pretty garter with a ruffle and a bow. I'd be inclined to make this one in a higher-end or more delicate fibre than is used here to give it a lacier, more lingerie-like look. This garter is designed by Deby Lake and is a free pattern.

A classic lace garter with two shades of green ribbon run through it to give it a bit of a different look. This garter was designed by Diane Willett and is a free pattern.

This garter pattern is actually a slightly altered version of the one above, and uses a single ribbon and a different fibre for a softer, more ruffled look. This garter was made by Christy Wall and is a free pattern.

Gina's Wedding Garter plays with the usual proportions and the result looks like something different. I also like the idea of adding a little charm to the garter, though you'll need to make sure whatever you add doesn't catch on the bride's dress. This pattern was designed by Lara Neel and is a free pattern.





Now let's have a look at some knitted stockings. Some of these stocking patterns won't be compatible with wearing any of the garters above, so you may have to choose which item you'd like most to wear. Fortunately you won't need to wear garters with these stockings because they're designed to stay up on their own. Some have garters built right into the pattern. This pair of lace stockings have a different view front and back. They were designed by Mari Muinonen and are available as a $5 download.

Susie's Long Stockings are one of the stocking patterns with built-in garters. This pattern was designed by Elizabeth Wolden and is available as a $6 download.

The Agnes's Silk Stocking pattern is probably the most traditional of the stocking patterns I've picked out, and I should think it would be impossible not to feel like a princess while wearing them. As long as you can keep from yelling at the caterer. These stockings were designed by Karen E. Hooten for the September/October 2011 issue of Piece Work.

These ribbed stockings would be for the more informal winter wedding and perhaps one for which one was wearing traditional Scottish dress. This pattern was designed for A Handknit Romance: 22 Vintage Designs with Lovely Details by Jennie Atkinson.

The Haapsalu Lace Socks pattern looks quite racy in black, but of course they could be made in any colour and would have a completely different effect in the traditional white or ivory. This pattern was designed by Tiina Kaarela and is available for €5.00(EUR).

The Delphyne is another lacy stocking pattern, this time less openwork than the previous. This pattern was designed by Stephanie Mason and is a $7(USD) download.

Make Your Mark

Since I did a knitted book cover post on July 19, I felt I had to do a companion post on knitted bookmarks. Knitting your own bookmarks is actually a much more practical idea than knitting book covers. They'll be quicker to knit and more practical to use. They can be personalized by adding a favourite short quote or slogan or a name. They'd be a great way to try out a knitting technique that's new to you or to try your hand at design, because knitting a bookmark is like swatching with an intrinsic purpose. And the finished item will make a nice extra something to add to a book you're giving to someone or to put in a Christmas stocking. Here's a selection of eleven suggested patterns for you.

The first pattern, shown above, is the simple and elegant Flourish Bookmark, designed by Nina Casey. It's a free pattern.

If you are, or are knitting for, someone with a very classic literary and aesthetic tastes, Judy's Seashell Bookmark, designed by Judy Gibson, might be perfect. It has a very Edwardian look to me. It's a free pattern.

Those whose literary tastes are specifically geared to Jane Austen might prefer Marianne's Romantic Bookmark, designed by Carolyn Joan, which appeared in Jane Austen Knits' Summer 2012 issue.

If you're just looking for a pattern that will be perfect for a small amount of hand-dyed yarn that you want to use up, the Twisted Eyelet Bookmark, designed by Blythe Quelin, would suit that purpose. It's a free pattern.

If you'd like a cute and whimsical pattern, or are knitting for a small child, the Crayon Bookmark, designed by Ala Ela, might hit (and mark) the spot. It's a free pattern.

I love this beautifully crafted Squash Blossom Bookmark, designed by Bonnie Sennott, which got around the whole "bookmarks need to be flat but I want to include a three-dimensional element" dilemma by having the bloom peep from the top of the book. This pattern is a $4.50(USD) download.

If you want a flora or fauna-themed bookmark, but don't want anything sticking out of your book, the Magnolia Leaf Bookmark, designed by Evelyn Uyemura, might do. This pattern is a $1(USD) download.

If you have a little (or not so little) Harry Potter fan in your life, one of these House Bookscarves, which appeared in Laura K. Miller's Charmed Knits, might be the perfect gift. You can even knit a scarf in the Hogwarth house colours to which your Harry Potter fan feels more akin, be that Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff.

Maybe you'd just like to make the "bookworm" metaphor literal by making yourself a Slithers Bookmark, designed by Sunny Cannon. Of course Sliters is a snake, not a worm, but we'll humour you. This pattern is a $2.75 download.

If your sense of humour has a turn for the macabre, the Squashed Bear Bookmark, as designed by Amalia Samios, is a possibility. The attached pool of blood is optional. This pattern is a $3.50(USD) download. Samios has also designed a Squashed Rat Bookmark, but I found it just too gruesome to include.

The F--- Off, I'm Trying to Read Bookmark, designed by Edith Cummings, is for people who really hate to be interrupted when they're trying to read. I'd be inclined to do this bookmark in a yarn that's as close to a natural skin tone as possible, and to include fingernails in red or hot pink or what have you. This pattern is free.

If you haven't seen a bookmark pattern that strikes your fancy, you can always browse Ravelry's 262 English-language bookmark patterns, or just design your own.

Booking Your Next Knitting Project

I came across the above photo on the net, and its sheer awesomeness made me decide to seek out other knitted book covers and do a knitted book cover post. You won't want to knit every book you own a book cover, of course, but it might be nice to make one for a gift, to make your journal or your chequebook or your daytimer look worthy of belonging to a knitter, to protect a beloved yet crumbling book, or to camouflage the fact that you're reading trashy novels from everyone on the bus, your children, or the Mother Superior of your convent.

And may I also suggest cotton covers? Because, though you may not be one to feel the heat like I do, I cannot imagine anyone wanting to so much as touch a wool-covered book in July (or in the height of summer whenever that is where you live). Please excuse me while I peel my arms off my desk. They got stuck while I was typing this.

The above book cover was created by Craftivore, and she provides details on the Ravelry page for the project. There doesn't, sadly, seem to be a pattern available, and it won't be easy to recreate it. Just look at that detail!

And this inside detail! I love the wit and the bookishness and the colour sense and the sheer level of craft and care that went into this project. I did not, as one might expect, find another book cover to equal this one, but I did find some quite attractive ones.

This sketchbook cover by Veronik Avery is really quite something. It's available as a download for $5.50.

This notebook cover by Jane Burns is also very eye-catching. This pattern is available as a download for £2.99.

This cat motif notebook by Julia Brice is simple but cute. I'd do the cat in an angora or a mohair. It's a free pattern.

If you're a Dr. Who fan, this book cover from The Fantasy Intellectual is for you. The pattern is free.

If you're partial to classic cables, you could always go with a pattern like this cabled one, which appeared in Carri Hammett's Ready, Set, Knit Cables: Learn to Cable with 20 Designs and 10 Projects.

And it would be easy to make your own pattern in any colour, pattern, texture or size you wish, since they are really just simple rectangles.

Political Correctness in the Bag

In Toronto, where I live, plastic shopping bags have been something of a political sore spot recently. A three-year-old by-law mandating a 5 cent charge for plastic bags was revoked effective July 1, 2012, and in the following November a decision by Toronto city council to ban single use plastic bags entirely by 2013 was reversed when it met with strenuous opposition from the Ontario Convenience Stores Association. While the latter political move really was probably too draconian and impractical, at least for the present, I agreed with the mandatory 5 cent charge bylaw and thought it worked well as an incentive to get people to use cloth shopping bags. When the by-law was originally enacted, plastic bags became a much less common sight overnight, and I especially liked that I, who had been already avoiding the used of plastic bags for years, no longer had to tell cashiers "No bag... no bag... no bag... I don't need that bag," before they heard me, because giving out plastic bags was so routine that it was an autopilot task for them. And it reduced Toronto's landfill and waste disposal costs. But our illustrious mayor, Rob Ford, didn't seem to think fiscal and environmental responsibility was a good reason to continue to impose a slight inconvenience on his voters. No, I didn't vote for him, thanks for asking.

Regardless of what the plastic bag status is in your locale, if you want to avoid the use of the plastic shopping bags but are discouraged by the ugliness of the environmentally friendly cloth bags out there, you can always knit your own. There are loads of patterns on the net for such bags, many of them free. I like the one above, from the blog Homebaked Online, which is partly based on a Knitty pattern.





This one from Worsted Knitt is a good basic pattern. These bags will be useful for other things besides grocery shopping, such as heading to the beach. These bags can also be made in your favourite colour, or in a set of different colours to coordinate with your outfits — I know I need more than one bag to bring home a week's groceries.

And if you don't like those I've featured here, check out the selection of string bags on Ravelry.

Bringing Back the Parasol

Summer is on its way, and with it, the inevitable heat and glaring sunlight. I can't begin to tell you how I dread it. I'm a cold weather person. I sunburn with heart-rending ease and my temperament, which is irritable at the best of times, can only be described as borderline postal during heatwaves.

Every summer I vow to singlehandedly bring back the parasol in order to provide myself with some relief from the sun, but every summer I fail to find one that looks anything that I could even pretend to be trendsetting. The only parasols available seem to be the white, frou-frou, lacy kind that are meant to be carried as a bridal accessory, or the paper and bamboo kind you find in Chinatown, and I'm neither a bride nor Asian. The lacy ones, besides being wildly mismatched to my completely non-lacy wardrobe, don't even look like they'd provide much protection from the sun, and with my luck, the Chinese characters on the paper parasols probably read something along the lines of, "This stupid white person doesn't know what her parasol says." The parasol, like any other accessory, does need to bear some relation to the other items one is wearing and carrying, and to one's lifestyle, if it's not to look ridiculous. I need something I can carry when I'm wearing clothes made from jersey, khaki, and denim.





But as always when I can't buy a suitable version of something I want, I start wondering whether I can possibly make it myself. Then I google the matter and find out. I found the beautiful lace parasol above, made by Maiya Mayhem from a heavily modified crochet pattern. It's a wonderful piece of work, but it looks more decorative than functional to me, and it is a little too ornate to go with my casual summer clothes.




Then I found this one, by blogger Mrs. Fife, who has generously shared her project notes on the project's page on Ravelry. Unfortunately, as incredibly impressed as I am with her work, again this parasol won't provide a lot of protection from the sun and is too lacy. And I could post more exquisitely knitted lace parasols, but I'm sure you get the point, and if you are here to look for a knitted lace parasol pattern for your wedding, have probably already found one. I think I'll skip to the one practical parasol pattern I found.





I very much like this parasol, which is a Knitty design from Spring 2007. It should provide decent shade and sunburn protection. It's simple yet polished in style, and, if made in a neutral colour, will complement my clothes and other accessories. Perhaps most importantly, it won't make me feel like some absurdist theatre version of Scarlett O'Hara (it's not like I even get what people admire in the original). I think I shall begin keeping an eye out for a vintage parasol frame that is worthy of this pattern. I am already dreaming of being able to walk outside in July without getting black spots in front of my eyes. And — dare I hope? — of fewer scoldings from my dermatologist. Sad little dreams, I know, but they are mine.