Bag learner
Wednesday, 18 June, 2008
So in 2005 I bought a bag for $8. It was in a little discount store at Hurstville station just near the bus stops. The bag was black, 17 cm wide, 21 cm long and 1 cm thick. It looked like it had been made out of crocheted mercurized cotton with little circles of mirrors running in a strip 2 cm up from the bottom. The strap was braided, and every now and then, it would break near where it joined the zipper. This probably wasn't surprising given the weight it was carrying: I used to keep in it my wallet, my phone, two handkerchiefs, a Body Shop lip balm, two of those extremely slim Asian pens (black gel, of course) and my keys which I kept on one of those retractable keyrings with a clip that I fastened to one of the straps so that I would never lose them inside the bag (not that the bag was large enough to lose things in, but anyway ...)
This bag served me faithfully for almost three whole years before the zipper finally broke at the beginning of this year. That's not bad for $8. Anyway, I thought I should really make myself a new one. I could have repaired the zipper on the old one, but I wanted something a little bigger because I wanted to add an A6 journal to my list of “essentials” that had to accompany me at all times. Naturally I thought, “I can knit! I'll make myself one. And I'll tailor it to my needs.”
Hmm, maybe that was wishful thinking. I'd made bags before—drawstring bags and the like—but I usually got stuck when it came to the lining. And the kind of bag I wanted was very particular. A recent issue of Knitty had a pattern for the kind of bag I wanted (Percy) but not the style I wanted. I had just finished the Knitty Lace Ribbon scarf for Bec's birthday—
—I thought that maybe I could adapt that pattern for a bag. Hence my Percy/Lace Ribbon bag.
I thought I'd knit a prototype first, given my lack of experience in making bags and also given the fact that I was pretty much making up the pattern as I went. I measured my phone, my wallet and my journal, and tried to estimate how big I'd need to make the bag to fit it all inside (15 cm wide x 15 long x 5.5 cm deep). I liked that the pattern for Percy involved knitting the whole thing in one long strip and then sewing it together. I got some of that cheap, white acrylic yarn that an aunt had given me and cast on 35 stitches on 4 mm needles.
The front panel involved one row of knit, two full pattern repeats of the Lace Ribbon chart, then two rows of knit. The base consisted of 26 rows of moss stitch (that's when you alternate knit 1, purl 1 like checkerboards). I probably shouldn't have done that: I did it because I thought it would look nice—and it sort of does—but it also stretches terribly and I don't really need that part of the bag to stretch. Next time I should probably use knit 1 purl 1 rib like the Percy bag.
The back panel and flap consisted of four Lace Ribbon pattern repeats. And then I picked up stitches along the side of the base, did about 50 rows, gradually decreased (another mistake: it didn't look very good), knitted the strap for about 136 cm (again, forgetting how much moss stitch stretches; it really didn't have to be that long) and mirrored it down the other side. The result was this when I blocked it:
I know I'm not that good at blocking but it strikes me that acrylic doesn't really block well; cotton and wool are better.
Oh yes, I also made the inner pocket (much like the Percy bag): I cast on 70 stitches and knitted in a round for about 15 cm, then used I-cord bind-off to finish it off. (The things you learn; I never knew you could do that with i-cord!) (By the way, I-cord is like the knitting you used to do on those Knitting Nancies. Sometimes it's also called French Knitting though I have no idea why. The difference is you do I-cord on two double-pointed needles but the principle is the same: you're knitting in circles but you're only doing it across three to five stitches.)
Anyway, then the project stalled because I was up to the sewing part and I hate sewing. It's so boring, and I hate that your eyes are pretty much glued to what you're doing so you can't really do it in front of the TV. Plus you need good light. I was fortunate, however: my mother gave me her old sewing machine. I bought a cut-off from a curtain making store—a bolt of thick, cream curtain material for about 60 cents—and I folded it over to the desired size, pinned it flat and worked out, with the aid of a very old instruction manual, how to operate the sewing machine. I haven't used a sewing machine since Year ... 7? 8? I forget. (Oh, that's a lie; I did use a sewing machine briefly when Karen was teaching me to make a skirt and that was in third year Uni.) Anyway, I was gratified when I finally got the thing to work, and I sewed the lining together inside out, then pulled it the right side out and stitched it to the long panel I had knitted.
Then I sewed the bag together and weaved in all the ends. This was the result. Front view:
Back view:
Side view (you can see that the sides tend to pucker a bit according to its contents because they're not lined; the other parts of the bag are relatively neat because the lining keeps the contents in place):
Here's a close-up of the Lace Ribbon pattern:
Here's shots of the inside:
Front pocket (notice the little loop near my mobile: that's for clipping my keys onto it):
Back pocket (for the journal and pens. Maybe in the next version I'll develop something to keep the pens in place as they tend to move around when the journal isn't in there):
Inner pocket (I actually stitched this in wrongly and had to unpick it and stitch it back in properly. The second time, I stiched the bottom closed so it would act as a proper pocket. It holds the handkerchiefs and lip balm):
A glimpse of the lining:
Then there was the problem of how to keep the bag closed. The Percy bag just has one button which fastens at the front. Because the contents kept sliding around a little, I thought this one really needed two anchor points to keep the flat down. So I crocheted two little loops on the corners of the front flap:
Then I had trouble trying to work out what they should loop around. At first I thought I could make little I-cord pomp-poms, but they wouldn't stay put, and the yarn ends I had so painstakingly woven in kept coming out in a very untidy fashion. So I pulled them out and opted for I-cord instead, knitted straight onto the front. I picked up four stitches off the pattern and knitted about 9 cm of I-cord, then tied it in knots until it looked like this:
It's not ideal, of course, and when I make this bag again, I'll probably go for those wooden buttons like the ones Paddington Bear wore (whatever they're called). The annoying thing about having two places to fasten the flap is that you can't really do that with one hand, and often you need to when you're juggling wallet, shopping, phone, change, etc.
I'm not sure if I'm up for making my first proper one yet. But I know that it will be in black Bendigo Woollen Mills 100% wool, and I've already bought some cheap fabric from Reverse Garbage to do the lining.
Current:
seen: Moon 15/10/2009
read: The Incredibles 11/10/2009
seen: She's the Man 05/10/2009
read: I Kill Giants (Joe Kelly and J. M. Ken Niimura) 04/10/2009
read: Astro City The Dark Ages Book 1: Brothers and Other Strangers (Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson and Alex Ross) 04/10/2009
seen: Children of Men 02/10/2009
seen: Metric (The Metro) 30/09/2009
seen: 500 Days of Summer 25/09/2009
seen: The September Issue 18/09/2009
seen: Gilmore Girls: Season 1 17/09/2009
read: Flight (Volume 1) (edited by Kazu Kibuishi) 16/09/2009
seen: Ponyo 11/09/2009
read: Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? (Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert) 05/09/2009
heard: Aimee Mann (Enmore Theatre) 04/09/2009
heard: Ben Folds Solo (Opera House) 31/08/2009
read: Phonogram: Rue Britannia (Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie) 26/08/2009
seen: Northanger Abbey 20/08/2009
read: The Princess Diaries (Meg Cabot) 18/08/2009
seen: The Phantom of the Opera 17/08/2009
seen: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 10/08/2009
seen: District 9 10/08/2009
read: Shortcomings (Adrian Tomine) 02/08/2009
read: AIR Volume 1: Letters from Lost Countries (Willow Wilson and M.K. Perker) 28/07/2009
seen: Persepolis 25/07/2009
seen: Ghost Town 25/07/2009
heard: Gutter Twins (Seymour Centre) 23/07/2009
seen: Coco Avant Chanel 20/07/2009
seen: Gutenberg! The Musical (Seymour Centre) 16/07/2009
seen: So You Think You Can Dance? Australia Live Tour (Sydney Entertainment Centre) 11/07/2009
seen: Every Little Step 07/07/2009
seen: Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen 03/07/2009
seen: Synecdoche, New York 30/06/2009
seen: Charlie's Angels 27/06/2009
seen: Penelope 26/06/2009
seen: Coraline 10/06/2009
seen: The Sky Crawlers 08/06/2009
seen: The Bourne Ultimatum 07/06/2009
seen: The Bourne Supremacy 07/06/2009
seen: The Bourne Identity 06/06/2009
seen: Stick it 05/06/2009
Comment:
Another book from the dad’s perspective I found helpful was From here to paternity - it’s an Australian book, and was followed up with a blog.
Hi!
I’m so excited for you reading your blog about being pregnant 
I am 13 weeks pregnant with #2.
You’re so right about all the pessimism “advice” that you get. I got so mad about it but never found a good response. I’ve had such joy right from day one with E that I just don’t want to buy into the negativity (I’m sure kids pick up on it too!).
My philosophy was/is to be a relaxed mum and from that figure out what was best for my baby/child. Get advice when you’re not sure on things or want to know how other people approached things, read books (loved Outliers!) that aren’t all about parenting… but just enjoy.
In a sample size of one to date, I’ve had such a happy, chilled out son right from day one. People say all the craziest advice… glad you don’t do guilt
With love,
R
Thanks so much for writing more! I love hearing how you’re going and all your thoughts.
After watching my sister I agree with you that it seems the first six months are perhaps the hardest. She got quite lonely at home all day; weekends were all right because then her husband was around but it’s just as you say… one feed ends then the next begins! If you are accepting visitors during this period then I hope to use some RDOs to come have grown-up conversations!
The book review of The Second Nine Months makes me want to read it now!
Names: We have one girl name that we both like and no boy names that we agree on. But they are also top-secret… so if anyone else uses them we can’t accuse them of theft! 
Yay Peanut, keep on growing, can’t wait to meet you!
Hello! Thanks for sharing
I loved reading your pregnancy update! I am glad to hear that things are all going pretty well, and I hope the rest of your 2nd trimester is as good.
I just wanted to add, that some other blokes decided that there was not much for the fathers-t0-be, and made a couple of DVD’s just for expectant dads. They are called ‘Being Dad’and i think they are available at big W. I have both though, if you would like me to send them!
Just wanted to wish you all the best!
Love
Rae
re: gluten: no idea!! I didn’t have to go on that diet - it was probably related to the test I didn’t do.
At the risk of adding to your list of advice:
Re: maternity bras - because I’m big I had to look hard for something nice in my size and discovered the Australian Breastfeeding Association. They have a massive range online and most are (dare I say it) sexy.
Re: maternity clothes - Kmart have a nice range of basic stuff.. I only found out towards the end of pregnancy and I would have liked to know earlier!
Re: Parenting classes - if you’re at RPA you can just ring the midwives section (they’ll put you through) and ask directly.
Congratulations again
Don’t laminate your ultrasound picture That is my advice.
Congratulations! This is so fantastic!
Thanks so much for sharing all of this… people swap engagement stories but rarely pregnancy stories! And it’s kind of similar don’t you think, all this excitement leading up to a big day!
So happy for you guys! Actually never been more excited for anyone except my sister! I think it’s because I think that you will both be amazing parents and love the idea that someone could grow up in your family.
Looking forward to many more posts on the topic.
Lovely news, Karen.
Thanks everyone! I will be sure to ask for help when I need it!
Great pic!! Peanut is cute! :D
Praying for you all!
xx
:D
I had a similar sort of morning sickness.. except I threw up! I’m suitably impressed that you coped OS.. that must have been tough.
It sounds like you’re doing marvelously otherwise!
Book recommendation on something a bit less technical and a bit more human: ‘Birth’ http://www.birthnet.com.au/
Praise be to God indeed! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
Congratulations, Beilharzen! Welcome to the slightly-bewildering world of pregnancy (and birth...and children...). God has blessed you greatly with this new life. We’ll be praying for Peanut’s growth and development, and for you guys as you prepare.
I’m sure you’re surrounded by baby veterans, but always happy to help with books/advice/recommendations/listening.
B&L;
Excellent job Karen! You SHOULD be pleased with yourself!
Have you discovered http://www.ravelry.com ? It is an excellent site with thousands of free patterns in its database, lots of support, tips, forums etc and of course - friends like me? Look me up when you get there - fionag77
PS Are you just wearing a bulky dress or are you sporting a bump under that dress?
oooh.... It’s done and it looks great on you! xxx
Well done on all that hard work! It looks great and will be very snuggly come winter!
Thanks for letting me know, Timo!
Hi there,
Thanks for pointing out the shortcoming on our website. I’ll pass it on to my colleagues and hopefully it will be rectified soon.
The documentary at Fashioning Now was by Holly Kaye-Smith; I’d be more than happy to put you in touch with her if you’d like.
Again, thanks for the comment, much appreciate it!
Kind regards,
Timo Rissanen
Thanks Mark! Much appreciated!
Rich survey, Karen. Particularly I was struck by the notion of Jesus being clothed with our sins. I heard recently somebody suggest the crown of thorns was a kings crown but it was made of the symbol of the curse in the Garden - thorns. I would like to read your thoughts about Joseph’s coat of many colours.
Looking forward to the next installment. Regards,Mark
It is lovely - and looks great on you.
You’ve made me want to read it - though I may need an interpreter at times!
Well done with the sewing!
I think it looks good - very relaxed and spring-y.
Hey Sandra! Thanks for the tip! I read it yesterday, but I struggled a bit because Lewis doesn’t start from the Bible. I wasn’t convinced by his argument. What did you think?
Interesting post Karen - Thanks
I like the ending too! :D
xxx
Fantastic post, Karen. Just great. Thanks!
Thanks Bec! Eternal life just keeps getting better and better ...
I do like the way you ended this post - excellent thought.
Personally I don’t feel that way. Maybe that’s something you should blog about?
Wow. Lots of things to pick up on there. It’s been interesting to see the changes to your blog these last 6-12 months: Twitter is certainly more immediate, but are there (gasp) downsides to having its constant buzz in the ear?
Is our (already fractured) ability to concentrate on a single relationship at a time further jeapordised by the regular buzz of tweetdeck (and worse yet, by the imagined sense of loss that goes with being off the grid)?
Or am I just projecting my own fears?
Hi Karen!
If you’re still thinking about this… I just read CS Lewis’s essay “Learning in War-time” which exactly addresses this issue (ie. how can we justify cultural & aesthetic pursuits when people are going to hell around us?). Have you read it? i’d be interested to hear what you think..
(i have it in his little volume “Transposition and other Addresses”, but it’s easily findable online)
I’m doing my own series on the trials and tribulations of writing on my own blog here http://sedshed.blogspot.com/search/label/From%20Head%20to%20Hand
It’s coming along slowly
Coincidentily, I stumbled upon the above Phonogram vs. the Fans cover when digging around for ID concepts for Salt. A disturbingly brilliant image.
Thanks Karen. At the very least, this post gives some context to your myriad of phonogram tweets. At best, it has reinvigorated my stagnated appreciation of comics.
Seriously, though 4,549 words. Is that the best you can do? I say, longer!
Hey @RodeoClown! Yes, I neglected to mention Gillen writes about gaming. Guan said once he had the ideal job: writing, comics and games.
As far as I know, McKelvie doesn’t trace photos; he just draws (so talented ...)
You should give Phonogram a try. Be warned, though: series 1 is a little different to series 2—still clever but there are some things that are a bit strange in it if you’re not used to the fantastic.
Whoops, I stuffed up that link, sorry.
It was to Rock Paper Shotgun where he writes (he also has a standalone blog as well.
I didn’t know Gillen wrote comics until I saw the last phongram reference you made on here. It’s odd as I only knew of him as a videogame jounalist (which he is also really good at).
I read the sample issue of phonogram they have up at the Image comics (I think) site.
It looked pretty interesting - I like the subtlety involved in telling the story - the references aren’t all forciby thrust into your brain by the writer.
Do you know if the art is done by tracing photos or just dtawn?
Blinks:
Maybe discomfort is better for writing.
Showing her daughter that women are great by doing tours and walking in the footsteps of famous women. I like that this article is about engagement.
Jordan White, editor for Marvel, answers questions.
Jamie McKelvie answers questions.
Vision therapy as a treatment for ADHD, learning disabilities and even autism. The scientific community's opinion. The results of concentrated therapy.
Kieron Gillen on Phonogram, Siege, Ares, Loki and his collaborative relationship with Jamie McKelvie.
Superheroes and how they have changed the way we see urban landscape. Their attraction to New York.
Kieron Gillen talking about Phonogram's run and the effect it had on its audience.
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Comments
Toggles.
It looks good!
Thanks! (Really? They’re just called “toggles”???)
toggles was the best I could come up with too, after some googling. Some people call them wooden toggle buttons. here are a few options.
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