Knitting to Go Bag - Tutorial

Small bag 8" high finished size.

I'm sure like me, many of you read Clara Parks review of the Go Knit Pouch on Knitter's Review. It sounds perfect for carrying my sock knitting but I am not willing to spend $20.०० for a small knitting bag so I decided to make my own. This is a relatively simple project if you have some sewing experience.

You will need:
1/2 yd of Ripstop Nylon
(you can probably use other fabric but the ripstop is light and your needles won't poke through)
Matching or contrasting thread
3 sets of #16 snaps
1 yd 1/4" wide grosgrain ribbon
12" 3/4" wide grosgrain ribbon
1 cord stop

Cut two rectangles of fabric 15.5" X 18" for a large bagor 12" X 9.5" for a small bag.

Sew short ends, wrong sides together on each end.

Make a french seam * - sew seam with wrong sides together on each end, press, turn tube wrong side out and resew seam enclosing sewn seam allowance. Press under 1/4 inch at top edge of bag.

Turn under again at 3/4 inch and press.

Mark buttonhole directly across from the seam on the outside.

Unfold and make buttonhole only through one layer.
Refold and topstitch creating a casing.

Cut out a 9.5" circle from paper and trace on to fabric for large bag or a 7" circle for small bag and mark at each quarter.
Mark quarters on the body of the bag. Pin bag to bottom match quarter marks and easing in any excess. Sew bottom to the bag.

Treat cut edges with Fray Check to keep from unraveling.

Cut grosgrain ribbon into two 5" pieces and one 10" piece. Apply snaps so when closed, the strips make a loop, to guide the yarn. Make sure to leave an inch or more at the end to attach them to the seam allowance. A zipper foot works well when sewing. Position ribbons under the french seam about 3" from top of bag and sew just to the seam allowance.

Cut a narrow piece of grosgrain ribbon long enough to thread through the casing plus extra for sewing closed. Thread into casing, sew closed and then pull ribbon so that the sewed part is near the seam.Sew the 10" piece of grosgrain ribbon at the seam opposite the buttonhole and over the casing so the drawstring ribbon will not pull out.


Fold the drawstring loop and thread it through the cord stop. Tie a knot at the end of the loop.

The completed bag, open.

The completed bag, closed. The large bag will hold 4 skeins of worsted weight yarn.

Easy Slippers

To make these slippers you will need about 4 oz of wool. Using size 13 needles, cast on 28 stitches. You can use slightly bigger or smaller needles and adjust the number of stitches. It doesn't have to be exact. Knit in stockinette for 50 rows or until piece measures 12" - 14" long. DON'T cast off. Cut your yarn leaving a long tail. Using a yarn needle thread the stitches onto the tail. Gather tightly to form the toe, knot but don't cut the tail then sew about 4" closed which makes the top of the foot. Leave about 7" open for your foot. Then fold in half and sew the other end from top to bottom which will be the back of the heel. They will look huge! Make sure there are no holes in the toe area because they may not felt closed. Repeat for the second slipper.

To felt, put the slippers in a lingerie bag. Fill the washer to the lowest level with hot water, put in the slippers and a small squirt of dish liquid. Also throw in 2 pairs of jeans to help the felting process. Let the machine agitate. Keep checking every 5 mins or so to see if your slippers are your size. You can put your foot in a plastic bag and try them on. Keep agitating until they are the right size. When they are your size, put them through a rinse and spin cycle and then put on your feet to shape. Carefully remove them to preserve the shape and let them dry.

Center Pull Ball

After winding and rewinding a center-pull ball which got tangled in the center and wouldn't pull out, I found a neat idea in Knitting Tips and Trade Secrets.
You place the end of the yarn in to a prescription bottle and then put the cap on. Wind the yarn around the bottle just as you would if you were winding it without the bottle there. When all the yarn is wound up, tuck the yarn end into the ball to secure it and then remove the lid. Slide the ball of yarn off by pulling it down off the bottom of the bottle. A couple of times, not thinking, I tired to pull it off from the top. There are little teeth that hold the cap on which which will snag the yarn.
I highly recommend this book. It is has many ideas which will help your knitting go smoother.

Just a Pidge

I saw this gorgeous little scarf called a Pidge on Daily Candy. I thought it would be the perfect little neck piece to wear with a sweater or under a jacket as the weather cooled. It didn't look complicated so I thought I would try to make one for myself. This is how I made mine.

Materials

US size 10 knitting needles

50 grams DK or Worsted weight yarn

2 buttons sized to fit between stitches

Cast on 22 stitches and work in Twisted Stockinette Stitch pattern until pieces measures 21.5 inches or desired length. Bind off. Weave in ends. Sew buttons along the long side of the piece near the short edge.

Twisted Stockinette Stitch
Row 1 (right side) knit inserting needle through back loop of each stitch
Row 2 purl all stitches

Repeat these two rows for pattern.

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I am getting a lot of wear out of mine. I particularly like that it doesn't hang down and get in my way.