A Bag for Lara

Friends of mine, Sam and Lara, are adopting 3 children from Ethiopia.

The children are lovely, and are going to be part of a wonderful family.  And I'm sure they will be a blessing, as well as being blessed.

In the process, Sam and Lara have to make a few trips to Ethiopia.  Lara, who has long stated her wish for something hand knit, asked if I would make her a bag that she could bring with her.  So I did.


In the bright colors of the Ethiopian flag, I knitted and fulled this tote.

After punching the holes for the i-cord straps to go through, I reinforced them with grommets.
(h/t: AuburnChick for the excellent idea!)

The bag is roomy enough to store several items, and sturdy enough to keep them safe.

I hope she enjoys it on her next trip.




Speaking of which, I better hurry and get this in the mail so she gets it in time!

Details:  Knitted and fulled bag, designed by me.  Made from Wool of the Andes Bulky yarn in Wine (3 hanks), Turmeric (2 hanks), and Grass (2 hanks).  The bag was knit in pieces on size US 10 1/2 circular needles, then the pieces were crocheted together for a visible seam.  The i-cord was knit on size US 10 double-pointed needles in one piece, then cut into two pieces after fulling.

Raspberry Wheat Ale Messenger Bag

I was very fortunate to be able to knit the Raspberry Wheat Ale Messenger Bag from Pints and Purls for Knit Picks Fall 2009 catalog. The bag was knitted with Wool of the Andes in Dune Twist, and knit up fairly quickly on size 6 needles. The pattern calls for larger needles, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get gauge with anything larger. I seem to have become a bit of a loose knitter when I wasn't looking.

This would be a perfect knitting bag. It is large enough to hold a sweater, and the pockets would keep everything well organized.

The bag is knit in pieces and sewn together before felting, with the back pocket being sewn in after felting. I love the ribbon detail! Plenty of room in that pocket for a pattern and some accessories.

There are also 2 side pockets that are left unfelted and are sewn in at the end. These would be a great place to store needles, scissors, or other small accessories.

I really like this bag, and think I will have to knit one for myself. Pink and green will be the perfect combination for me.

As Promised

As promised in my last post... The felted clogs I've been working on. The pattern is the Fiber Trends Felted Clogs, the yarn is Patons Classic Wool. Though it doesn't show well in these pictures, the pink and gray are lovely heathered colors.

And now, the before and afters:

These are my slippers before:

And after:

Jordan's before:

And after:

After they were knitted, Jordan's were about 18" long, and mine were about 16".

Afterward they were about 12 1/2" and 10 1/2" respectively.


They are so comfortable and cozy, and they really keep feet warm. Sadly, that makes them almost impossible to wear during the summer, but they're surely a wonderful winter treat.