In the last few years, I’ve noticed that knitting blogs have developed in many new directions. Some have been closed down or just ignored, some knit bloggers have started spinning, some have started weaving and some have been sewing. I, of course, have dabbled in spinning, have been drooling over some lovely weaving, but sewing has mostly left me cold. Until now.
I asked my mother if I could borrow her sewing machine (a Husqvarna from the 80s), visited the fabric shop and just started:

Pattern: Two Kates project bag
Fabrics: Outer is Kaffe Fassett quilting cotton, lining is a relatively generic quilter’s cotton, both fat quarters.
Modifications: The bag is slightly narrower than the pattern suggests. The strap is around two inches narrower, as the pattern strap seemed too broad to carry the bag by.

I sewed this bag without sewing even one test seam! This is a charming little pattern, and extremely easy to follow. I really liked that the pattern contained directions to draw my own template.
I also tried my hand at a smaller sock knitting bag. This wasn’t as successful, unfortunately, but the less fortunate parts are easily hidden:

Pattern: Yarnmonster’s drawstring bag tutorial
Fabric: One fat quarter of quilter’s cotton, designer unfortunately forgotten
Modifications: None intentionally, but the bottom turned out too big for the sides, so the bottom is a little scrunched. Also, the topstitching created some unintentional creases.
I really like this bag. It’s small enough to fit comfortably in my handbag and keep my knitting from getting tangled in keys, my mobile phone or my mp3-player headset. At the same time, it comfortably holds a full skein of sock yarn and my project. And because it has a separately-sewn-on bottom, it sits open rather than flopping over uselessly. I’ll make more of these, I think.
