Fairly Busy

I thought I would jump right in to being a Hoosier and enter some knitting in the upcoming State Fair. I don't expect to win anything but had a great time entering the Ventura County fair last year.Next weekend is the time to take in entries, and I've been working on several projects for the categories I am enrolled in.

The Eleanor socks I knit as the July pair for my personal sock club are my entry for Adult Accessory. The yarn is Knit Picks Bare that I dyed during my first attempt at hand-dyeing.



For Child Accessory, I made a mistake rib scarf, from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, for the Biscuit to wear this winter and added a corkscrew fringe.



I am done with knitting another Cabin Carry as a Felted Purse entry, but haven't felted it yet.



I am totally thrilled with how my Aubrey shawl came out (see previous post for pattern and more photos) and it will be my entry for Shawl/Scarf.



I also signed up for Adult Sweater - One Color, and knit an Amelia in some cream Cascade 220 Superwash. I just sewed the buttons on this afternoon. However, I cocked up the neckline something fierce and the fit is otherwise disastrous on me. It is currently stuffed into a bag in my room until it either mends its non-flattering ways or I think of someone else to give it to. Plan B is to enter my February Lady Sweater, shown here in a lovely ladies room shot.



Not all of my recent knitting has been for the fair. Friday evening I finished this baby gift for a co-worker of Greg's. The hat is Little Pumpkin from Itty Bitty Hats and the sockies are something I ginned up on the fly to go with.



And sometimes I do thing other than knit and work and care for my young. After the morning thunderstorms cleared up yesterday and we were back from running errands it was a lovely breezy day outside. There is a dead tree of some kind, let's call it an Indiana Thornbush, in the greenbelt behind our house, and I went after about half of it with a handsaw and lack of common sense. I had a good time pulling out branches and snapping off twigs and said "C'mon, you son of a bitch" more than is probably ladylike.

Cabin Carry - Felted Bag Pattern

The slow color changes of this yarn and the log cabin construction technique contribute interest to the final look of this felted tote. The bag is constructed by knitting two log cabin squares from self-striping yarn and joining them together while creating the sides, bottom, and strap of the bag. There is no seaming and minimal finishing required.

Materials

Needle size: US 10½ / 6.5 mm (or size needed to obtain gauge)

Yarn: Noro Kureyon , colorway 150, 5 skeins (550 yards)

Tapestry Needle
Stitch markers
Safety pin or removable stitch marker

Gauge: 3.5 stitches per inch in garter stitch, prior to felting

Dimensions: about 18” by 16”, plus strap, prior to feltin

Front and Back (make 2)

Cast on 12. Knit 10 garter ridges (20 rows). *Bind off on right side, keeping last stitch on right needle. Rotate 90 degrees clockwise. With right side facing you, pick up one stitch for each garter ridge or bound off stitch. Knit 5 garter ridges.* Repeat from * 11 times, ending with 13 blocks total (center square surrounded by 12 additional blocks). Bind off all stitches on right side.

Strap and sides

At this point you will be joining the front and back pieces together while creating the sides and bottom of the bag. This is accomplished by picking up stitches from the front and back pieces at the end of each row of the side piece and knitting them together with the side stitches. This might be a little awkward for the first inch or two, but very soon the side of the bag will have enough structure to make it easier to handle. The sides of the bag widen slightly toward the bottom.

Setup row: Arrange front and back pieces with wrong sides together. With right side facing, pick up one stitch in corner of front piece (as if you were going to begin another log cabin strip). Using backward loop method, cast on 2, place marker, cast on 1, place marker, cast on 3. Pick up one stitch from corner of back piece. Turn.

Side Row: Knit first two stitches together (picked up stitch from previous row and first strap piece). Knit to end. Pick up one stitch from the next garter ridge or bound off stitch at the edge of the adjacent front/back piece.

Repeat side row 10 times.

Increase row: Knit first two stitches together (picked up stitch from previous row and first strap piece). Knit to stitch before first marker, kfb, k1, kfb. Knit to end. Pick up one stitch from the next garter ridge or bound off stitch at the edge of the adjacent front/back piece.

Repeat side row 15 times.
Repeat increase row.
Repeat side row 19 times.
Repeat increase row.
Repeat side row 19 times.
Repeat increase row. This is the last increase row. To mark the point on the opposite side of the body of the bag where decreases need to begin, trace a straight line across the work to the opposite edge and place a safety pin or removable marker at that spot.


Work side rows for the remainder of the side of the bag. When you reach the corner of the piece, just keep going - continue around the corner by picking up the first garter ridge/bound off stitch from the bottom edge. Continue side row for the bottom of the bag and second side of the piece until you reach your pin/removable marker.

Decrease row: Knit first two stitches together (picked up stitch from previous row and first strap piece). Knit to stitch before first marker, ssk, k1, k2tog. Knit to end. Pick up one stitch from the next garter ridge or bound off stitch at the edge of the adjacent front/back piece.

Repeat side row 19 times.
Repeat decrease row.
Repeat side row 19 times.
Repeat decrease row.
Repeat side row 15 times.
Repeat decrease row.

Work side row for the remainder of this side of the bag, which should be about 11 rows.

When you reach the top corner of the piece, knit back and forth on the remaining 7 stitches until strap is about 28 inches long. Bind off all stitches.

Finishing

Sew strap end to cast on row of side. Weave in ends. The felting process is pretty forgiving here, so don’t sweat imperfect finishing, but make sure that all ends are secure enough not to unravel during felting.

Felt. There are many, many felting tips and tutorials online. I usually toss my item in a pillowcase or laundry bag and put it through a short hot wash with a bit of detergent and a few pairs of jeans, checking it frequently and stopping before the spin cycle.

Block to the shape you want and allow to dry completely.