Filling in the Blanks

In October, I posted about something I was making, and said I would fill in the blanks. I was making a felted messenger bag for my Knitted Purse Swap partner, Mel. I was thrilled with the way it came out.

I learned a lot of new techniques/stitches in making it. The bag is knit from the top down, with 2 inches of linen stitch, then twisted stockinette. The "edges" are done by slipping a stitch every other row. The bottom is mitered and cast off with a three needle cast off. The flap is knitted seperately, then sewn on. I decided that stripes would be nice on the flap. The strap is knit using a slip stitch with 2 rows of solid followed by 2 rows of varigated. This technique resulted in a cool almost houndstooth pattern. When the yarn arrived, I was a little nervous about the varigated not matching with the solid, but after felting, I think it looks great! One of the coolest things about this pattern was that the swatch became a pocket! How cool is that?? I really liked the way that the twisted stockinette resulted in a corduroy-ish fabric. Mel liked it a lot, and I am really glad. This was a fun swap, and I am signed up for the next one. Come and join the fun!!