Notes on the Bucket Bag

    After publishing the pattern, I realized you should know about the mistakes too. The pattern is fine, it's all about yarn choice. I found some pretty variegated wool in my stash, and wanted to make a bucket bag with it. I had a lot, so I doubled it up and used 2 strands at once. It makes for a thicker, more heavy duty bag.



    I crocheted the bottom, and made it bigger than the one in the pattern photo. That one turned out kind of small. Here's what the bottom looks like on the finished bag:

    After picking up the stitches around the circle, I quickly realized why a variegated yarn isn't good for the bottom of the bag..... Here's what the rest of the bag looks like:

    The colors on the crocheted bottom are in blocks, due to the way double crochet works. Then the stripes on the body of the bag are from knitting in the round. I was dismayed, but I still love this bag! As you can see, I ran out of the variegated wool before the bag was tall enough, so I finished it with a denim wool, from the same company. I believe it was Patons Classic. This bag remains one of my favorite project bags, even with the weird color splotched bottom.


    So, dear readers, my advice to you is if you choose to make this bag, save your variegated wool yarn for the body, and use a solid color for the bottom!  And remember, you can make the base as big as you want, and the body as long as you want!


    In all actuality, the bag in the pattern photo is kind of small for my taste. I've made all the other ones bigger. And this bag would make a cool purse, just get a magnet or some other kind of clasp and use it to connect the long sides together.

 

I will not felt anything ever again....

   You see the photos, you see the pattern and think "Yeah, I can do this, it's not that hard!". Well, at least for me, it never turns out the way it's supposed to. After 11 skeins of wool that were not on sale, after putting all other projects in a time out, and after knitting like a mad woman for days on end, it's finally over.


   The giant purple bag came off the needles, and I took this photo:

    Then I folded it up and put it on the shelf. I wasn't going to felt it right away. I would rather felt it when Hubs isn't home, because he complains that I'm using the hot water and therefore using our oil unnecessarily.


    Well..... I couldn't wait. Last night I put it in the washer with a pair of youngest son's old denim shorts and three tennis balls that I have expressly for the purpose of felting. I had to run them through twice. This morning, I threw the whole mess into the dryer and hoped for the best. This is what I pulled out of the dryer about an hour ago...

    I put the yardstick in so we could all have a reference point to the original photo. It shrunk too much up and down, and not enough side to side. I am unhappy. I stuffed it with a couple of sheet sets so it had some dimension:

    I am seriously considering cutting a few inches out of the middle to make it shorter. I shall have to think on this for a while. In the meantime I think it's going in a time out of it's own....

Post Felting Photos

    Who knew? When I threw the bucket bag in the washer then in the dryer last night, I never expected it to dry quickly. Based on past experience, it usually takes two, if not three, dryer cycles to dry my felted things. And even then they are still damp and must hang over the baseboard heat overnight.


    But yesterday, there was a change in my usual felting routine. I needed to wash my jeans for work today, so I threw them in with the bucket bag and the tennis balls. When I went down to get the jeans out of the dryer, the bucket bag was also dry! Completely! I was shocked to say the least. But at least I can now post the after felting photo! I also measured it, and it's now about 7 inches tall.

    I really like the way the denim blue came out, I may do another one, just in that color. If anyone were to make this bag, my advice would be to use a solid color for the bottom, if you are going to use a variegated wool for the body. The crochet stitches show the colors differently, and it may not be pleasing to some people. Personally, it makes no difference to me, I like things that are different.

Bucket Bag Progress Report

    I have officially finished the third bucket bag. It's bigger than the last two. I made the bottom 15 inches across, and the sides 15 inches tall. Here's a photo of the finished bag, pre felting. If I can, I'll take another, post felting.

    For reference, I present the photo of the first bag, with same remote used for scale:

    I have to admit, I'm aquiver with anticipation, to see what it looks like after being felted! I can't wait to see what happens to the stripes. I should mention also, that I made the handle on this one 16 stitches across, instead of 12, like the first two.


    I went with Hubs to the Fishkill house today, he wanted the company. So I sat and knitted while he worked outside on the house. I was able to finish the handle, but since I didn't think to bring another needle, I had to wait until we got home to join them together. 


    When he was done, we went to Dickie's BBQ, which is excellent and I recommend it highly, then we came home. We brought the BBQ home, and ate it once we got here. Now I will go and put the bag in the washing machine. Hopefully I will be bale to report tomorrow!

Final Bucket Bag Report

    Today, I have the photos of the finished bucket bag, as well as the measurements. In my opinion, it shrunk too much. It went from 14 inches tall, or more, down to only 6 inches after felting! The bottom crocheted circle was 14 inches across, and is now 9 inches.

  
   For comparison, the black bucket bag started out about the same size as the purple one, before felting. Yet, after felting, look at the difference:

    I would say that it's because of the brands of wool I used: for the black I'd used Patons, and the purple, Malabrigo. My advice would be to use Patons or Lion Brand wool, simply because of the expense of Malabrigo. However, if you have lots of Malabrigo that you're not emotionally attached to, in your stash, you can use it, just make it even bigger to get a good size finished bag. Make the crocheted circle bottom up to six rounds bigger, and then add six or more inches of knitting in the round to the body of the bag.


    One of these days I will make this bag again, probably using Patons, and make it even bigger so you can compare them.

The Bucket Bag is Done!

    Hooray! As I type, the bucket bag is hanging off my spinning wheel, over the baseboard heating unit, to finish drying! I finished it this morning, felted it, then put it in the dryer, for two dry cycles. It's still pretty damp, hence the hanging over the heat. I'm hoping it will be dry by morning.


    I measured it this time, before felting. I will post measure it tomorrow and let you know how much it shrunk. Believe it or not, I think it was bigger, pre-felting, than the black one, and it's smaller, post felting! The black one was done with Paton's wool, and this one with Malabrigo. Quite a difference!


    I will also take photos tomorrow, so you can all see how it came out. I have no project for Stitch n Bitch tomorrow morning, so I will take the new bag, and shave it with a lint shaver, while the others knit and crochet. I like the finish it gives to my felting.


    I am finished with the pattern, too. I sent it to my friend to critique, and she says it's fine. Now I just have to decide what to do with it. For some reason I can't make it as a document on my laptop, so it's currently a draft for this blog. Fortunately, I am friends with a certain college professor who is head of her department in computer stuff. I will ask her advice in the morning. It may be for sale on etsy or Ravelry soon...

Bucket Bag Progress Report

    Today, I have made more progress, I completed the stripe of color 2. I was originally thinking about a 4 inch width, but decided to stop when it felt right. It turns out, the stripe is 3.5 inches wide. Not too bad, estimate wise!


    I also measured how tall it is so far, just for reference sake, and it's 9 inches tall so far. I have yet to measure the diameter of the bottom circle, but I will at some point.

    So far, I'm liking this bag. I am a little concerned about the diameter of the bottom, worried that it's not large enough. It's the same number of rounds as the first bag I made, but it looks smaller. I will never know, since I didn't take any measurements of the first bag, pre-felting.


    At this point, I would like to say that if you wanted to make this bag smaller or larger, it will work. Since, if done correctly, every round will have a number of stitches divisible by 12, therefore also by 6. That's the math I used to divide it, when I decided how to do the handle.


    I have considered reducing the number of stitches in the last round or two before the handle step, as the original bag is kind of wide and a bit floppy at the top. My consultants have both agreed that they like it that way, so I will soldier on with the original plan. But you could K9, K2tog all the way around the top, and still have a number of stitches divisible by 6.


    OK, I think I'm done second guessing myself for today. If anyone has any questions or comments, please feel free to post them here. I've tried to take photos of the original bag, but it's black, and isn't cooperating. All photos haven't come out well enough to be posted here. It just looks like a black blob. Phooey.

Stitch n Bitch / An Eventful Afternoon

    Stitch n Bitch was this morning, and those who were present had fun. I was nervous, and finally got to announce to my crafty friends that I GOT A JOB!! Right now, it's part time, at the Awesome Store, (where else?) at their booth at the Hudson Valley Market, out on the Salt Point Tpk.

   
     At this time, it'll only be at that site, because they are only open Saturday and Sunday. I'll be doing 4 hours each day. This means I will have to be late for my mom's not-surprise-any-more birthday party. It seems brother and his wife didn't get the surprise part. Oh, well.


    So after Stitch n Bitch this morning, I had time to go home and really get nervous before I reported to the Awesome Country store in the Galleria at 2 p.m. I was going there to fill out forms, get my official apron, and have a sort of orientation. It went well, I think.


    Yesterday, when I stopped in the Hyde Park store, I made sure I told the owner that I had been very inactive for more than 3 years, and would need time to get back into the swing, physically. She was OK with that. I hope things work out, it seems like it will be a fun place to work.


    On another topic, My felted bag came out perfectly!! My knitting friends even told me I should write out the pattern, and have it posted for sale on etsy or Ravelry. It turned out to be a near perfect bucket bag! It is plain black, so I want to decorate it. I want to embroider on it, and get some metal feet for it.


    I will keep you updated!

Crafting Update

    I just finished the crocheted/knitted bag-to-be-felted! Now to just throw it in the washing machine. To review, I crocheted a circle for the bottom, then picked up the stitches round the edge and knit in the round.


    When I determined it to be big enough, I then had to decide how to work the handle. I knew I wanted one handle, not two. Then I had to do some math. I counted the stitches around, knowing, because of the crocheted bottom, it would be divisible by 12. Here we go: I had 132 stitches, which makes 12 groups of 11. Too small. How about 6 groups of 22? That worked for me, so the next round, I cast off 44, knit 22, cast off 44, and knit 22.


    Then I put the first set of stitches on a holder, to be worked later, and began with the second set. I knew I wanted to evenly decrease the number of stitches, so I started by K3, then K2tog, then Knit across to the last 5, K2tog, K3. I did this every right side row, until I was satisfied with the number of stitches left. It seemed right at 12 stitches.


    Here are photos of the pre-felted bag, with the cable remote for size reference.

 

 

 

Hopefully I will remember to get post felting photos too!

 

The First Adventure

    I loved my 1970 Pontiac Le Mans. It was maroon, with a black vinyl top. I had gotten it at the end of my first marriage, I needed transportation to get to work. I think I paid $300 for it. It was a really good car, it had the body style of a Chevelle. Sharp! I named him Sting.


    I don't remember how I discovered it, but somehow, I found that once the engine was started, I could pull the keys out of the ignition, and it would keep running. So I got into the habit of starting the car, pulling the key out and putting it in my purse or pocket. At some point, I also discovered that I didn't necessarily need the key to start the car! I could get in, and turn the ignition, and it would start. After experimenting, I found that it seemed to be time related. I found that if it was less than eight hours since I last used the car, I wouldn't need to use the key to start it up again. If more than eight hours, use they key, then take it out. I know, very strange.


    This was the car that I had when I met my Hubs. It was about four years after my divorce that I met him. While we were still dating, the car developed a really bad banging noise in the engine. I took it in to the garage where Hubs was working, and he took a look at it. It turns out that the fly wheel had broken! Since the car was so old, even at that time, it took a long time to find a junk car that they could get the fly wheel from. Eventually they found one, and it was able to be fixed.


    But I didn't have it very long after that, for my birthday that year is when Hubs got me a different car. I don't remember what it was, a Mercury something, and it got crashed shortly after we got married, less than a year later. He took the engine from that car and out it in the Lincoln.


    And that is the last car story I have. So far. I am currently driving the Jeep Wrangler that my beloved Hubs got me for Christmas about eight years ago.


    As far as crafting goes, I am still sporatically working on the handle of the bag to be felted. I have also started knitting a simple baby washcloth from the cotton left over from the border of the cotton lace blanket.

Stitch n Bitch Report

   This morning, we had our weekly get-together, but with a change of venue. We met this week at the Eveready Diner, to celebrate Jan's birthday. We had a lovely breakfast indeed.


    This week, there were five of us. Jan was working on her knitted beaded shawl, which is gorgeous now that it's large enough to see the pattern developing; Kim was working a second sock, Bonny happily crocheted away on an amigurumi (sp?) Christmas elf-looking thing. He was cute!


    Cheryl brought a project to work on, but had lost her place, and left her pattern home, so she just got to eat and chat. Me? I have been working on one side of the handle of the big purse, that's to be felted. This is, for sure, the boring part. But I shall persevere!


      

More Adventures in Babysitting

    Let's start with a knitting project update. I found the WIP, crocheted/knitted purse to be felted. I took it with me babysitting today, but did not get to work on it at all. My youngest charge actually fell asleep in my arms, and I walked in to put her into bed. As I laid her down, her eyes opened, and less than a minute after I exited the room, she followed me out. She didn't succumb again.


    I thought, just for a short while, that she was gonna pass out in that last half hour before her dad came, but NO. She lounged, but her eyes never closed. I was watching like a hawk. Although, today I did teach her a new word! And that word is "awesome". Her mom heard it before she left for work, and her dad heard it too, before I left for the day. It felt really good.


    I also tried to get her to say her name, her dad tells me he asks her what her name is and she tells him. So today, I asked her what her name is, and she said "Lia". She leaves off the first syllable. So I asked her if she can say "mama", which she did, then I tried again with her name, Malia. Again all I got was "Lia". It's a start.


    This afternoon, while I was in the rest room, I heard strange noises from the living room. It sounded like she was rubbing a toy on the wall. I thought it was no biggie. But when I re-entered the living room, I find her with a pen in her hand, scribbling madly on the wall! She was really pissed when I took it away from her, and told her "No!".


    Now I have a couple of days of relaxation, I will not be needed again until Thursday. That should give me some much needed time to return some water bottles. They are really piling up. I have found that early morning is best for that task. I just hope the new Stop n Shop, that they are building across the street from the current one, has more bottle return machines...


   

Crafting Update and a Gallivant

    The baby blanket is finally done, and is right now in the washing machine. So I have nothing currently on hook or needles. I never got very far with Wingspan, or the Baby Surprise Jacket either. I frogged them both.


    Right now, I am just sitting here, enjoying my new recliner. Well, new to me, anyway. It sure beats the hell out of the folding lawn chair thing I had been using! It's not over stuffed, there is plenty of room for moving my arms as I knit or crochet, which I was concerned about.


     So now I get to think about what I want to make next. I've actually been thinking about making another crocheted and felted purse. I think I have enough wool in my stash. Actually, I remember that I started one, I crocheted a big circle, then picked up the stitches with a circular needle and knitted in the round. I should go find that one, and work on it some more...


    Earlier, I gallivanted out to the Hudson Valley Marketplace, on the Salt Point Tpk. I know the Awesome Store has a booth there, and with their store being closed on Sunday, that was my only choice. I needed more soup mixes. I used the last one in my pantry yesterday.  So now I'm restocked, and very happy.


     

In Which I Try Something New!

   The other day, I was looking at knitting patterns on one of those free pattern sites. I was specifically looking at felted items. I have made a few felted bags in my time, so I was looking to see if there was anything new.

   I saw some bag patterns I liked, but I am not a fan of double pointed needles, especially to start a project with. Nothing but disaster for me. So I thought about it, and thought about it some more. I think I have some up with an idea.

   I decided to crochet a circle for the bottom of the bag, then pick up and knit around the circle for the rest of it!  I have some black and grey Patons wool that I bought last winter to make slippers, but never did. I started with the black, and made a crocheted circle. I didn't measure it, but it's at least 13 or 14 inches across. I used a K size (6.5 mm) hook, and plan to use a size 10 1/2(6.5 mm) circular needle, 32 inches long.

  When it was big enough for me, I slipped the last loop on the hook onto the needle, and then went around the circle picking up stitches. When I got them all, I started knitting! I am doing this all off the cuff, so who knows how it will turn out? I plan on knitting the bag at least 18 inches long. I will probably put a big fat grey stripe in it at some point.

   I am not sure yet how I will handle the handle (pun intended). Maybe I will bind off all but 8 stitches or so, then do an I-cord to attach at the other side? I can't wait to see it once it's all felted.

  This is the first time I've used my own idea. I like that it's combined crochet and knitting. The crochet bottom will be sturdier than the knit body, since crochet makes a heavier fabric. We will have to see how it comes out. I will take pictures, before felting and after, and post them in the future.