Berry Stitch Knitting Bag Revisited
I knitted the Knitting Needle Knitting Bag (free pattern) back in 2007 and modified it to exclude the knitting needles and made a single shoulder strap instead. After several uses, I found the opening to be too tight, the strap just a little too long and the lining, which was made from an old pillowcase, was just not firm enough. It laid unused under a pile of bags in my wardrobe for many months until recently when it was unearthed during a wardrobe clean out.
I wanted to bring the bag back to life. I just hate holding on to things that do not get used for one reason or another. With my recently acquired basic crochet skills, I wanted new handles similar to the Buttonhole Bag and to also re-line the bag with stronger fabric. First and foremost, I had to strip the bag of its handle and lining and start fresh.
I double stranded grey 8ply yarn and used a 4.5mm crochet hook. I double crochet along the opening of the bag . I counted the number of stitches I had on the front of the bag and divided it by 3, which turned out to be 13. On the next row, I double crochet 13 stitches then chained 13 stitches. I rejoined on the 27th stitch and double crochet to the end (side). I continued around the back of the bag in the same way. On the third and final row, I double crochet all the way around and bound off. New handles done!
Next, to the lining. I value “fancy” lining when I buy a nice bag but I’m too lazy to fuss around when I have to sew it on myself! I had an old panel curtain which I wanted to recycle. So I killed two birds with one stone and lined the bag with it. I basically laid the bag down on the fabric and cut the fabric to twice its size to cover the front and back.
Even though the curtain was made of heavy upholstery fabric, I wanted it to be even stiffer so that the bag won’t flop around. I ironed on interfacing onto the fabric to achieve this. I then folded the fabric in half with right sides facing, pressed it and machine sew the side edges. I fold an inch seam right around the top of the lining and pressed the seam flat. I placed the lining into the bag and hand stitched the top of the lining onto the bag.
If you want to learn how to line a bag properly, Futuregirl has a good tutorial on how to do it on her website.
And now the bag can stand/sit on its own and looks pretty cute I reckon!
Details on Ravelry
22 Hours in Melbourne
Richard had to work in Melbourne on our anniversary so I decided to fly down with him and join him on his little trip. It was my first time there and I absolutely loved it! It was very different to any other Australian city I’ve been to. I suppose it’s due to the high number of international students around. It is very multicultural and it felt good to blend in.
Melbourne was vibrant and alive. It felt a lot safer than Sydney at night. We walked from Lygon Street to the Federation Square after dinner and there were so many people out and about on a Wednesday night! There were people sitting around chatting in the park and having coffees at cafes. The tram was busy too when we were heading back to the hotel after 10pm.
And the best thing was that I was absolutely spoiled for choice when it came to food. There were two Muslim Singaporean/Malaysian restaurants opposite my hotel at Swanston! And the art! I was just visually overloaded with colours, sculptures and architecture. Richard said he has NEVER seen me so happy and energetic! I was bursting with excitement!
I traveled by myself when he had to go to work in the morning and it was so easy to find my way around. The Melbourne weather lived up to its reputation of having all four seasons in one day. Definitely have to dress in layers there. It didn’t bother me much cos I was just having too much fun!
Click here for more photos
Melbourne has everything I want in a city. Good food, shopping, art, culture, sports, nature and a multicultural society. I can’t wait to go there again and visit the suburbs and see how people live there. We’ve been toying with the idea of moving there in a couple of years. So, Sydney or Melbourne?
{ 5 comments }Starching Handmade Bookmarks
There are several ways to starch your knitted and crocheted projects as explained in this article. I have used the spray starch method quite a few times on handmade bookmarks and coasters. The objects were stiffer but still pliable. The results were not permanent and had to be reapplied after washing.
This time I had two bookmarks – one made from mercerized cotton and the other from wool. The cotton bookmark is my first Fan Bookmark which didn’t turn out quite what I wanted it to. The woolen one was a Triple Chevron Bookmark I knitted for Richard. It curled too much around the edges despite being heavily blocked.
I wanted to try starching these bookmarks using the white glue and water method. The results were permanent and I expected the bookmarks to be very stiff. Basically, mix equal parts of white glue and water, dip the items in the mixture, squeeze out excess and lay flat on a hard surface to dry. Easy peasy.
From a distance, both bookmarks looked like they were starched successfully. Both were very stiff and I could easily hold them up without them flopping over. However, on closer inspection, the results were not the same after the all.
The Fan Bookmark crocheted with mercerized cotton had a smooth, flat finish.
The Triple Chevron Bookmark knitted with 3ply wool, on the other hand, had a rough, very uneven finish. The animal fibres when coated with the white glue and water mixture became much more prominent and tend to stand upright, despite being flattened and smoothed before drying.
In the future, I will definitely use this method of starching on cotton, especially mercerised, but not on yarn with animal fibres. Has anyone else have any interesting experiences starching their projects?
{ 2 comments }Family Holiday 2008
My mum and two of my brothers, Hakiim and Irfan, came to visit us late last year. It was their second visit to Australia, which made it much more relaxed than when they were here the first time. We travelled from the Hunter Valley down to the South Coast, beach after beach after beach.
We stayed at a holiday park on the South Coast for the weekend. Our cabin was just by the Crooked River, Gerroa, and the sunsets were stunning! This was my most favourite part of the entire holidays. South Coast really impressed me with their picturesque valleys and rolling hills.
The holiday park was very close to Seven Mile Beach too and the sand on the South Coast seemed darker and not as soft as those found on the Central Coast. The beach was huge and flat. Perfect for young families, I think.
VIDEO 1
VIDEO 2
As it was nearing Christmas, Richard’s mum put on an early Christmas dinner for us. It was the first time for my family to experience how Christmas is celebrated here. We had quite a few laughs over dinner with reindeer ears, funny hats and cheesy Christmas crackers jokes!
In general, there were lots of mucking around (done mostly by the two boys) and doing heaps of nothing-ness. Quite a neccesity in our otherwise very busy lives.
More holiday photos found on Flickr
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