I think I have mentioned in a previous post that I like the concept of knitting more than knitting. As I was making my two hats earlier this year I realized that maybe I would enjoy knitting lace.* After perusing Raverly, I decided that a shawl would probably not be a good project at this time. I found patterns for several little draw string type bags and decided to go with one of them.
This is called Lacy Jewelry Gift Bag and is available for free on Ravelry. It calls for being made with crochet thread which I couldn't find at my local Michael's. I should clarify that the metallic thread drew me into the bag and whenI couldn't find the metallic thread, I wasn't about to make it with plain crochet thread. Instead I found this sparkly Vanna's Glamour (Lion Brand) and decided to try it with that. It's not like I was actually making it for anything - this was purely a practice piece.
The pattern was fairly straightforward to follow, although I think I started several times. If I continue knitting, I need to figure out how to rip out rows. I can do it the slow way of one stitch at a time, but I've seen my mom pull the needle out, rip out a few rows and pick up all the stitches again. When I try that, I invariably drop a few. Or more than a few:) Plus the stitches I do manage to pick up get all twisted up.
Overall it was an enjoyable little project. I was almost done sewing the bag together when I realized that I should have turned it inside out prior to sewing the seams. Oops. You can tell I don't sew! (Or knit garments). I completed the knitting fairly quickly and then the bag sat in my basket for quite a while until I managed to block it (don't think that did anything...) and sew it together.
The way the bag is constructed is that you make a rectangle, then fold along the center and you are left with a side seam and the bottom to sew together. I had toyed with the idea of making the initial rectangle larger by essentially making a mirror image and then folding it lengthwise, which would leave the two side seams to sew together. It obviously would have made a larger bag, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out a use for that either!
Yes, I realize the black ribbon does not match, but it's the closest ribbon I had on hand.
I can maybe see myself making this again as part of a gift bag. If I were ever to repeat it, I would definitely turn inside out for seaming. I would also like to make it in the crochet thread that it calls for an not with yarn.
The bag is ~ 3 inches wide and ~ 4.5 inches tall.
*Several years ago I made a lace scarf. It was made with much thicker yarn than the pattern called for, but it was my first experience with trying to knit lace.
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