Bittersweet

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving break (no school and pumpkin pie!), but I'm also very sad because my best friend, Stephanie, is moving to Arizona. Since wool socks and scarves aren't quite appropriate for the temperatures down there, I came up with something else for her (which she'll be recieving in the mail for Christmas).

Steph's Arizona Bag
Materials:
- Size 10 (US) straight needles
- Size 10 (US) circular needles
- Worsted weight wool (I used Patons Classic Wool in Currant [or maybe Burgundy; I'm not too sure] for the bottom and Rosewood for the body and strap)
- Tapestry needle

Pattern:
CO 40 sts.
Work in grater st., slipping the first st. of each row, until your work is approximately as wide as it is long (you want a square). This was about 9 inches for me.
BO all sts.

Using circular needles, pick up stitches around the perimeter of your square. The number you pick up isn't terribly important. I picked up 40 on the BO edge, 38 on the side, 38 on the CO edge, and 39 on the other side, coming to a grand total of 155 stitches.

Join in the round. Knit all rounds until bag reaches desired height (roughly 13 inches for me).

BO 17, k6, BO remaining sts. Attach working yarn to remaining 6 sts and work back and forth in stockinette stitch until the strap reaches the desired length (about 21 inches on mine).

Using the tapestry needle and your yarn, securely sew the end of the strap to the opposite side of the bag.

Weave in ends and felt lightly. Let dry (over a form, if you'd like [see below for an example]).

And now, pictures!


This is the base of the bag.


















Knitting the sides in the round.


















Finished the bag.


















Knitting the strap.


















Completed strap.


















Stitch definition pre-felting.


















Stitch definition post-felting.


















My sophisticated felted-bag drying apparatus (i.e., a cardboard box with a plastic grocery bag over it).


















The finished bag that Steph will get in the mail. :)


















Happy knitting! :)