Webbcrafts

Simply Knitting

The Really Useful Blue Cabled Bag

Free bag handles from ‘Simply Knitting’ magazine gave me the nudge to try their patterns for knitted bags.

Stash Buster

They would, I thought, make handy project bags. Easy to carry about with a piece of crochet or knitting, and small enough so that I would have enough yarn in my stash.

Never the Right Yarn

Sorted through my stash pile, and was able to come up with similar colours, but of course, different weights from the pattern. This wasn’t going to make too much difference, except the size of the bag would differ from the given dimensions.

One Small and One Useful

Using Aran weight the cabled bag was an excellent project if you are new to cabling, and came out a useful size. I used the yarn left over from when I made a cabled cardigan, and so with the free handles it didn’t cost anything in materials to knit. The pink and purple bag was knitted with left over yarn from children’s  cardigans which made it much lighter, and therefore smaller.

Off Cuts Make Good Lining

The lining was also an off cut bought from our local charity shop which had been stashed away for when it would be useful, and now it was. Cost was about 40 pence, and it lined both bags.

Keeping the Blue

I shall keep the blue one because it is just the right size to hang from my spinning wheel, the pink one I shall give to a little one to carry something precious around with her.

Pink and Purple Children's Bag

The Importance of the Swatch

I’m always unwilling to knit a swatch, it seems like a waste of time, but these bags are a real lesson in why it is important to do it. This project didn’t matter, but if I needed something to fit and I couldn’t find the correct wool for the pattern it would matter a great deal. I will remember this!

Lining secured and neatened

The Inspiration for a Warm Sweater...

When your country looks like Iceland in winter, one of the first things you think about is warmth, and keeping warm.

Using the Natural Materials

When your country has sheep with an incredibly thick fleece, you will find ways of utilising it to provide the warmth that every body craves.

The fleece that keeps out the Icelandic winter

Was Your Winter Cold?

The winter of 2009-2010 has been long and hard, the coming of spring delayed, we could learn from Iceland.

The Lopapeysa in action..

I hadn’t knitted a lopapeysa before, but once I started and worked through the pattern methodically ten rows at a time, I was pleased that it was ‘ doable’

Warm enough for action...

Nursery Rhyme

I love this nursery rhyme from Iceland, but you don’t have to start at four, I proved it!

Now you have come to your fourth
year Your work you will begin- That is
learning the three arts:
To read, to knit, to spin. -Icelandic nursery rhyme

Heavy Cabled Man's Cardigan

Knit because you want to

There is no one reason for knitting. It is certainly a bonus to create a garment which has seen you through good times and bad, and often these remembrances can be poignant, like looking through an old but treasured photo album.

Happy days

I still have unhappy memories of my mother’s ill thought out projects. It often took her so long to finish a school jumper that it didn’t fit when I was forced to wear it. Painful!

I had no concept then that my mother hated knitting, but couldn’t afford to buy expensive shop bought school  uniform, I just knew that when sloppy joes were fashionable my jumpers were tight.

No repeats

I vowed not to make the same mistake and force my own children into wearing hand knitted cardigans. Throughout their growing years I made sure that they always had shop bought cardigans. Knitting went out of fashion until the age old skills virtually died out.

The wheel has turned

The wheel has now turned full circle. Grandchildren are happy to wear cardigans, hats, scarves, mittens and trendy leg warmers all knitted with love.

Spot the difference

Whether making something for yourself or because you know that your efforts will bring comfort to someone else, the act of knitting gently calms a stressed mind. The wonderful thing is that you’re creating, you’re making a thing of beauty. It bears no comparison to eating chocolate after a bad day or mindlessly staring at a screen, not only will you be inordinately proud of your effort, a feeling that has to be experienced and cannot be explained, you will have the pleasure of its presence for many years.

Knitted with love

When a garment is knitted with love it feels different and although it seems fanciful to believe that the love is passed on to the wearer, I know that the cabled cardigan that took me long hours to knit  brings comfort to my husband. Not only does  it keep him warm, but if I should die it will be a part of me that will stay with him.

Better than a photograph.