FO: Monk's Travel Satchel
After a year (almost to the day, I think), I have finished the Monk's Travel Satchel from Folk Bags!
Here are all the finished pieces laid out (with a few measurements for reference)...
And here is the finished bag!
Another action shot:
The back pocket:
Closeup of the front:
And my best try at a shot of the interior:
Some notes:
- Holy crap, MOST AMOUNT OF SEED STITCH AND STOCKINETTE AT 9 ROWS/INCH EVER, MAN. I'm happy with the finished product, but I will never make something like this again. I wasn't sure I could finish it.
- I'm still confused about some parts of the pattern. For the strap, it says to cast on 33 sts on circular needles. The pattern only calls for 29-inch circs, which are obviously too long to knit the strap in the round, so maybe it's just trying to encourage the knitter to knit flat on circs because...it's more efficient? Requires the purchase of fewer needles? No idea. Anyway, when I started the pattern I thought I was supposed to knit the strap in the round, so I did so on dpns. So, I think my strap is only half as wide as it's supposed to be (it's ~2.5 inches). Oops. This means I made the side pockets only 17 sts across, since if I cast on 33 like the pattern says, they would be twice as wide as the strap.
- Lessons learned: how to spot a pattern with excessive amounts of plain stitching on small needles, how to pick up stitches (I thought I knew how before, but it turns out I was wrong), how to make an icord, how to knit seed stitch in my sleep.
I knit this with Cascade 220. Which is 100% wool. The pattern calls for an 80/20 cotton/wool blend. Um...oops? The bag is much floppier than it's supposed to be because of this, I think. When I bought the yarn over a year ago, I didn't really know about the different qualities of cotton vs. wool, so I didn't realize that this maybe wasn't the best yarn. A salesgirl at the yarn shop helped me pick this out, and I showed her the pattern reqs, so I'm kind of surprised that she didn't mention the different fiber content. But, no big deal. I'll make a lining if it turns out I need one.
This was supposed to be a Christmas present for my younger sister...last December. I'm off to meet her and hand it over now.
I can't believe this project is done! YAY! I plan to make something small and with an intricate stitch pattern next...
Here are all the finished pieces laid out (with a few measurements for reference)...
And here is the finished bag!
Another action shot:
The back pocket:
Closeup of the front:
And my best try at a shot of the interior:
Some notes:
- Holy crap, MOST AMOUNT OF SEED STITCH AND STOCKINETTE AT 9 ROWS/INCH EVER, MAN. I'm happy with the finished product, but I will never make something like this again. I wasn't sure I could finish it.
- I'm still confused about some parts of the pattern. For the strap, it says to cast on 33 sts on circular needles. The pattern only calls for 29-inch circs, which are obviously too long to knit the strap in the round, so maybe it's just trying to encourage the knitter to knit flat on circs because...it's more efficient? Requires the purchase of fewer needles? No idea. Anyway, when I started the pattern I thought I was supposed to knit the strap in the round, so I did so on dpns. So, I think my strap is only half as wide as it's supposed to be (it's ~2.5 inches). Oops. This means I made the side pockets only 17 sts across, since if I cast on 33 like the pattern says, they would be twice as wide as the strap.
- Lessons learned: how to spot a pattern with excessive amounts of plain stitching on small needles, how to pick up stitches (I thought I knew how before, but it turns out I was wrong), how to make an icord, how to knit seed stitch in my sleep.
I knit this with Cascade 220. Which is 100% wool. The pattern calls for an 80/20 cotton/wool blend. Um...oops? The bag is much floppier than it's supposed to be because of this, I think. When I bought the yarn over a year ago, I didn't really know about the different qualities of cotton vs. wool, so I didn't realize that this maybe wasn't the best yarn. A salesgirl at the yarn shop helped me pick this out, and I showed her the pattern reqs, so I'm kind of surprised that she didn't mention the different fiber content. But, no big deal. I'll make a lining if it turns out I need one.
This was supposed to be a Christmas present for my younger sister...last December. I'm off to meet her and hand it over now.
I can't believe this project is done! YAY! I plan to make something small and with an intricate stitch pattern next...