Huckleberry Bag finished

Ta da!
the finished Huckleberry Knitting Styx Bag...
a close up of the front so you can see the heart button and little beads
and of course a picture of the back (reverse st st)
and now the cute lining inside... with a pocket, of course!
(yes, I did have help with the machine sewing of the lining... the hand sewing part I did on my own. So I only have myself to blame for it being just a tiny bit off center. BUT, I didn't let my OCD make me take it out and re-do it, HA! maybe I'm getting better about being such a perfectionist?!)
And now the details:
Yarn - Lion Brand Wool, colorway 1 skein Ocean Blues and 1 skein Black
Needles - bag front knitted on US size 10 1/2, back knitted on Bond Knitting Machine
Pattern - Modified Knitting Needle Knitting Bag by Pam Allen (or find it here)

Mods:
For this bag, I CO60 (instead of the required 80). I did make it shorter by 1 1/2" and did not decrease. The back was knitted on the Bond Knitting Machine and I used the purl side out. The handles were Tunisian crochet and folded in half and sewn closed. The bag was lined and decorated with a heart button and some metal beads.

I hope the birthday girl likes the bag! She will be surprised that her presents were mailed in time to get there BEFORE her birthday (unlike the usual lateness)

Some assembly required....

Lest you think I have NOT been knitting and have been playing in my craft room (and you would be partially correct)... I have been playing with the Bond Knitting machine.

I machine knitted the back for the Huckleberry Bag and then I machine knitted the 100 rows for the Bond Styx Bag (pattern courtesy of SuKnitWitty).

The assembly part is sewing the side seams and knitting/crocheting the handles. And with some help from my very best friend, I'll line both the bags with some totally awesome material!!

I used J C Brent Marble Chunky and Lion Brand Jiffy

I added a ribbing at the top...and now have to add it to the other top before sewing the side edges.

It was great fun knitting this bag on the machine! I can see LOTS of unfinished bags in my future if I get too carried away with just the knitting part and don't do the assembly part, lol!

Disappointing yarn

Yep, I'm disappointed with the Brown Sheep Lanaloft yarn.

Last week I started another Berry Stitch Bag using Brown Sheep Lanaloft in Turquoise.
The back is done on the Bond Knitting Machine so I didn't notice anything. BUT! when I started hand knitting the front there was blue dye on my hands!!

I thought, hmmm.... it can't be from the yarn and put the project away. But when I knitted a few more rows last night and saw my blue hands I was upset. I can't have the dye coming off! and I don't plan on felting it. I don't want to frog it, wash the yarn, and then start over. Also, I don't like the thick and thin places throughout the yarn. So the yarn is in a bag while I ponder what to do with it.

I still want to make this bag as a gift and I need to get it done soon. So I got out some different stash yarn.

Lion Brand Wool in colorway Ocean Blues. I also have some Ebony that I plan on using on the back and maybe for the handles.

So far NO dye on my hands!!
and a close-up of the berry stitch pattern
As much as I like the Turquoise colorway, I am liking this yarn much better.

What have I done?!!

I told myself, "no new craft projects!, you will not take up quilting, you will not start spinning, and no, you may not start rug hooking!" "You do enough other crafts to keep you busy for a 100 yrs!"

And then...
I was seduced by the Bond Knitting Machine...



It is wonderful! It is quick! and I can think of soooo many knitting projects to do on it and still have some hand knitting as part of it.

It all started when I mentioned She-Knits Mystery Bag KAL to my friend, SuKnitWitty. We immediately signed up!

And then a few days later, SuKnitWitty shows me her Knitting Styx Bag she made with the back having been knitted on the Bond Knitting Machine. Well... I had never heard of a Bond and asked her about it. She then explained, she knitted the back on the Bond and then knitted the Berry Stitch on the needles. Well, I thought how wonderful it would be to knit the backs of sweaters on the machine (time saving, yes?) and then hand knit the front in whatever stitch pattern I wanted. I might even be able to figure out how to knit the sleeves on the machine (again saving time!)

A week later I was visiting SuKnitWitty and she showed me her bond machine. She showed me how it worked. She even let me try it out (bad idea), I was hooked!! I machine knitted the back of a bag for myself. I came home all excited and chatted endlessly about how great this machine is and all the wonderful stuff I could make if I had one.

I hand knitted the front of the bag, stitched it together, and SuKnitWitty helped me with the lining ('cause you all know I know nothing about the sewing machine).

Ta da... the Blueberry Styx Bag

front
back knitted on the Bond machine

inside lined (with what else?... butterflies of course!)
and the handles done in Tunisian crochet and folded in half and slip stitched closed.

Yes, I have asked Santa for a Bond Knitting Machine. Now if I can just wait that long.