knitting neels

I made a bag – the Folklore Bag from 101 One Yard Wonders.

I’m not a huge fan of sewing bags. They tend to be as complex as a garment and often a lot more fiddly. I figure that if I’m going to put in that much time, I might as well have something to wear out of it. I decided to give this a go anyway. The pattern pieces were clear and the instructions were easy to follow. I like the pleats, which are on both sides, and the shape means it is deceptively spacious.

It was my first time using a magnetic closure. It wouldn’t have been in any way problematic if I hadn’t set it too close to the seam. My edge stitching around the top is pretty wobbly in those spots as a result. Other than that though, it is definitely a closure I will use again. It was easy to install and pretty cheap – I think they’re €2.50 in Trimming’s. The fabric, I got in Murphy-Sheehy’s and I have enough left over from a metre to make a wee purse along the lines of this.

All in all, it was a straight-forward pattern and if you’re into bags, you’ll probably enjoy sewing this one.

There has been a heck of a lot of knitting going on. I have nearly finished the body of my Dad’s Christmas jumper.

I like the yarn, the ‘pattern’ is easy but there’s no getting around it: knitting a man’s jumper is a LOT of knitting. He tried it on last night and it fits fine, thank God.

I’m knitting something else, too, but it’s for a regular reader (hi Mum!) so I can’t tell you what it is. The more avid Zimmermann fans amongst you may recognise its unusual shape.

Regarding my recent bodice drafting experiment, the body turned out fine but I had problems drafting a sleeve and collar. I really should be more sensible and do drafting only in the morning, after coffee. I don’t want to move on to drafting another pattern until I fix this one so the tartan skirt is on hold for the moment. In the meantime, I have cut out a straight-forward skirt using a left-over wool/cashmere and satin lining from this dress. I’ve been wearing the dress a lot and it’s extremely warm. Given our recent spell of cool temperatures, it pushed me over the edge to cut the skirt out and sew it up. Very gratifying, too, to use up the rest of such delicious fabric – I still have enough wool/cashmere to make a scarf or some luxurious slippers and enough satin to make this beautiful top from the December Burda magazine.

I hope everyone’s festive crafting is going to plan and if not… I send lots of coffee karma!