It's in the bag!

Now that there is finally a working digital camera in the house I can at last present some of my works in progress:


But wait, what's this? This is not knitting! No, it's crochet. Now, before anyone alerts the knitting police let me just say that I really did try to knit something out of this yarn, but it just wouldn't happen. I tried stockinette stitch, I tried seed stitch, and in a moment of temporary delusion I even tried the lace pattern found on the front of Green Gable, thinking this yarn might turn into a nice summer tee. But the yarn was just not meant for knitting, or at least not for my knitting. It is a bulky 90% cotton, 10% polyamide blend and has almost no stretch whatsoever because of its unusual structure:


It does not have several plies like most yarns, instead it consists of only one strand which is kind of twisted into a pattern held together by a tiny string of polyamide. If you cut the yarn and pull the cotton strand the yarn will actually unravel. Anyway, when knitted up the decorative surface of the yarn itself just disappered into this uneven unsightly fabric that felt way too stiff and bulky to be used in a piece of clothing, not to mention how much friction there was when the yarn was pulled against itself. Very bad on the hands.

But despite all this I still couldn't let this yarn go. I bought it a year ago because I liked the fresh, fruity color and the unusual texture of it, but the swatches back then were as disappointing as the ones made a year later. So after marinating in the stash during the cold season it came out again with the spring sun and eventually told me it wanted to become a crocheted bag! And what do you know, that was indeed the perfect way to bring out the texture of the yarn while creating a sturdy non-stretchy fabric just right for a summer bag, and without killing the hands! I even have to admit I have really enjoyed the crocheting :-o.

The bag consists of one long piece joined together at the sides. Still missing are the handles and something to cover or divert attention from the rather ugly seam in the front. The inside will be lined with cream-colored linen. That means bringing out the sewing machine - uh oh, that knitting police won't be happy.