It's Not You, It's Me...

I'd wanted to make a Saturday Market Bag ever since the pattern was released. I'd even bought the requisite needles and a bunch of Sugar 'n Cream with this intent. But try as I might, I just never felt at ease knitting it. The big needles and dropped stitches made me as jittery as I would be after a 64 oz. Diet Coke. :P So, after about a year of trying, I've finally called it quits. It's still a cute and awesomely functional design, but we're just not meant to be, not quite yet. And that is why, a week before Mother's Day, I used my skein of Mauve Cotton Fleece to cast on a Lacy Yoga Bag instead.

And doesn't the yarn look happier?



NOTE: The lace patterns for the bags are interchangeable, but there is a one stitch difference. So, cast on accordingly, and when you get to the upper hem/eyelet portion, be sure to follow the directions for YOUR stitch pattern, which may not necessarily be the ones for your bag size. I choose to use the Pierced Diamonds pattern, but in the water bottle version.

Of course, the bag and I did have a few of those early-relationship misunderstandings along the way. For starters, it seemed like I would have scads of yarn left, and so I added an inch or two to the body portion. Oops. As I got to the upper hem portion, I realized my folly. But because of time constraints, I didn't want to rip back, and so I made the upper portion with eyelets only and no picot facing. The top rolls a bit, but it's a nice, casual look.

Then, try as I might for the bottom of the bag, I just could NOT manage to start knitting and increasing in the round with only eight stitches. If I'd had the time, I would have jaunted over to the LYS for help, but again, because of time constraints, I improvised. I'm normally not one for the maths, but I managed to knit a sort of octagon/circle piece with a 20 inch circumference, just what I'd need to fit the bottom. When pseudo-mattress stitched, it fit perfectly (not that you can necessarily tell that from the angle, but it did fit):



And finally...the cord. As my yarn shortage was becoming increasingly apparent, I decided to forgo the long strap for a simple drawstring closure. Really in crunch-time now, I cut several long lengths of Cotton Fleece and began braiding. I thought it might look tacky, but really, the final result was a cute "design element" (as I'm calling it). I just didn't realize how much yarn a braid would eat up, so it turned out rather short. Luckily, my mom is also short, so this was the perfect length for her to sling over her shoulder.

So, while we didn't experience clear sailing in the making, I *was* pleased to gift the final result, and I'd like to make a proper, by-the-book one for myself at a later date: