Recently I took part in an Easter swap. I spent some time researching my recipient and discovered that she knits mainly cardigans and large shawls. She also has two young cats.
So I started thinking about what I could make her and the cats gave me an idea.
An anti-cat knitting project bag
I made her a Bagsket, a project bag with a drawstring top which I hoped would keep the cats out of her knitting.
The pattern starts with a patchwork panel.
patchwork panel on bagsket
Her favourite colours are green and purple so I chose green as the main colour as I have a lovely linen/cotton mix in my stash which I thought would work well. I then added some other fabrics including a green and pale yellow from a Beatrix Potter line and other various fabrics in greens and yellow that I had in smaller amounts.
large bagsket
I made the larger size to accommodate cardigans or large shawls.
binding in yellow fabric
I used the pale yellow for both binding and lining. I changed the pockets in the lining and used double the amount of fabric called for so that the inside of the pockets had the print on as well rather than the wrong side of the fabric. I folded it in half, ironed it & did a 1/8″ hem at the top of the folded edge. I made a variety of different sized pockets suitable for stitch markers, tape measures and more.
bagsket lining with pockets
The drawstring top was made in the matching green fabric and I used a pale green cord:
Drawstring top to the bagsket
I changed the handles by adding wadding to make them more comfortable to hold and also decorated them with a pretty trim :
handle detail showing trim
The only part of the pattern that I struggled with were the instructions for the faux French seam on the drawstring top. I just couldn’t make it look tidy so after much unpicking I did my own version.
seam on drawstring top
Finally before posting I sprayed the outer fabrics with a water proofing/stain proofer meant for canvas shoes. Because the base fabric is so light it would have been marked very quickly without it. I sent the bag off in time for Easter with some chocolate eggs and that was that.
Then a week later I started playing with the leftover scraps and made her something else:
Needle case
Using this pattern I appliqued two hearts on the front and one on the back:
Appliqued hearts on needle case
I used green felt inside for needles and pins:
felt pages inside for the needles
and two pockets inside for packets of needles, threads or more.
Inside the needle case showing the pockets with binding
This extra surprise gift was well received and I think needles have now all be gathered into their new home. As a bonus the bagsket has stopped young Harry cat from getting into the knitting!
In turn I was spoilt rotten by Jacky who sent me a wealth of lovely surprises including a pair of handknitted boot socks, gorgeous yarn, a treat for Oscar, stitch markers and a book on chickens:
lovely gifts from Jacky
Thank you so much Jacky!
