Albem is finished!

As you can see I had a busy night last night:-) Yes, the Albem cabled bag is now officially finished. It was really easy to finish off too. I thought I would use blanket stitch or similar to wrap over the edges but if I had read the pattern that far, I would have seen they suggested crocheting an edge all around. Duh! In fact, it said, stitch all the pieces together and then crochet the edge. So I didn't:-) I just joined them with the crochet chain. Half as much work! The crochet works well to strengthen the edges too. I may have done mine a wee bit too close together as the fabric is rippling slightly - but in my haste to finish, I didn't block the pieces:-0 So it's more like a combination of the two. But once you have something in the bag it's fine!

Took this to show you the final length of the strap. One big loop attached on all three sides with plenty of shoulder strap left. This sits very comfotably just above the hip so once something is in the bag it will be lowered slightly to hip length. The strap isn't giving too much I'm pleased to say. Good thing too! So changing the pattern to cable is a success.

The only thing I should have done differently - and it may bug me enough to go back and change it - is the loop for the toggle. As you follow the crocheted edge around the flap at the front, there is a little gap in the middle where the stitches are pulled apart by the loop widening. Is that all, you ask? Well, no. You see, you aren't meant to make the loop then - of course I did 'cause I thought I would be clever. Adding it after the whole thing is finished would be the smart move. Because, I managed to forget to measure the loop for the button I was going to use. So now the loop is too small and only comes undone if you kind of stretch it and the bag - it's a definite knack you'd have to learn! - and this is meant to be a present:( Not good.

The bummer is now, me being clever an' all, I'll have to undo the crocheted edge back to the centre just to add a couple more chains - if I can find the end as I darned it in very well - as you can't have a chain stitch running:-)

Either that or I'm lazy and change the button to something smaller:-)))

Grafting those cables

At last! At last! The big knit is over and the cabled strap is ready to join together. Now comes the bit I haven't been looking forward to. Grafting. That pesky Kitchener stitch. I remember the last time I tried this on my little rose pink shrug and the stocking stitch was fine but the rib was so, so messy. But, that was then and maybe I'll have better luck with more practice:-)

So here are the ends all ready for grafting. Only 10 stitches so not a mammoth task, except some are knit and some are purl. I went back to Knitwitch's video for grafting on You Tube and refreshed my memory and while I was watching it, it suddenly occurred to me that I just reverse the process for purl. Keeping it in the right order so you have a knit over the knit and a purl over the purl would be an interesting challenge but the bag is so nearly finished!!! I will master this!

So off I went and damn me, if it didn't work first time! I had got myself psyched up for a major hoo-ha and knitting being thrown down in a fit of peak. But no! It all went smoothly. The knitting gods have been shining on me this afternoon and I am very grateful!! Can you see the join? It's pretty much invisible - high five! I know there is a little disturbance where it fits together as a zigzag with the stitches fitting in between each other and it leaves a little kink at the edges but it's a whole lot better than I was expecting. Woo hoo! I am soooo pleased! And I'm feeling a little bit cleverer than when I woke up this morning:-)

Kitchener stitch is sussed!

Now, all I have to do is blanket stitch the strap to the bag and get a pretty button and it's finished! I may even finish it tonight - I can't wait to see it finished! I'm all excited:-)

Albem cabley progress

Well, this week has seemed to fly by with other stuff and now all of a sudden it's thursday and I haven't blogged since the weekend. You would think that would mean lots of knitting progress, wouldn't you? Well, some, but not as much as I would like. But the chunky Albem can't not make progress being a lovely quick knit:-) So, to update.

The front was already completed, the back and the joined flap are now completed and I am on to the gusset/strap. This is meant to be knitted in a 1x1 rib but I think a cabled strap would be much nicer. So I've started a long strap with a provisional cast - on (the white thread at the bottom) using the cable stitch from the main body of the bag and I'm knitting and knitting and knitting. It is getting a bit repititious now, hence the slowing down of progress:-)

I used a provisional cast on so I can graft the end stitches and the cast on row together to create a seamless loop to attach all the way around the bag, so no dodgy joins to take any stress. I cast on using ten stitches instead of the 9 for rib and basically K1, P2, K4 (these will be the cable sts), P2, K1. The 4 row repeat follows the pattern for the bag.

It's also meant to have tassles but I'll have to think about that one! I'm not sure as it's not for me. But I've got a feeling when this is finished, I'm going to find it hard to part with:-)

But onwards with the strap........ the green stripey socks seem really appealing right now:-)

Albem cable bag

New project for you today - the Albem cable bag designed by Berroco. It's a free pattern so if you want to download the PDF or print it out, just follow the link. This has been sitting in my to-do list for a while as I've been looking for just the right yarn to use. It uses two strands of worsted weight - I'm using aran - so knits up super quick. When I got the teal aran for the Vivian hoodie, I remembered this teal cable bag and well, that was it, a perfect match. So I went back and bought the last 400gm ball so I could make this.

The pattern says to use 7mm but this was far too loose and much bigger than the given measurements so I downsized to 6mm and it's sooo much better, a lovely dense cabley knit that is going to be strong enough for a knitted bag without sagging. The bag is simple in design, a front panel, a back panel with flap and a gusset & strap.

I only started last night and I am pretty much on the way to finishing the front as well as the completed back. I may tinker with the gusset pattern and the length of the strap as I want more of a waist/hipster bag.

As far as my other works in progress, the magenta Ishbel scarf is moving slowly but surely - pictures for you next post, and the green stripey sock will be, I hope, soon finished. Just a matter of matching the heel stripes and then a quick run the the finish - I hope:-)