Better photos of zippered bags

Forgot I'd taken these. Been distracted a bit lately.

 

It recently came to my attention that even the smaller bag, which I thought I'd made according to the pattern proportions and stitch count, is actually over-sized on it's own. Pffft - sometimes these things happen.

I'm totally loving that my sister's old camera enabled me to make a video clip of the unacceptable zipper noise and performance. It's so great when I can offer proof that it's not just me!

Caveat Zipper

Zip and unZip your zipper before knitting it into the bag, 

even if it's a new zipper! Perhaps you want to open the package in the store and check it before you bring it home...

The zipper in my larger little felted purse is a big disappointment and a chore to operate. While the zipper in the smaller bag glides back and forth easily with a high pitched zzeeeeppppp!, the zipper in the larger bag is sluggish and loud and difficult. I don't understand why. It's a brand new zipper that I bought at the in a group of maybe 7 new zippers, to match some non-felting yarn I had on hand in anticipation of making several zippered bags. New Coats and Clark nylon coil zippers. It has no business sounding like a belligerent, big metal-toothed zipper, sticking and rusted on a neglected sleeping bag or large utility object.

I didn't notice the difficulty with the dark green zipper until I had knit it in and was nearly half finished with the bag. At that point I thought I'd just have to pick up some wax or other such zipper fixing aid and deal with it later. When I checked at JoAnn's the only thing they could offer was beeswax in a plastic case with slits on both ends. I pointed out that it was labeled with instructions for waxing thread. But the sales associate insisted the slits were also fine for sliding zipper teeth through.

I tried applying the wax to the teeth of the zipper multiple times and working the zipper back and forth. It's never stuck, it just takes an astonishing amount of effort and makes a larger than expected amount of noise. I've come to the conclusion that perhaps the slider is the culprit rather than the teeth. Haven't had the time to really mess with it much since.

You can see the beeswax is kind of caked in there now. Not an attractive solution!

It made the zipper zip slightly less loudly and slightly more smoothly, but when I tried it again a day later it had returned to the original state. *sigh*


ETA: I've just checked the remainder of the zippers and found two or so that are going back for ones that are less loud and more smooth!

Felted No Sew Zipper Bags

Following the 3rd installment of TECHKnitter's A little felted purse KAL (part 1, part 2) I attempted to hand felt the bags. Now I can't figure out if that was yesterday or the day before - it was the day before, or rather the night before. They were drying all day today (well technically it's been tomorrow for almost 2 hours already, but since I haven't slept it's still "today.")

I've never been keen on rubber dishwashing gloves, but the ones I could borrow were about a size too big. I don't know if this added any potential extra friction, I did notice it especially annoyed me around my thumb. Or maybe it's just the shape of the gloves. They fit better with your thumb bent across the palm, as if grasping a plate. Since I was using them with flat hands that made them feel gappy and weird.  Oh, well!

I think in places I overfelted and other places underfelted. I tried to draw as much extra water out of the bags by rolling them in towels. I'd left the bags on their side for several hours earlier today under a ceiling fan so the bottoms could get dry more quickly. There is still dampness under the little pockets that were made by folding and tacking the bottom.






Isn't the little bag cute?

It's about 4" wide at the base and about 5" wide in the middle and at the top trim.  This bag is 3.5" high and 2.75" deep across short direction of the base.

Bottoms up! I wasn't sure just how the shaping on the bottom was supposed to go, but this seemed reasonable to me. I probably should have felted the bottom a little more so the seam would disappear.

This is the big one, of course. At first I'd stuffed it with plastic bags and left the sides straight. Early this morning I decided one of the really appealing things about the bag pattern model was the rounded sides. So I stuffed in a few more bags and readjusted everything. Too bad my hands are concealing that detail. I would have liked for it to have the same curve as the small bag. But this is my compromise for now.

At least the shape is easier to see in this photo. Perhaps the pattern in cognac heather and plum heather, too (the upper stranded pattern). I used the chart from Latvian Fingerless Mitts by Veronik Avery in Knitting Classic Style: 35 Modern Designs Inspired by Fashion's Archives. Except I started the top intarsia band at the bottom of its portion which makes it upside down since the bag was knit from the top down. The lower, more eye-catching band is the same right side up and upside down.


I really feel like if I'd been planning rather than making it up as I went along I would have positioned the dramatic colored band higher, or near the top. And I probably would have chosen less similar colors for the subdued pattern band to make it stand out more. I don't know why I still have such a weakness for pairing cognac heather with plum heather. The order makes more sense if I'd worked all of the body of the bag in reverse, starting with the jade that's on the bottom and ending with cognac heather, the solid band near the top. Just noticed how terribly difficult it is to see the top trim. I think the color is called dark teal heather. It's a nice dark green. Bag measures 5.5" across the long side of the base, 4.75" in the shorter direction and 6" across where it zips closed. Width is about 6.5" and it's about 6" high including the top edge of the green trim.

Sure looks like it's just about to roll off and never be found!

This was supposed to be attached to a zipper pull for the smaller bag, but some time after taking the second pic it must have fallen out of my hand and I haven't found it yet.

No sew zipper bags

Following along with TECHKnitter's A little felted purse KAL (part 1, part 2), earlier today I was delighted to find the the final installment posted.  It covers flattening the bottom of the bag, felting by hand and making a zipper pull.  In the meantime, I'd started a second bag. I improvised upsizing the bag for version 2 because I realized I'd rather be able to put my whole hand inside. From there I just kept making it up as I went along.

There were some big blunders, and a few decisions that could have been better, but it's been a lot of fun. I started off using the wrong dark green zipper and didn't realize that until I was 3/4 done with binding off the top trim. That zipper was an even less ideal match than the one used here..

Because of my camera situation I am reduced to whatever pictures I can manage to take with the computer.

Actually, the color in these is pretty good. It'd be nice to have less hands and a more interesting background, though.

I'm still working on knitting the bottom of the second, larger bag and haven't yet felted the first bag. I just wanted to stop here and put some time in on a project that is a gift for someone else. I had a thought that these could make cute gifts, but I'd have to put some planning into the colors and possible designs. So far my commitment to the project has just been to buy zippers that match yarn I'm willing to use for the trim at the top and planned to use up some of my supply of wool on hand. Which mostly means only colors that I'd pick and not colors that really appeal to or reflect family and friends. It could be especially nice to make sets of nested bags, but then there's additional thinking and figuring and also multiplying the work by about three times.

The project I stopped for would be Santa Claus and the Mrs. I have to take long breaks from it because I'm using a small hook and working tightly, which really tends to wear on my hands. Oh, my! I just realized that I didn't take and pics yet of Santa's hat. It's not quite finished, but there's enough of it to be worth a glimpse anyway.

I'm thinking perhaps it was a bad idea to work a stranded pattern in something I'm going to felt lightly. Of course, strands on the inside are going to be great for snagging so that sort of demands a lining now. oh well! Besides that, I could have done a better job of arranging where I was putting the designs on the bag. It just didn't occur to me to put a stranded color pattern on the bag until I got to the teal striped (working downward from the top). The two colors in the hard to see pattern are ones that I love together, but they are not very distinct in such a small pattern. Actually, the color work is the chart from Latvian Fingerless Mitts by Veronik Avery in Knitting Classic Style: 35 Modern Designs Inspired by Fashion's Archives. 

The smaller, original bag has a bottom and only needs felting and the zipper pull. I realized after completing the knitting and starting the body of the 2nd bag that I'd misunderstood the instructions. Instead of having 19 rows total, including the stripe, I had 19 rows after the stripe. I'll always find a way to do something wrong.

More progress - No sew zipper KAL bag

This is my progress so far on A little felted purse KAL.

Past my bedtime, but I'm kind of excited about the pictures, so I'll share those at least.

 Working the 3 needle bind off, but using one hand to hold the camera ;o). Turned half inside out, this is the best color representation of them all.

You can see my KoalaCaddie there too. Been meaning for a long time to do a lot of typing about how wonderful it is and how much I love it. Isn't it pretty?!

ETA: just realized I goofed following instructions. Think I was supposed to only have 15 rows after the color change for a total of 19. I worked 19 in the bottom color, though. oh well!

3 Needle bind off done.

Right side up

Up side down

See why I need to adjust the
tension in the superwash
pick up row?

Thanks, TECHKnitter!

Hurray for zippered bags!

Today I was delighted to see that the KAL for TECHKnitter's little felted purse had been posted.  Or rather part one is posted. I went searching for superwash yarn that would coordinate with the zippers I had leftover from the KnitPicks Elegant Edibles kit. For the kit bags I bought zippers that matched the yarn used rather than using the standard taupe color that came in the kit.

The zipper is a good bit lighter than this yarn, but it's not
the harsh difference it seems here.

I'm realizing now I have a lot more feltable wool than superwash.  AND when I went searching for my lost Knit Picker I found that I had a whole roll of do it yourself zippers.  Don't remember how many yards are in that, but it seems there are about a dozen zipper pulls that came with it. That zipper tape/coil is beige or cream, so I'm hoping it will coordinate ok enough with a few other yarns that I can go ahead and start another one or two while I'm waiting for the next part of the pattern to be revealed. I have to wonder if some other non-feltable yarn would work out ok for the top instead. I have plenty of cotton and acrylic lately.

I didn't work in the tails yet, because I'd kind of like to see what's coming next first and also be sure that the way I bound off the top edge and the way it's rolling in really is what's intended.

It sure looks like it's sewn on with yarn from the reverse side. But those loops are picked up through the zipper and knitted on from there. As if by magic!