Paying it Forward

I love that the Internet has become a great place for knitters to connect. I feel like I have a wonderful supportive community to share my passion with. It's fun to give advice and it is a blessing to get it when I need it! In keeping with that concept, some fellow knitters have launched a knitters interpretation of the movie "Pay it Forward." I found it on Allison's blog (It's worth a stop by just to see her photos) Here's the deal: I will send within the next year something I make (most likely knitting related) to the first three people who respond in the comments section. (Please include an email so I can contact you.) My hope is that those people will in turn make the same offer on their blog. Per the rules on the email I found: The "gift" you send doesn't have to be handmade -- it can be anything you wish to share with another person.

I also have a new pattern to share - this is for a small accessory bag and is great to use up odds and ends.

I was in the store looking for the perfect accessory bag to carry my wallet, a small notebook and a cell phone. Too small, too big, wrong color, too pricey…then it dawned on me, I’m a knitter! I don’t need no stinkin’ store bought bag! I can make one that is exactly the size I need and the color I want. And I can do it without spending a dime by using up stash. This is the loose pattern – it can easily be adjust to fit the size you need. I used a single strand of worsted and found it to be thick enough. You could double strand it or use a bulky yarn. Just make sure that the yarn is not machine washable wool, which won’t felt.
This little bag is knit so that the stripes will run vertically. Keep in mind that it will therefore shrink more width-wise than length-wise.
Cast on 50 stitches, knit in stockinet for 11 inches – switching yarns for stripes as desired (I made random stripes to use up small bits of leftovers).
Bind off 20 stitches. The top part will be used for the flap. Continue knitting on remaining 30 stitches for 11 inches. This is the front of the bag.
Sew the front to the back and sew across the bottom.
Turn the bag inside out. Flatten the corner and sew across, one inch from the corner to make a flat bottom. Wash in hot water to felt.
To finish: add a snap or button as a closure. You could also add a short handle to make it easier to carry.
The final dimensions on my bag is 6 inches by 8 inches.

I added a handle that is just an i-cord. I cut a small hole in the bag and inserted both ends and tied a big knot on the inside. I may add an eyelet to make the opening stronger. I also used a magnetic closure for the tab, but I may go back and use a strip of velcro instead.