Yarned and Dangerous (27 page)

Helen Crawford is fussy about her tea. There are only a few brands she likes, so she carries her own tea bags with her and just buys a cup of hot water in restaurants. When one too many tea bags broke loose and made a mess of her purse, she knitted up a pretty tea wallet to hold them neatly. Now she never goes anywhere without it.

 

 

Cast on 26 stitches using your preferred method. Knit in stockinette stitch for 36 rows. Bind off 25 stitches, leaving the last stitch on the needle. Do not break yarn.

To create envelope, place crochet hook in last stitch, setting knitting needle aside. With wrong side facing you, pull up a stitch in the opposite corner, yarn over, then pull through both loops on hook.

Make approximately 22 single crochets (enough to give you a nice edge that lies flat) along one long edge of the work (flap), working over yarn ends so they won't have to be woven in later. Make 1 single crochet in point. Chain 11 to make button loop, then make 1 single crochet in the same stitch on the point to close loop and turn corner. Make 22 single crochets along the other side, again working over any ends.

Continuing down one of the open edges, make 11 slip stitches. Turn. Bring opposite edge toward slip-stitched edge and join with 11 single crochets. Continue on and join the remaining open edges with 11 single crochets. Break off, and weave in the remaining loose end.

Sew a decorative button (a shank-style button works best) under the loop. Fill with your favorite tea bags.

Cora knitted lavender-filled sachets and placed them in the drawers of the antique dresser in the guest room, where Josie found them. Josie wants to knit up lots of them in pretty colors and place them in a basket in the yarn shop, right by the cash register. She thinks they'll sell well.

 

Cast on 15 stitches using your preferred method. Knit in stockinette stitch for 32 rows. Bind off, leaving a tail for sewing.

Fold piece in half, right sides together, and sew together two sides, plus half of the remaining side. Leaving yarn attached, turn piece right side out. Fill sachet through the hole with dried lavender (a kitchen funnel works well for this), then sew up hole. Weave in ends.

Josie found a beautiful forest-green felted handbag in Cora's closet. She loved it so much she decided to keep it. Evelyn, after examining the bag closely, wrote up this pattern for the shop.

 

Gauge:
Not important for this project. However, felting works best with a looser stitch, so if you tend to knit tightly, go up to a size 9 needle.

Handle Casings:
(Make 2) Cast on 25 stitches using your preferred method. Knit in stockinette stitch for 16 rows. Bind off, leaving a tail for sewing.

Body of Bag:
(Make 1) Cast on 60 stitches using your preferred method. Knit in stockinette stitch until piece measures 26 inches. Bind off loosely. Fold piece in half, right sides together, matching bound off and cast on ends. Sew or crochet the sides together to form a bag. Mark center of each open (top) edge.

Mark center of one long edge of each handle casing, and pin or clip to marked top of bag, matching centers. Sew or crochet handle casing to bag on one long edge, fold handle casing over the handle, and sew or crochet the other long edge to the bag, encasing the handle. Repeat on other side. Weave in ends.

To felt, place entire bag, handles and all (this is why acrylic or plastic handles are called for, not bamboo), into a lingerie bag and run it through a regular washing machine cycle. You can wash other clothes with the bag—towels work well. When load is done, remove wet felted handbag from lingerie bag and lay out on a towel. The piece will have shrunk, and the knitted fabric will have thickened and tightened. This is exactly what you want. Stretch bag gently into a symmetrical shape and allow to air dry. This may take a day or two. Do not put in dryer.

When bag is dry, affix vintage brooch to one side. Evelyn suggests using sewing thread to attach the brooch securely so it doesn't accidentally come unfastened. If you don't have a sparkly pin, you could also attach a silk flower or a satin ribbon bow, or tie a colorful silky scarf around the handles to cascade down. Use your imagination and decorate your bag however you wish.

These patterns are copyrighted by Sadie Hartwell and are free for your personal use. You are welcome to make and sell items made from these patterns, but Sadie would appreciate a link back to her Web site. You can see photos of all the projects at
www.sadiehartwell.com
. Sadie would love to see your projects too!