Greetings!     Thanks for signing up to receive my newsletter! This is the first of—what I hope to be—an ever-growing collection of patterns. I've assembled many designs to be published and featured in upcoming newsletters—some new, some republished CEY designs; some free, some not and I'm very excited to share them with you.     Montera Felted Bag     I'll soon be moving into a much smaller living space, and I've had to begin downsizing quite a bit. I must have given away trash bag after trash bag of clothes, and boxes and boxes of *stuff* I haven't used in ages. One thing I certainly couldn't live without is my computer—but my desktop computer is just too big! This past weekend I transfered all my files from my desktop computer and packed it up—ready to be sent away to its new owner. I'm now relying souly on my new macbook. What better way to invite a new piece of technology into my home, than with something hand-knitted to protect and travel with it? The day my macbook arrived, I instantly began using it to design a felted laptop bag—the one you see here. I had never before hand felted, but I wanted to more closely be able to control the size the finished bag ended up. Of course, if you don't have a 17" macbook pro, you can still use this bag—it is a great little all-around bag. And if the size isn't so critical, machine felting is certainly an option and will make this project a little easier.       $6.00     Sizes: One size Finished unfelted measurements: 29¼" circumference x 17¾" tall Finished felted measurements: 24" circumference x 14¾" tall Yarn Requirements: Montera by Classic Elite 50% wool, 50% llama 100 gram hank = approx 127 yards • 2 hanks 3877 Smoke • 2 hanks 3857 Air Blue Knitting Needles: • One 29" circular needle size US 10 (6 mm) Or size to obtain gauge. • Stitch marker • Tapestry needle • Stitch holder or waste yarn Gauge: 18 sts and 19 rows = 4" in Fair Isle Stockinette stitch unfelted; 22 sts and 23 rnds = 4" in Fair Isle Stockinette Stitch felted. Take time to save time, check your gauge. Includes: 2 letter-size pages, 1 color photos, 1 charts, no schematic Techniques used: provisional cast-on, circular fair isle stockinette stitch, hand felting         Photos courtesy of Kristen TenDyke. Technique Tips When I began knitting, a provisional cast on scared me, as I'm sure it may scare some of you. But with these tips, I think anyone should be able to make one of these snazzy bags without too much hassle. Provisional Cast On: There are MANY different ways to work a provisional cast on, but the crocheted method is my favorite. Here are a few tips: • When choosing the crochet hook to use, be sure that it is the same size as the knitting needles you'll be using in the project. For this bag, size US 10 (6 mm) needles are used, so I'd recommend using an J/10 (6 mm) crochet hook for the provisional cast on. • Use a smooth yarn as your waste yarn—something that doesn't have frizzy fibers that may get cought in the working yarn when the waste yarn is removed. • Tie a knot in the tail of the waste yarn at the beginning of the cast-on. When finished knitting, the waste yarn will be unravelled from the end of the cast on—this helps figure out where that is. • With some projects, it's possible to work your regular favorite cast on, then seam the ends together. This is one of those projects, so if a provisional cast-on still seams scary, then cast on in a comfortable way, then seam up the bottom of the bag.   Upcoming Publications:   • A pullover in Classic Elite's Renaissance, color 7138 Espresso — Knitty.com, Fall 2009 • A pullover in Classic Elite's Kumara, colors 5721 Grasshopper and 5709 Wild Duck — Twist Collective, Winter 2009 • A crochet cardigan in Classic Elite's Fresco, color 5358 Tomato — Interweave Crochet, Winter 2009

subscribe to blog  follow on twitter Newsletter e-mail list: Featured Free Pattern Soap Nut Vessel more info More Patterns Diamond Lace Tee more info Beatrice Ribbed Tie Coat more info Violet, the Slouchy Head Friend more info Crochet Motif Cardigan more info Petal Socks more info my raw journey escaping density