The "Indigo To-Go" Bag

I admit it--I am a total bag lady. I have a bag in my closet that is just holding other bags. Actually, I have more than one bag in my closet that is just holding other bags. This may indicate that I have a problem, but I like to think of it as being prepared for any packing situation.

Some bags I use daily, and the little pouch in my purse that carries my lipstick(s), hand cream and emergency eye pencil (which doubles nicely as a pencil for writing on paper when you've changed purses and forgotten to make sure you have a pen, ask me how I know) is one of those. For several years I have used a hand knitted, simple stockinette bag, my most recent one being made of an orphan skein of Regia sock yarn. About a month ago, I looked at that bag and literally thought, "WHY is this not made out of hand-dyed indigo??"

Enter the "Indigo To-Go" Bag.

I designed and knit it and sold it as a kit. All of that is good, but the important thing here is that I LOVE using it! Having a bit of indigo with me all the time makes me happy. Plus, the medallion design makes me think of Art Deco (which makes me happy) and the zipper color I chose is green (which also, you guessed it, makes me happy). People, if we can't knit things that make us happy, why on earth do we bother?

As of this post I do have a limited number of kits (hand-dyed indigo yarn + pattern + zipper + hand-dyed indigo fabric) left in my Etsy shop, ready to ship within mere days of your order. If we sell out, I will make more kits, which will take a couple of weeks to ship out, but will also be fabulous. The pattern, however, is available instantly due to the wonders of modern technology. You can purchase it on Ravelry, Etsy or Craftsy, or if you're local, I'll print you one and put it in a sheet protector at no extra charge (this holds true of the other patterns I have for sale as well--just never thought to mention it before!).

Knitted up, this bag makes a great gift idea, for those of you who are looking for a quick gift to knit for the holidays. You'll need less than 100 yards of worsted weight yarn (I like blue), size 5 needles, a cable needle, a yarn needle, a zipper, a bit of fabric for the lining, and about a day's worth of time. There's also a handy tutorial here about adding the zipper and lining.

The pattern includes instructions for making both the center medallion and the column of cables designs.

Knit something happy today, y'all.