Web-Letter, Issue 195 – Provence Fair Isle Bag A bag is a great beginner project – it does not need to ‘fit’ and is sure to get plenty of use. This week’s pattern is a great crash course for beginners – from the handle to counting the rows of stripes to a simple fair isle flower pattern at the bottom. There is plenty of time to become comfortable with each technique in this pattern before moving on to the next section. The hardest part will be choosing just the right colors! After you fall in love with Provence, look for the Dianthus pattern (the pink top also shown in the photos) along with four other Provence patterns in Garden Gate.
The Story: If you’re like me, you can never have too many bags. Most days I carry to work:  a lunch bag, a knitting bag, a bag to hold files and papers and a pocketbook bag – and I carry all of these bags in a larger tote bag! This colorful bag in Provence is mostly stripes with one stripe in stranded colorwork. You begin with the handle, cast on stitches between the ends of the handle, work in the round to the bottom of the bag, and then work a three needle bind off for the bottom seam. The marled shades of Provence add depth to the color palette. Make it as deep as you want by adding more stripes. And because of its simple shape, it is easy to line with fabric if you desire. The perfect bag to carry whatever you have that needs carrying! The Yarn: Provence 100% mercerized Egyptian cotton Provence, one of our signature yarns, is a mercerized Egyptian cotton that knits into a strong and beautiful fabric. Egyptian cotton has two qualities that make it a great cotton yarn: a very long staple (fiber) length and a small diameter. The long staple gives the yarn strength and sheen; and the delicate diameter means that it spins into a soft, smooth yarn. Mercerizing makes a yarn that is stable, takes dye well, and is less likely to shrink. With 59 colors available, the combinations for any colorwork project are endless!	more photos The Pattern: Here is the free downloadable Provence Fair Isle Bag pattern. (file size: 848 KB) If you have difficulty downloading or printing the PDF pattern above, try these: page 1 - page 2
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If you like the design above, you'll like this too:
	Dianthus, in Provence. Pattern available in booklet 9138 Garden Gate.
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