Web-Letter, Issue 20 – Caitlin's Cabled Bag It’s been three years since my daughter, Caitlin, first asked me to make her a bag in bulky yarn with a big fat center cable and wooden handles. How hard could that be? Not hard at all, you say. So I started the bag with alacrity, but about three-quarters of the way through, I put it down, and then tossed it into a basket of knitting odds and ends where it got buried under more knitting odds and ends. I just couldn’t bring myself to finish this piece-of-cake project. Sometimes there’s no identifiable reason for projects that sit unnoticed—perhaps it’s due to a vague lack of interest—or lack of time—but in this instance I know precisely what hung me up (read more to find out). A few weeks ago, I took myself in hand, and dug out Caitlin’s Bag. I needed to whip up a project in CEY’s lofty Aspen and I knew that C’s bag would be just the ticket. I started all over again in Aspen, and this time—with a little self-discipline—I finished the thing in no time flat.
The Story: Why did C’s bag languish for so long in the basket? Two reasons. First, I just couldn’t get the bottom of the bag right. When I started it—oh so long ago—I decided to work the bag from the top down because I wasn’t clear on how I would shape its bottom. If I started at the top, I could launch the project and wait for inspiration to hit. I began by making two flaps for inserting into the wooden bag handles. Then I joined them by casting on the side sections. I knit down to 1½” before I wanted the bag to end. Here’s where the trouble began. I tried a simple bind off at the bottom—too square; a separate panel—too bulky; a folded gusset—even more bulky. Nothing really worked the way I wanted it to, until I came up with a short-row solution. A bulky yarn, as we mentioned in last week’s letter, requires simple styling. Once I had shaped the curve at the corners of the bottom edge with a combination of decreases and short rows, all I had to do to finish off the bag was work a 3-needle bind off. Et voila! The second reason that I resisted completing Caitlin’s bag is that I knew it would  require a LINING. Sigh. I think it’s generally understood that knitters don’t relish the finishing tasks of their projects. And if sewing knitted pieces together is a trial, then making a lining that involves fussing with fabric is an even more onerous task. However, if you like knitted bags, and I do; then sometimes it’s necessary to do the seamstress bit. And now that C’s bag is finished and the lining is installed, I’m happy to report that the hardest part of the whole endeavor was hauling out my sewing machine. Once I’d set it up, however, it took only minutes to whip up a lining for my bag—I even added a pocket! The Yarn: Aspen — 50% alpaca, 50% wool Aspen is a soft-spun yarn, much like a strand of roving. It’s a half-and-half blend of wool and alpaca. Its lofty nature—the nature of a single ply--allows it to fill out stitches, making them round and plump—good for showing off stitch patterns and cables.  Each of the thirteen colors in Aspen’s palette is a heather (see last week’s yarn column for more on heathers). The color used in Caitlin’s bag, Tree Grove, is a mossy green with hints of spring greens and autumn browns. Where to buy Aspen. The Stitches: Learn how to line a bag.	more photos The Pattern: Here's the free downloadable Caitlin's Cabled Bag pattern.
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