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The Stories:
The idea for this bag came to me when I was swatching one of our new yarns (it’s a secret, can’t tell you yet…) and as I was casting on the stitches I was wondering what I should make. A scarf? A hat? A bag?
As I began the first row I decided on the bag. I wanted a flap that was shaped a little bit, with lines and stitches running in different directions. So I started to experiment with placement of yarn overs and decreases. I ended with diagonal lines of eyelets on each side and vertical lines of decreases in the center, which created a focal point for the button. The flap is framed in garter stitch for a neat finish. To add shaping to the body of the bag, I inserted a decorative stockinette stitch gusset in the center, a little detail that reflects the angles of the flap. I added an I-chord loop to the bag so that I can hang it up.
When I was finished, I was pleased to see that it had used only one ball of yarn; the perfect yarn requirement for a mini project. For this letter, I’ve re-knitted the bag in Sundance, a machine-washable cotton/microfiber yarn. Through its wonderful stitch definition the lines and shapes look even more pronounced.
Nurse's Day is next Monday—May 12th. When thinking of something we could feature for a nurse, I remembered a recent visit to the doctor where I saw a knitted tube around the cord of my nurse's stethoscope—an innovative way to keep the instrument’s metal parts a little warmer and patients more comfortable.
The stethoscope tube uses a 1 x 1 rib so it's not too bulky while resting around the cord, yet it's stretchy enough to be pulled over the chest piece (the cold metal part). It can be made with stripes, as shown here, or without, or in any variety of ways.
The Yarn:
Sundance — 50% cotton, 50% microfiber
CEY's Sundance is the perfect yarn choice for the stethoscope warmer and make up bag featured in this week’s Web-Letter. Sundance is composed of 50% cotton and 50% acrylic microfiber, and it’s machine washable. It is soft and smooth and has wonderful stitch definition. Because it’s a non-animal fiber blend, it won’t cause allergic reactions in patients when it’s used for a stethoscope warmer. And it’s a good choice for the make up bag because it can be thrown in the washer—and dryer—in the event of spills.
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more photos
The Pattern:
Here is the free downloadable Make-up Bag pattern and the Stethoscope Warmer pattern.
The Stitches:
For her make up bag, Joelle uses two different increase stitches that mirror each other. One slants to the left, the other to the right. Most knitters are familiar with decreases that mirror each other--k2tog and ssk. But did you know that there are two different ways of working a Make One stitch that slant in different directions? Learn how.
Kristen worked the 18 stitches of her stethoscope warmer on four double-pointed needles. If you'd prefer to try a different method, check out the instructions for the Magic Loop technique.
If you would like to adventure with different striping sequences, take a look at some striping tips.
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