Sunday, January 29, 2006

Bag of Fate pattern

Back in August, I was feeling ambitious. I wanted to felt something, I wanted to try intarsia, and I wanted to design something. Why not do all three in one project?

Bag of Fate

This is the Bag of Fate, a knitted tribute to Manos: The Hands of Fate. It's made with a total of 3 skeins of (what else?) Manos del Uruguay wool. New to intarsia? This is a great way to learn. Any less-than-perfect color changes will be hidden by the felting process, and you'll be able to learn the basic technique for use on future projects.

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Finished size: 10" wide x 7" tall
Yarn: 2 skeins Manos del Uruguay wool, color 008 (black); 1 skein Manos del Uruguay wool, color 048 (red)
Needles: US #13 (9 mm)
Gauge: pre-felting: 3 sts/inch (12 st/4"), 3.5 rows/inch (14 rows/4");
post-felting
: approx. 3.5 sts/inch (14 st/4"), 5 rows/inch (20 rows/4")

Notes:
* Because this does not have to be an exact size, the gauge is not crucial.
* You'll be using 2 strands of yarn throughout, including the hand design.
* If you've never done intarsia before, you can find a brief introduction to it here.

Instructions:
Using 2 strands of black, CO 34 st.

Work 37 rows in even St st. Place a temporary marker on each side of the knitted piece (this marks the halfway point).

Work 6 rows in even St st.

Work the charted hand pattern in 2 strands of red (25 rows), adding 6 black sts on each side of the chart to center the design.

[ 6 sts (black) | Hand design (22 sts) | 6 sts (black) ]

Once the hand pattern is completed, work 6 rows in St st in black. Bind off all sts.

Using the markers as a guide, fold the bag in half and sew up the side seams. Weave in ends. (Because you'll be felting this, the seams and woven-in ends don't have to be perfect. You can even simply knot the ends and cut off the tails after felting is done.)

Felt the bag and allow to dry.

You can attach store-bought handles, or add a length of I-cord (if you intend to felt the I-cord, take the shrinkage into account). I added 2 snaps to the inside of mine to hold it closed.

13 comments:

Saralukies said...

Love love LOVE this. I always knew there could be more scifi knitting than just Jayne hats and Dr Who scarves. Now I have another project that must be done...

chacha / Jen said...

Glad you like it!

Anonymous said...

MST3K geek to MST3K geek, I just found this through google and I have to say I am overwhelmed by the dorky awesomeness of this pattern.

I think I have no choice but to make one. And probably to start reading your blog.

Leigh Ann
(Blog at http://labeth.livejournal.com, but somewhat friends only.)

pins&needles said...

I love this bag. Genius! And some humor too.

Anonymous said...

Another MST3k fan who knits? Yeah! Love the bag, love MST3k but would never have thought to put them together. Hmmm, you have me thinking of some of my favorite episodes now. ;)

ZantiMissKnit said...

OMG! I think I love you!

Anonymous said...

So, I now have the Torgo's Theme music stuck in my head (you know, those four notes played overa nd over again). But, that's an awesome bag! Now, to find some yarn for it...

Seanna Lea said...

OK, I must be a geek, because as soon as I saw the picture I knew.

Cute bag (though I'm looking for the tiniest of the stupid bags, so I should just design my own)!

Anonymous said...

OMG this makes me so happy! I must have a Manos bag of my own! The master WILL be pleased!! Thank you :D!

Miss Heim said...

LOL Absolutely fantastic!!!

fab.amber said...

Manos: The Hands of Felt.

Marry me.

:o)

Amber
KreepyGrrl on Ravelry.

Unknown said...

I love MST3K and your bag is awesome.
Brilliant.

SkogFrost said...

Love the hand design, I might try to use it on something else than a bag. Maybe a top or a sweater. Nonetheless awesome!