Friday, June 10, 2011

Finally Finished - Monk Travel Satchel

So I began this bag in October 2007 (according to the rav page for it). I finished it yesterday. *hangs head in shame* Almost four years... At least it's done now. In a way I'm glad I waited to finish it, because if I'd tried to finish it before I wouldn't've known how to do some of the finishing details and it wouldn't've turned out so well I think. I had all the pieces sitting around for years; the finishing was my foil.Even knowing ~4 years more about knitting/crocheting, some of it was still a pain. Picking up all those stitches around the edge to do in the yellow was a pain in the butt, but I did it pretty well. Slip-stitch crocheting the front and back to the strap was a pain, but turned out excellent. I still can't measure worth crap apparently- the inside pocket's not at all centered, lol. I also didn't have anymore of the green so the seed stitch on the bag front is in yellow, and I had to use yellow to attach the back pocket. I also sl-st the back pocket on and did a sl-st line across at the top as well to keep it the same around. ...But I love my bag. :)
It's not quite the same as the pattern. I blame this on not caring about gauge, or only semi-caring, when I started. My bag is not as wide as it ought to be and is much taller (though technically it's not taller, but because it's narrower it seems taller. The height measurement is right, the width is not). The strap pockets, therefore, sit higher on the bag than they ought to; they're flush with the top of the bag rather than two inches down the sides. This doesn't bug me though, they're good where they are.

I changed the I-cord color, they were supposed to be in the yellow. But I really like the brown and wanted more brown on the front, so, brown I-cords. :) I also felt the front was a bit plain looking so I found a Michigan outline online and traced it and rigged up a piece of paper to the bottom right front and embroidered a Michigan on the front in brown. This is my favorite part of the bag actually. I've forgotten how much I enjoy embroidering (and cross stitching)! I want to embroider everything now! lol :)

Rav page: Michigan Bag