. . . and now for something completely different. . . .

. . . as Monty Python used to say.

I got sidetracked last weekend with some knitting. I was visiting my Aunt and needed some knitting to keep me busy while we talked - I grabbed an old project and realized it would make a great journal bag.
Here are some photos - and I learned a big lesson - what I thought was a huge mistake only made the bag better! I cut up an old pajama I never wear anymore to make a silky lining (pens and such get lost in the yarn if it's not lined) and I accidentally put it in backwards - after all those teeny machine stichings, I knew if I tried to tear it out and correct it, I would cut and ruin all those knitted stitches, so I went and found some green bias tape and just covered the raw seam up - I love the result. The green picks up the color of the few random rows of green wool I had knitted in.
Having a special bag to take your journal out on dates is really fun - I like to do the collage part at home near all my papers and glue box, then throw the journal and lots of cool markers in this bag - go to a coffee shop or the library and sit and journal to your heart's content. I find that I write more thoughtfully if I have lots of time to sit and think, and every now and then, a curious soul asks what I am doing and a new journal convert is made.
After the photos I will add simple directions if you want to knit a bag like this:






Directions:
cast on 100 stitches on big fat round needles - use wool if you want to felt it.
knit in a circle for about 75 rows, depending on how deep you like your bags. (you can add some funky colors now and then for fun stripes.)
When the bag is deep enough, knit back and forth on 25 of the stitches in a rectangle to make the bottom (I made mine a darker purple as you see)
cast off all edges.
sew the rectangle around the bottom, and cast on ten stitches on either side to make the handle - knit gradually decreasing as long as you like your handle.
Wash the whole thing and dry it to make it felted.
Line (backwards if you want to enjoy a mistake like me - covering up the seam with contrasting bias tape - mine is bright green.) I gathered as I lined it so it would hold things in better, and not be too floppy.
Put in your journal, and GO!