Pattern writing

I wanted a new bag this summer for my dice, so I whipped up a new knitting pattern…only it wasn’t whipped up, it took a good two weeks to knit, and it’s purple. With stripes. I’m not sure how I feel about it really- normally I like purple, and I like stripes, but this bag is…different somehow.

It is based on my blue dice bag, which I love, but it’s getting a little careworn and needs a vacation from the gaming table. This is the bag I made last year while we were stuck in a hotel room for three days while our apartment was being remodeled. I took this yummy silk and bamboo yarn and some small double pointed knitting needles with me, and just made something to pass the time. That something turned out to be an awesome little dice bag, and I’ve wanted to recreate it ever since, so I finally sat down a few weeks ago and got to work.

I used a sock weight cotton yarn, which I really like working with since it’s soft on the hands. Unfortunately it has very little stretch to it, and I was using extremely small needles, so it was a bit of a struggle to knit with. Cotton is also kinda big, structurally speaking, so the end result is very stiff and firm- something to keep in mind if I ever want to knit a handbag, but not really cutting it as a small dice bag.

Interestingly enough, I found it really hard to get started on this project because I couldn’t find the right yarn to start with. I knew I wanted a purple bag, but I couldn’t find the right shade. The stuff I ended up using would make a great striped sock, because of the weight of the yarn, and the softness of it- and maybe it would be better suited to a guys dice bag (just not in lavender and violet?). But I really like the suppleness and shine of a silkier yarn- it brings a touch of elegance and sophistication to my work that I just don’t get with cotton alone.

All in all though, I’m really glad I did it. One, I got over my fear of pattern writing! I want to do another bag, to refine the pattern itself, and to get the size of the bag more in line with what I want. Two, practice makes perfect, right? And I’ve found that I don’t give myself very much time for knitting anymore, so this is a great excuse to bring out the needles!