Ania Bag

At the end of my last post, I had begun this embroidery, Ania, on my way to another bag. As I mentioned, Kasia Jacquot hasc sold off the last of her coloured linen panels and has moved on to  Stick and Stitch versions of her designs.

I have bought the Stick and Stitch version of Ania with a view to embroidering a top to go with the orange pants I embroidered. As you can see, there is a vast difference between the colourways.  I decided to largely stick with the original printed colours.

I also decided, however, to use a variegated approach on the leaves - a variant introduced in some of her examples. (The teal colour below is the accurate one!)

I enjoyed  all of this one. They are such clever designs to stitch. The stitches themselves are routine and familiar, but you have to keep thinking about colour, stitch choice, alternatives, density. Nothing is to be taken for granted - and they are designed that way. 

The result is highly textured - and rich.

I had intended this to be added to a blue Semco craft bag, in the same way previous panels had been added to similar bags, so ironed and pinned it accordingly.

I wasn't sure though. 

I tried folding it into a pouch. While I liked the way this displays the stitching up close, I was worried the same stitching would not stand the wear it would get when the pouch was used.

I tried it folded smaller and reflecting the shape, placing it straight and angled.

In the end, I settled for the smaller version placed straight in the centre, machined it on and ironed it again.

At the moment this is my favourite of the Kasia Jacquot bags I've made so far. The embroidery pops. While the bag will be used, I feel the embroidery is less likely to get in the way of it than it would have on the pouch, and somehow the smaller format draws attention to the embroidery more directly.

Next I think I'll tackle Aurora.

Another Veronka bag

 

Kasia Jacquot is moving away from designs printed in colour on linens. Her latest focus is on stick and stitch versions of her designs.I’ve bought a couple of those to try, but it was her colour-printed linens that first drew me to her work, when I saw a couple of them tin the Art Gallery shop during the Radical Textile exhibition. As part of her shift to stick and stitch she had a sale of the coloured linens and I bought some. Enough, in fact, to keep bags flowing for a while.

I mounted this one up at the end of November to give myself a break from knitting. It is the Veronka pattern I had embroidered back in March. I used a snap frame so I could see the whole square design. 

I didn't get far with it as Christmas demand took over.

On New Year’s Day, having finished my knitting project, I returned to it. I was short of a few of her preferred threads, and Create in Stitch was closed for a well-deserved holiday break, so I substituted. 

I've been mounting each finished panel on a suitably coloured Semco cotton craft bag from Spotlight. I store each panel with its intended bag, but I didn't find one with this panel, so when I discovered they were on sale at Spotlight, I paid a visit and stocked up. I also bought a few replacement threads. Of course, later the same day I found the missing bag tucked into a pouch!  I think, however, the white one in the new batch is a better match than the original calico I chose.

The snap frame worked but the plastic screws on my wooden sitting stands have all worn. Even with plumbers’ tape they need constant tightening. I worked the centre heart, then the lower flowers, followed by the side ones, adding a few dashes of yellow on the leaves and the last of the dots. I really love the pattern, the colours and the texture.

I took it out of the frame to finish the edging. As well as the outer row of running stitch I  caught the herringbone down with the same over the crosses.

It has been a pleasure to stitch, a variety of stitches, colours and shapes that change as layers are added, but not large enough to become repetitive or boring.

I machined the finished panel on to the bag: stronger, I think, than hand stitching.

This is the finished bag, before ironing. I will leave that until I have several finished bags - or something else needing ironing.

Until then, it is folded up  as it will eventually be as a  shopping bag.

Meanwhile, I have started on the next one, Ania.

Spritz - my 2026 cardigan!

I set myself a goal not to carry the knitting of the Spritz cardigan, begun back in September into 2026,  I finished the second front on 21 December and began the sleeves the same evening. 

Because I had made the body so much bigger than the drop-sleeve pattern in order to get a very loose fit. the sleeves were much shorter than the pattern indicated.  Even so, as I had a bit to do in the following week, I did not finish the sleeves until 30 December.

While they look skinny here, they are not in fact so. The body is just very large. I was right to estimate at the beginning that I would need extra yarn.  Towards the end of the second sleeve I started the first of the two extra balls I had bought.

I began the left band immediately, picking up 205 stitches from centre neck to bottom band, finishing it in the afternoon of New Years' Eve. The race was then on to finish the right hand band by midnight! Did it matter? Not really, but the idea of entering the New Year with it finished was very appealing.

Before I picked up the stitches for the right hand band I went hunting for buttons. I had been thinking about this as I knitted. These were what I tried. They needed to be large. The pattern stipulated 6 - and my garment was longer than the pattern

This was the one I really wanted to use. It belonged to my mother, saved from some garment - probably a coat - she had, I think, in the 1940s. While it was possibly still in use in the 1950s, I don't remember it. The buttons I remember being around forever. I think there might also have been pink ones.

The problem was, I only had three.

I decided to make do and marked out three button holes, picked up the stitches and knitted while watching TV - not quite making  my midnight goal,  but finishing  at 12.08am, before the end of the Sydney fireworks telecast. 

The buttons, I decided, as I lined them up, could be stitched on later in the day.

So here's the finished product, now folded and in a drawer. It's 30C here today. Even taking the photo, I was too warm! It will, however, as I had originally thought, get good use in Spring and Autumn. 

Unfortunately, there is a ball and a half of yarn left. I could knit a hat - but I'm unlikely to wear it.  At some stage I might come at a shawl, but for now I'm looking forward to some embroidery!

Bishop Bag Update.

 In my last post I had managed to gather, in addition to the original embroidered Bishop bag, 4 printed cushions and 9 printed bags, all with the names of the 14 Australian female bishops plus Sarah of Canterbury. I sent one of the first printed bags to a friend in Sydney who was a founding member of the Movement for the Ordination of Women.

 I wasn’t quite satisfied. I had, I thought, learned enough from the process to have one more go at improving the printed bags. I returned to the VistaPrint template I had already developed. The advantage of using that template was that I knew the layout worked. The disadvantage was that I couldn’t undo the remove background command, which would give me back the original white background. To do that I had to start again and reload photos. Before I did that, I thought I’d try changing the colour of the background.

I settled for lilac.

I placed the order, for 6 bags, on 19 December, using my daughter’s suburban address with instructions to leave in a safe place. This was fortuitous.All buzzers at our apartment address are now out of order and can’t be repaired until  mid-January. The bags arrived today  - 11 days from Guangzhou. This is faster than the Christmas cards I received today from NSW! 

Again, the quality is excellent. The print worked much better on the lighter colour. There were 3 names, one date and one city that needed me to reinforce the print with an archival pen. These are words I embroidered using the lighter end of variegated thread. It was not difficult to fix, and the archival pen took well to the fabric.

The job is done. I now have 14 bags and 4 cushions that I'm happy for others to have. I’m definitely finished for now, but if more are required, a simple reorder from this last template will work!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        I’m very satisfied with that! ✔️ Thanks to all those who've helped and advised.

        

Another Real Bishop - and a lot of fabric ones!

My first order of merchandise from the original embroidered Bishop’s bag was intended as a trial run . It enabled me to reject the calico bags as a way forward, and to adjust (or try to adjust!) the position of a couple of images that had been cut off in the printing process on the purple tote bag and the cushion.

What I hadn’t foreseen was the appointment of a new bishop. Tiffany Sparks was appointed Assistant Bishop in Grafton on 5 December! The bag said Bishops 2025 AU so I really did need to add her name - on the original and the spin-offs.

The original was now lined, but I managed to find a space at the top, near the handle and embroider Tiffany Grafton 2025 without going into the lining. 

I also eventually managed to source a purple archival pen with a tip that allowed me to add Tiffany's name to the existing printed bags so it is both visible and waterproof. The much greater challenge was to re-photograph and amend the templates on the VistaPrint and Snapfish websites to reorder.

It took me around 20 hours to manage it. Combining up to 15 photos into a single jpeg (the format the template requires) is a challenge. In the end I imported photos into a Word file and saved it as a pdf. There is no provision on a MacAir to convert a pdf into a jpeg.  A screenshot of a pdf will produce a jpeg, but too small for the printing process. So I sent the pdf to OfficeWorks to print a colour photograph, then placed the photo on a piece of purple card, scanned it with a purple border and saved it as a jpeg. Whew!

I now understand from a friend that a PC will convert a pdf to a jpeg. She has offered to do it for me if there is a next time!

Eventually I had a cushion ready to order for printing in Australia, and a revised two-sided tote bag ready to order from an Australian company that will print it in China. With some trepidation I ordered 3 cushions and 6 tote bags. It's a risk, but ordering one of each to check the print ends up prolonging the process, expense and inconvenience. I took the risk. I think I might need more than I've ordered. Hopefully if so  this might be a straight repeat without messing around manipulating images. 

Both orders arrived by courier - presenting me with challenges. I managed to divert the cushions to my local Pack and Send. I wasn’t expecting each one in a large box taped up into one metre-high parcel! Fortunately they were light, as I had to park a block away.

The print is clear and the names can be read. The copyright message is missing, replaced by a repeat of the title in small print - but I’m not redoing because of that.

The bag courier sent me a message at 8.00am to say they would deliver that day between 9.50am and 1.50pm. I cancelled Pilates. At 4pm they sent a message to say they'd tried to deliver but I wasn't home! Lie! At 6pm they informed me they had taken it to Pack and Send.

I picked it up this morning.  This is one side. When I ordered, I had ticked a box saying "remove background". While I like the purple , the letters do not come out clearly on it. 

This called for more archival pens than I had, so I took myself off to Art to Art, discussed the problem, and bought a range of permanent, archival and water-resistant pens.

I have now repaired three of the six bags (example below). The other three will be done tomorrow. I think they pass muster - just. I do hope a few bishops agree with me.

While I am satisfied with the four cushions and 9 bags I now have, if I need to order more I will:

• not choose the 'remove background' option
• have them delivered somewhere that a courier can leave them.

It's been a really interesting, mad project. I've learned quite a lot and I very much hope they bring a smile and sense of pride to a few people. 

Christmas headway

I've been adhering to a strict 'buy no more knitting yarn' vow for a couple of months, making small inroads into the 3 drawer knitting yarn stash I have accumulated. At the recent Guild stash sale I caved and bought these three balls of acrylic with sparkle. I immediately saw beanies to wear at Christmas lunch. In the past I have made the Christmas bonbons from reusable cloth, cardboard cylinders, a snap and ribbon, knitted beanies and a non-plastic novelty. Last year I trialed eco-friendly bonbons from the Leprosy Mission Shop. They were well received, so I've gone for them again this year. The only thing in them whose eco credentials I doubt are the paper hats. I still have 4 of the Christmassy beanies I made in 2023,  These balls of Christmas bling struck a chord. 

Buying them was the easy bit.

I began with a ball of the red and k2 p2 band. While knitting I began to wonder if I could make crowns, or coronets instead of beanies. Beanies are not especially appropriate on an Australian Christmas Day. I went on a hunt for a pattern, and found one. It had a k2 p2 band and garter stitch peaks. I didn't much like the garter stitch peaks, so thought I'd just substitue stocking stitch. I  had already knitted the band, so began on a peak, using stocking stitch. To my surprise the peak kept falling over at the stocking stitch row. When I switched to garter stitch it staightened up, although it flopped at the stocking stitch rows. I had no similar problem when I used garter stitch all the way on the next peak.

I finished the coronet sticking with the pattern, then found some wire to insert in the weak peak and moved on. 

I wasn’t fond of the garter stitch peaks, so my second try  kept the rib going on the peaks. I liked the result.

Next I tried the band in plain stocking stitch. I should not have been surprised when it curled over as I knitted it, but I was. I stopped and did a bit of reading. 

Yes, stocking stitch always curls because the knit side pulls tighter than the reverse. This can only be countered by edging with  either rib or garter stitch. In 70 years of knitting I’ve never thought about this - although I’ve experienced it. When you mostly follow patterns, you rarely ask why. It also explains, of course, why my stocking stitch substitution above did not work!  I’m very pleased to have (belatedly) learned this.

To confirm, I switched to rib and, lo, the curl was contained. 

I decided to make use of it on a headband, hoping the curl would work neatly on the cast-off as well, which i did.  

The band sits nicely with a bit of hair adjustment.

I continued with the ribbed coronets, shortening the peaks, one with a k1, p1 rib, one with k2,p2. 

I wasn’t confident the 10gm of wool left would make another, so switched to the ball of multicoloured chenille.

It has a chunkier, firmer, knit. Although the finished coronet looks smaller, it has more elasticity and fits as well as the other.

I used the remaining red to work, first the centre of a headband edged with a multi-colour roll, and then the reverse, red edge with coloured fill. I think this is my favourite.

It was hard to judge how far the remaining yarn would go, so I used a k1p1 rib to knit a band, then judged I had enough for peaks. This resulted in the one at the top of the right hand column. You can see the left-over. It might stretch to 4 rows. Not sure I will try. I'm pleased with the results and will put them away for Christmas Day.