Mosaic Bag -trial and mostly error.

 This has been a story of error and misinterpretation. It's also a story about learning -  about how I learn. It began with Marie Wallin's Mosaic Carpet Bag kit which I bought last year and began knitting in January. I now realise that my problem was not understanding that mosaic knitting is a technique, not just, as I assumed, a look achieved by the design.  

I have, in fact, knitted two shawls using the mosaic knitting method but without the 'mosaic' label. So the head-set I brought to the Mosaic Carpet bag meant I did not interpret the pattern correctly. In particular, I took quite literally the instructions "On every square that begins and ends with a black square knit all the black stitches and slip all the white stitches" and "On every square that begins and ends with a white square kit all the white stitches and slip all the black stitches".  On the graph, one colour is designated by an entirely black square and another by an entirely white square. Other colours use symbols in black on a white background.

                   

 In this example, I now realise, the squares should be interpreted as black and white.

I went with the 'entirely' interpretation- only full white or full black. When this became unworkable, I adapted and used the chart to work a conventional Fair Isle in stocking stitch.  The section in red was one of the few bands for which the 'entire' interpretation was possible, but because I was working two colours per row instead of one, it took hours to work, and the effect was minimal. 

I left that band as it was and worked the bands around it in conventional Fair Isle. This worked, but produced a much longer bag, so I worked fewer bands to achieve a result that was of a workable size.

I worked the second size to match, found some lining, blocked the sides and constructed the bag.

It required, I felt, more than the button and loop closure of the original,  Handles were called for. Solid or soft? 

I haven't found hard handles very flexible. I like to slip bags over my shoulder, so softer handles works better. I thought of a felted icord, but then realised I could kill two birds with one stone. In three weeks time I have to give a workshop on Viking embroidery - and I have a lucet to demonstrate. I got out the lucet, four balls of  4 ply cotton in colours in the ballpark, and made two cords. 

I added the button loop and a large red bead. I placed a piece of plastic ( the side of a milk bottle) in the base to keep a bit of shape. The handles hang inside when not needed.

When required the handles come out and hang. It's a useful bag, even if unintended! I can also use it to show a use for lucet braid.

In the meantime, with the help of a friend, I worked out what I should have been doing. There was plenty of yarn left, so I started again, this time using the mosaic technique across the whole chart.

Not only does it work, but it's easy, and fairly quick!

So this is my current progress. It certainly looks something like the kit photo. I think I will finish it within a week or so. I had originally intended to wait until it's finished to complete this post. I think, however, this is quite long enough. I will post an update when it's finished.