FO: Ballybrae Clutch

I decided that I needed to make a nice small clutch to go with the beret. The Ballybrae clutch totally fit the bill. It's nice and small, and I had enough yarn left over from the beret to use the same yarn, which meant that it would be a perfect match.

The construction of the purse is rather unique- you make almost an upside-down T. You then fold the sides of the T inward to meet each other, and sew the seams. This creates a seam across the bottom and down the front. I know it's really hard to picture; taking a look at the pattern might help you understand better. I'm not sure how I feel about the construction, as I don't really like having the seam down the front, even if it is mostly covered by the flap.

For a closure, I saw the button on sale for 50% off at the Fabric store, and it seemed perfect for a Black & White color swap. I lined it with a nice daisy print white and black fabric.

Pattern: Ballybrae Soft Clutch

Yarn: Valley Yarns Northhampton

Colorway: White

Needles: Size 3 Circulars

Made for: Montly Color Swap (July: Black & White)

The Verdict: I'm fairly pleased with the finished result, but not thrilled- I'm not a fan of the seam down the front, and I wish it were a little less floppy (really, for a worsted weight yarn knit on size three needles, I was expecting it to be a little stiffer). Overall, though, I think it's definitely a nice purse and should please the recipient.

FO: Squatty Sidekick Purse

First of all, I don't know that this is the best name for the pattern- it makes it sound really unattractive, when it's actually pretty cute! I made it for the Monthly Color Swap group on Ravelry- the color was red, as you can probably tell. Felting is a lot of fun, so I thought I'd make a nice felted bag for my swap partner.

It was fairly easy to make; there wasn't really anything difficult about the pattern. The worst part was lining it- it was easy enough to sew the lining on the machine, but I hate hand-sewing it into the bag- it's so hard to make the stitches look nice and neat! The bag actually sat around for awhile because I couldn't bring myself to finish sewing in the lining- it's a good thing that there was a deadline, because it forced me to finish it!

Pattern: Amanda' Squatty Sidekick

Yarn: Paton's Classic Wool

Colorway: Bright Red

Made for: Montly Color Swap (June: Red)

The Verdict: The purse turned out really nicely, and I'm quite pleased with the result. I probably wouldn't make one for me, just because I generally like larger purses to lug around all of my stuff, but I'd definitely make more as a gift.

FO: Small, Felted, Beaded Purse

My mother had been looking for a small, dressy purse for a long time. She wanted something that she could wear to the occasional nice event, such as when she chaperones prom (she's a teacher). She also wanted something small, just the size to hold a cell phone, driver's license, car keys, and a little bit of money, but she hadn't been able to find what she was looking for.

I decided to knit her one for Christmas. I found the pattern on Ravelry, then knit it up and felted it. However, I wasn't sue exactly how I wanted the beads, so I didn't knit them in. I bought so beautiful blue, purple, and pink beads, and sewed them on one by one. It was a long process. I don't think that I will ever complain about the expense of a beaded item ever again. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it. I didn't bead the back or the handle-- I wanted it to be comfortable to hold, and I didn't want it to catch on clothes.


I absolutely love the way it turned out, and so does my mother. It's pretty much exactly what she was looking for. Also, she tends to favor fairly plain, black dresses when she's dressing up- this should add some nice color to the outfit. I can't wait to see pictures of her using it!

Pattern: Suzanne's Purse

Yarn: Cascade 220

Colorway: Black