Diversions: Rogue #2, Intarsia Bag | 11:42 am | 5 November 2004
I’m still plugging along on my Dad’s sweater, but when I get bored with that, I take a break and work on something small. Or rather, something I think will be small… Here are the sleeves for Rogue #2, which will be a cardigan. I’ll start working on the body with Mac on December 19. Meanwhile, I’ve also been working on the Nikki Epstein Felted Floral Bag (Fall ’04 IK); comedy may not be pretty, but intarsia is even less so. At one point, I had about fifteen separate little bobbins of yarn floating along. I was thinking about making the back of the bag solid black, but that would be a) cheating and b) actually more tedious because it’s boring and c) what else am I going to do with that yarn? I’m not looking forward to the handles, and am hoping that I can get my little magic i-cord maker to work with this weight of yarn.
November 6th, 2004 at 4:42 pm
That bag is looking gorgeous! It drew my eye, too, but I knew I’d chicken out of all that intarsia.
What yarn are you using for the Rogue cardigan? I’m going to make one as a cardigan as well — are you going to use a zipper? I’m pretty sure I will.
November 6th, 2004 at 4:42 pm
That bag is looking gorgeous! It drew my eye, too, but I knew I’d chicken out of all that intarsia.
What yarn are you using for the Rogue cardigan? I’m going to make one as a cardigan as well — are you going to use a zipper? I’m pretty sure I will.
November 6th, 2004 at 4:43 pm
Sorry about the double comment — I got a weird page back from the browser, and thought the comment hadn’t gone through. Feel free to delete one, and this apology!
November 8th, 2004 at 10:07 am
Hi, Rose! I’m using Tahki Donegal Tweed for that. One of the stores here has HUGELY expanded and they have tons of it, all gorgeous colors. I’m going to put a zipper in, and I was thinking of pulling the three-stitch hood border all the way down the front. Also, I’m going to be doing the thing by steeking it, as I will do just about anything to avoid knitting flat. What yarn are you going to use?
November 8th, 2004 at 10:08 am
Hi, Rose! I’m using Tahki Donegal Tweed for that. One of the stores here has HUGELY expanded and they have tons of it, all gorgeous colors. I’m going to put a zipper in, and I was thinking of pulling the three-stitch hood border all the way down the front. Also, I’m going to be doing the thing by steeking it, as I will do just about anything to avoid knitting flat. What yarn are you going to use?
November 8th, 2004 at 10:09 pm
I’m using an oatmeal-colored crunchy sort of wool from Chester Farms. It’s their 2-ply worsted. My ulterior motive is that I hope it will look so fabulous that everyone will want to buy lots of that yarn! But I also want a nice cabled sweater for me.
I like your idea about running the 3-stitch border all the way down the front, as well as steeking the body — I think I might just steal both of those ideas!
November 8th, 2004 at 10:11 pm
Hey Miriam, I heard that there was a knitter who didn’t follow the very specific felting directions in the magazine (did you notice that? you’d think that specific instructions would be specifically useful) and felted the bag in her machine like we felt all our other bags, and it was a disaster.
When you come to the second side, try using shorter lengths of yarn instead of bobbins. When I say short, I mean like 45-60 inches long for the bigger blocks. That way you just pull the length free of the tangle when you work it, and nothing ever gets hung up. I tied a lot of ends together and cut the yarn about 1/2 an inch long, because the whole thing will felt up and you can always line it. I’ve been told for years that shetland wool, like the Jamieson specified for the bag (is that what you’re using?) felts the ends together just in ordinary wear, which is why cutting fairisle sweater steeks works and a construction technique. So felting it on purpose gives you all kinds of license to mess around with bobbin-less intarsia.
November 8th, 2004 at 10:12 pm
Hey Miriam, I heard that there was a knitter who didn’t follow the very specific felting directions in the magazine (did you notice that? you’d think that specific instructions would be specifically useful) and felted the bag in her machine like we felt all our other bags, and it was a disaster.
When you come to the second side, try using shorter lengths of yarn instead of bobbins. When I say short, I mean like 45-60 inches long for the bigger blocks. That way you just pull the length free of the tangle when you work it, and nothing ever gets hung up. I tied a lot of ends together and cut the yarn about 1/2 an inch long, because the whole thing will felt up and you can always line it. I’ve been told for years that shetland wool, like the Jamieson specified for the bag (is that what you’re using?) felts the ends together just in ordinary wear, which is why cutting fairisle sweater steeks works and a construction technique. So felting it on purpose gives you all kinds of license to mess around with bobbin-less intarsia.
August 5th, 2005 at 2:04 pm
Gorgeous bag! Nice work.
November 30th, 2006 at 7:46 am
I am Zoidberg!
February 22nd, 2011 at 3:47 am
I guess I need your help on the floral bag. Intarsia! Five of us decided to make the bag not knowing how much involved for changing colors. We are substituting yarn since Jamieson’s Shetland will be costly for most of us. The big question is; Did you stick to intarsia or did you modify some with stranding? I would love to hear from someone who did stranding with at least back ground color. And how it felt up. I see that Eunny Jong from KnitPicks made a felted bag with two colors but followed the design by Nikki Epstein. But that was in 2004. I have sent her an mail to her web site but I doubt I will get any response. I am glad that I found you here and really really appreciate any hint or information on this project.
February 23rd, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Hi, Mitsuko! Sorry, I did straight-up intarsia on the bag, only stranding if a color pool was next / really close to itself. I used the Jamiesons, it felted beautifully. I’ve also gone on to use it for Autumn Rose (that gorgeous sweater from EJ that is my nemesis). I do recommend it! Good luck with your bags!