Sophie Bag With Beaded Handles, Start to Finish - PART I

People have asked myriad (and highly intelligent and probing and thought-provoking!  ok.  I'm b.s.'ing you now...and havin' a good old time doing it, too...*giggle*) questions about my Sophie bags with beaded handles, so I thought it would be helpful to share my ups and downs and pitfalls and successes and extremely vast wisdom with you, and give you as clear and concise directions as I can, so you can make your very own.  I hope I'm not reinventing the wheel too much, but the questions I continue to receive tell me that I'm probably not. It's really not as scary as it sounds, and the result is fabulously, wonderfully pleasing.  (if I do say so myself.....!)

Please, no snoozing for the next three days.  If you're lucky, something spectacularly bad will happen, to liven things up.  Stay on the edges of your seats!  You never know!

I'll make a permanent link to this in my sidebar for future reference.  I have not linked to brands and terms that are easily Google-able, such as Addi-Turbos and Clover Bamboo, etc.   No, I don't own stock in Google, but I highly advocate its use.  And if you need me to link you to Google, well........can we talk?!

SO, THE PREPARATIONS AND THE SHOPPING LIST

1.  THE PATTERN.  A wonderful pattern, and free, from Julie Anderson, to be found here.

     For the beaded-handle bags, I modify it as follows:  I double the yarn, to make a more substantial and stiff fabric.  I feel it needs that to support the weight of the handles and the grommets or eyelets.

     I have knitted it on size US 10.5 (even with the doubled yarn), US 13 and US 11 needles.  My favorite is the US 11.  10.5 works great, but it's a workout for the hands with the double yarn.  With the 13s, I ran out of yarn and had to really fudge the decreases in the pattern, resulting in a shorter, wider bag.  It was actually quite cute, but it was not the look I was originally going for. 

     I used 16-inch circular needles.  The size US 11 is Clover Bamboo.  The others were Addi-Turbos.  Either one is great.  The Addis are slippery, which has its pluses and its minuses.  The stitches are squished quite tightly on the needle, and the Addis makes it a little harder at times to keep all the stitches on.  So a real beginner will be happier with the bamboo, I believe.

2.  CHOOSE YOUR YARN.  I have made these from Cascade 220 and Patons Classic Merino Wool.  Both worked very well.  I feel that the Patons felts a little faster, but this is not a scientific study, by any means.  I have only tried two colors -- pink (made 2 bags) in the Patons and gold No. 4010 in the Cascade.  (as you will read later, it took a lonnnng time to felt the gold Cascade to become the fabric I wanted.  It took much less time to felt the pink Patons to the correct texture. And the Patons made a firmer, stiffer fabric, which I think is more desirable in these bags.)  I think various yarns and colors felt differently, depending on how they've been processed and the various dyes used.  DO NOT USE SUPERWASH WOOL -- it will not felt.  REMEMBER TO GET TWO SKEINS.  You will use up every single thread of two 220-yard skeins.  You might even want to get a third skein, although I have only used two.  In order to get two to work, I had to modify the pattern somewhat, which I will detail later.  White or cream (and maybe some pastels) will probably not felt, because of the chemical processes they have undergone.  I want to make a cream bag with pearly and gold handles in the future.  When I get to that, I'm going to use the untreated Rambouillet wool from which I made my Plain Vanilla sweater.  (Please see my 2004 Gallery or Google it for more details.)   I've also seen felted bags made from Manos del Uruguay yarn, and it makes a luscious, boucle fabric.  I hope to make one of these bags in that yarn someday.

3.  THE HANDLES.  I ordered mine from Kim of Gibson Girl Design.  She does fantastic work and has an artistic eye and a really fun and beautiful inventory of beads.  In all cases, I sent her a snippet of the wool I was going to use and she color-matched.  But she also has standard colors available, and will do custom work as you request it.  You can tell her if you're going for "elegant," "funky," all one color, or multicolor, whatever you wish. 

4. THE HARDWARE. I use inexpensive 1/4-inch two-piece eyelets that I purchased at Michaels, a crafting department store.  I bought the inexpensive eyelet tool, which looks like the thing at the top of the following photo. The two pieces at the bottom are the two pieces of an eyelet pair.

   

There are more expensive grommets and grommet-applying tools in various sizes, but I found they were not necessary. 

ALSO, I have found it necessary to use some sort of clips to attach the handles to the bag through the grommets (eyelets).  There are several options available, but after several unsuccessful tries, my favorite find is this:

...from Universal Mercantile Exchange.  They are part number HK-R34-nickel. Two pieces.  The rod on the bottom screws into the hook on the top.  Just perfect!  (add a drop of glue to hold it from unscrewing, the instructions say)  I use silvertone or nickeltone hardware, because Kim uses silvertone wire and ends to her handles, and I think the look is more pleasing that way. 

They also come in goldtone, and they come in different sizes and shapes.  This one is the 3/4-inch size.  If you go to their site, it is rather challenging to navigate, but I think I eventually found and clicked on "handbag hooks."  It took a while to find it.  They sent a catalog, and that is much easier to understand than their website.  They are really in business for large orders, I think, and they sent me minimum packages of 10 of the two types I ordered.  I think I read something in their site that they limit these "sample orders" to a small number of orders before they require you to order a big wholesale-type order. 

A reader told me that they are called D-shanks, and that they are available at hardware stores such as Home Depot, as well.  I have not looked, but this may be a good option. 

5.  KNIT THE BAG. Follow Julie's instructions, but I have found the following modifications necessary.  Otherwise, I run out of yarn.

       Do the decreases every 7 or 8 rows, rather than every 10th row.  Even at that, I end up only able to do six decreases, then follow immediately the next row with another set of decreases, while  binding off at the same time.  Do not do the handles, obviously, since you are going to put on the beaded handles.  There would not be enough yarn, anyway, in my experience. 

DO NOT WORRY ABOUT LITTLE IMPERFECTIONS.  The felting will hide most mistakes.  There have even been times when I've forgotten to do a decrease or two, realized it later, and fudged it by adding it in when I realized it.

Following the above modifications, this is how much yarn I ended up with.  I might have gotten one more row out of it, but it's doubtful. 

The unfelted bag looks like this:

....to be continued.  Upcoming:  Specifics about the felting and handling of the bag after felting, drying, blocking, and adding the hardware.  Phew!  See, I told you this was going to be EXCITING!  Go ahead and chalk your hands now to counteract the sweaty palms.

Comments

[Lisa in Oregon]

I, for one, am thrilled you are taking us step by step through your process. I realize many could make changes here and there with their eyes closed, but I get stressed out. So if no one else appreciates it Norma, I DO!!! ;) L

[Laurie]

I. AM. ON. THE. EDGE. OF. MY. SEAT.

With my chin resting on my fist. No, not really :)

Can't wait for the next installment. I was just going to try this pattern--printed it off and everything. Now I'll watch. . .and wait. . .

[froggy]

this is great! can't wait to see what's next.

[Cassie]

But can you please tell me where I can find this Sophie pattern? And what's a google?

[Kim]

Wow, what fantastically clear instructions! I can see you writing technical knitting how-to manuals, m'dear! Clear, concise, and helpful.

Thank you for the mention, and for the kind words! Wait until you see the new look I'm working on for my site...I think you'll like it!

[Susan]

Thank you! A friend is really working on adapting the booga bag with some closures so you are giving her sources and ideas via me!

[Deb from PA]

My New Years resolution was to finish up some of the projects I have before starting a new one, guess that resolution will have to wait til next year!! Thank you for going thru step by step. I have had a keen interest in the beautiful bags you have done but where much to timid about felting to try. My mind races ahead to a large knitting bag.....

[Cara]

I've got two skeins of beautiful pink Manos that just might have to be this bag. I may need more yarn though. Would you double up the Manos, or is it thick enough on it's own. Thank you for the hardware instructions - a trip to the Depot might be in my future.

[margene]

You've made it so easy that I MUST make a bag now. The real reason is that I want some beaded handles from Kim. The bag has a very chic look and we should all be seen with one this season, qui, qui.

[Stephanie]

This is thrilling. (And it's saving me tons of time explaining it over on my blog)
Smart and helpful. That's Norma.

[Mary Beth]

Awesome, Norma! Very generous of you to share this with us! I GOTTA make a bag! I will. I will.

[Dawnie]

Norma, this is fantastic! Thank you so much. Now I can make my own army of pretty felted beaded-handled bags.

[Jo]

Those handles are so beautiful, I wish I knew someone femmey enough to use a bag like that. Still loving the blog Norma. Happy 2005.

[Susan]

Great step-by-step instructions, Norma. I agree completely that the bag is much better knit with a double strand. FYI, I made a pair of Fuzzy Feet from Patons Wool Classic and they never felted. So if you use Patons, swatch first--some colors (mine was a light heathered brown/grey) don't felt.

[Susan]

Oh, and before I forget--I did the bind off differently. Interested?

[Lori]

frantically printing right now - I can hardly wait to get started! You've actually inspired me to de-lurk - and that's saying something!

[travelita]

now why can't more pattern writers do what you just did...it makes me actually WANT to make the purse

of course, that is not to detract from the genius of Ms. Anderson!

Thx Norma

[Julia]

Thanks so much for spending the time to put this together. So now you don't have to answer all the questions one by one - you can just point to this entry. Brilliant! I have wanted one since I first saw your pink one and I already had made a regular sofie bag so I knew the pattern. My second and third sofie bags (regular ones) did not come out as well as the first and now I know it was the different dyes. Black did not work at all and my magenta one took a third wash. If this were in a pdf doc, that would be cool too - you know for downloading and printing. Just a thought. You're a peach!

[KarenK]

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you for those detailed instructions, especially the pictures of the hardware. Love the beaded handles, they're perfect, and I have THE Gift Idea for my Best Knitting Friend all taken care of now.

[Kim]

Norma......what a great gift to us!! I will tune in tomorrow....same bat time....same bat channel...LOL!

[Platybat]

You are a goddess of knitting, and I adore your rendition of Sophie, and thank you profusely for your step-by-step how-to action!
I know this isn't necessarily the best place for questions, but this one has been burning me up and no one will answer me in my usual spot -- does it matter what kind of decreases one does in the Sophie bag? i.e. should they be paired as k2tog and ssk, or something similar? I know, I'm being a moron, but I can't make an educated guess here, b/c I'm not that educated in knitting!!!

[Kitty]

I have just finished a sophie bag... can't wait to see what yours will look like with the fancy beaded handle!!...

Hurry up hehee

:)

[MARY ALICE]

I just love your interpertation of the Sophie bag. How did you knit the flap (black bag). Beautiful and so smart looking.