First Post is a BIG One!!!

Might as well start with a bang, huh? Here goes...

Hi all. I’m working on doing something different over the summer- I need to get involved in something that isn’t studying veterinary medicine!

Anyhow, I love to sew, quilting was my first craft art as an adult. But when I had cervical spine issues, I picked up knitting since I couldn’t bend over the machine. Then I had opposing interests when my neurosurgeon was able to return me and my neck to full duty. (I know, this is not the worst problem to have!)

Well, my knitting and the quilting can overlap in bags. I’ve yet to find the perfect knitting bag, and I’d love more than just my ideas to go on. So, here it goes. I’m going to run a raffle here and all you have to do to enter is post a list of _at least_ the top three features that every knitting bag would have.

There will be one grand prize and two runner-up prizes.

~ Grand Prize: a full-size knitting bag, designed by me taking into account ALL of the entries, in the fabrics of your choice, plus a smaller Work-in-Progress bag to match, plus a coordinated notions sac to throw into either one AND a knitting needle case of your choice- for straights, circulars, or DPN’s.

~ Runners up: a work-in-progress bag (big enough for a lace shawl project or a few pairs of socks), designed by me after taking into account ALL of the entries, in the fabrics of your choice.

When I say “fabrics of your choice,” I mean it. Anything you can find for sale in a local quilt shop, home dec store, or online, I will purchase and make the bag for you. I really need your best ideas, people, so I’m going all out on this!

You may qualify for two separate entries if you have ideas that are different for a full-size knitting bag vs a WIP bag, but not if you have 6 ideas for the full-size bag. Just make one post with all of your ideas, and I’ll keep a tally.

This raffle will be drawn on June 30th, so I will be taking suggestions and ideas for over a month, and posting prototypes for you all to see and comment on here on the blog. I hope to generate a LOT of discussion, so let's get to it!

Oh, and don't worry AT ALL about covering similar ground as other people have posted already. If it's on your top 3 list, too, that's important information for me, as well! Just post whatever matters most to you.

And, if you post anonymously, please include your ravelry ID or some other way to get in touch with you when you're the lucky winner!!!

Comments overfilled on this post. (Wowsers!!!)

Please go here to enter the contest!!!

Some of my bags

I want for this raffle to be a success. I think that for that to be so, you have to believe that I am a capable seamstress (otherwise, why would you want a bag that I made for you?). So, here are a few of my recent bag projects:

I'd love to hear what you have to say about them! Don't forget to throw yourself into the hat for the raffle!!!

One of You Beat Me to It!

but I don't mind. Lisa knits and sews and knits sent me a message saying that her perfect bag would be the pattern for the bag that I come up with from all of these wonderful suggestions (less than 18 hours, and already nearly 40 comments!). You guys have some amazing ideas, and I knew that this was something that would generate a lot of interest. No one has been hearing you!

So, here's today's surprise. I will be working using your suggestions over the next month plus to come up with a wonderful bag and a fabulous WIP pouch. The patterns for these bags, the ones that I use to create the winners' perfect bags, will be available here on the blog for all of you to use to make your own wonderful knitting bag. It will be free, just like all of the suggestions that you are offering to me are.

I'm a Kevin Spacey fan, and I watch every film that he makes... but my favorite is "Pay it Forward." Not just for the leading man, but for the wonderful moral that I've always believed but was never able to put into words. So this is me paying it forward to all of you. Thank you.