Big Surprise

I made a new bag:


I know this is not a surprise to anyone, the post title is sarcasm. I made this last week, and kept thinking I should post about it, but also knew most people who read this will not find yet another new bag all that compelling. Alas, I guess I have to work with what I've got. It's what I do :).

This is a project/travel bag. It's sturdy denim, a good dark color for travel, and has a zip closure and long enough straps to carry cross-body.

I made and have carried this one for 6 years. There is a certain comfort in carrying the same bag on trips: I put my boarding pass in a specific place, and can always find it. I have enough room for my netbook, kindle, book (I know, redundant), wallet, a shawl and a project (or two), plus some travel necessities like nuts, hard candy, tea bags and dental floss (which is useful for all kinds of things from string to cutting tool).

Th current travel bag is still intact, has had pockets and bands re-sewn a few times, has been washed and re-washed, and is quite serviceable. But. It also has some limitations which I have tried to mitigate in the new one.

First off: I put a zipper in the top. This will keep things better in place, of course, but also makes the bag a possibility for over-head stowing.

Next, I made one of the outside pockets a pouch:


with a button! Carrying a project in the outside pocket meant I could easily reach it during flights, without scrambling through everything and pulling the whole bag out from under the seat to go through it. But the flat pockets meant things bubbled out, especially if I pulled one thing: the rest would follow. This is more voluminous. The pouch will hold a small project easily, and the button means I can leave the ball of yarn in the pouch, feed the working yarn out, and the ball will remain in the pocket, not roll around in my lap (or ack! on the floor).

The new bag is slightly larger, so that my spindle carriers fit in the bottom:


They are protected, provide a certain strength and stability, are accessible if need be, but not likely to fall out.

There is room (when not actually traveling) for a full pile of yarn or fiber above the spindle cases:


There are inside pockets for my niddy-noddy and nostepinne, and a snap pocket for knitting notions like stitch markers, a tape measure and a crochet hook.

I feel so smug. The real test comes with use though, so I guess it's time to break out the travel schedule. This week! CNCH. Also? The bag can be a class sample :)!

I will be traveling to CNCH by car, so the Ultimate Test will have to wait until the next flight, which is not soon enough, of course, to visit this favorite munchkin: