Carrie & Eleanor's Handbags

Carrie and Eleanor are two good friends of mine since I was a little kid. When I started knitting, it was around Christmastime. Since I didn't know what to get them for Christmas, I figured I would knit something for them...something simple enough to make two of, yet personal and fun.

I picked up two skeins of the Japanese yarn Noro from the specialty knitting store. I didn't know anything about Noro yarn at all... like that every skein is a unique, hand-dyed masterpiece, blah blah. I don't exactly remember which Noro yarns I used, but based on the fiber content, weight, and colors, I can make educated guesses. Eleanor's handbag is Noro Kuryeon, a 100% wool worsted weight yarn, and the color is #124 (swatch pictured to right). Carrie's handbag is Noro Iro, a 75% wool, 25% silk bulky yarn, and the color is #53.

This is usually the part where I reveal the source of my pattern. But get this... no pattern! Ha! Really, though, there isn't much to it. The tops are in simple rib, and the rest is in stockinette stitch. I used circular needles to make a tube, and sewed the bottoms shut. Then I used straight needles to make long, thin strips, which curled up to form the handles. The pictures from here on out are of Carrie's handbag, five months later after she had used it a couple of times. Her constructive feedback was that the handles stretched somewhat (wool/silk blends will do that, I guess), and that there was no closing mechanism. D'oh!

Carrie models her handbag. Work it, cover girl! Show me love!