How to Make a Handle for Your Project Bag

Making your own handle is easy. You can choose things like nylon webbing or belt webbing to make a sturdy handle (just make sure the straps don't stretch). However, sometimes, you can't get the color you want, or the strap is just plain UGLY. You can easily fix this by adding a fabric covering.

The following are instructions to add a handle to my  Ditty Bag Pattern.

1) Cut your strap however long you need it.

2) (Optional. You can skip this step if you don't care if your handle is different.)

a) Cut a piece of fabric about 2.5 the width of your strap. Press the edges over by 1/4" and fold it over the strap, pinning it in place. 

b) Stitch close. I added a simple zig zag stitch here, because I didn't care about it showing. You can opt to hand sew the strap. Just make sure that you tack the fashion fabric TO the strap in more than several places so it doesn't shift about.

3) Sandwich the handle between the lining and the fashion fabric AFTER Step 4 of the Ditty Bag Instructions, and make sure the ends extend beyond where you want your channel casing to exist. Pin in place. Then, when you sew your channel casing, you will sew your handle into the bag. Just make sure to backstitch several times where the handles are located for extra security. I also added some "decorative" zig zag stitching above the channel casing to provide more security for the handles.

4) When you add your cording in the casing, just make sure to be aware that you'll have straps near the openings and to adjust the cording as needed.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer them or to clarify any confusion.

How to Determine How Much Fiber to Spin for Your Project

(I suggest reading the previous article, "3 Tools to Make Your Spinning Better", before reading this one.....)

I've often heard spinners ask the question: how much fiber do I need to make X item? And the answer to that question is done by determining the GRIST of your completed yarn.

Grist is essentially, the mass of your fiber times the length of said fiber.

Grist = Length per Weight = L / W

In order to determine how much fiber you need for a given project, you need to create a finished sample skein in the yarn weight you want to achieve. (Unfortunately, there's no other way to determine how much fiber you need., so you need to spin up a sample skein.)

Once you have your sample skein, you can either use the equation above to determine the grist or you can use a McMorran Yarn Balance (which essentially determines grist). You can also use grist to determine how much yarn you have in an unknown /unmarked skein/cone of yarn.

Real World Example:

From my previous blog post on Spinning Tools, I wanted to knit an Old Shale Stole using the following fiber.

The pattern calls for 1200-1400 yards in a DK weight. So, I created a small sample skein of DK weigh 2-ply yarn.

• Weight of my sample skein = .75 ounces
• Yardage of my sample skein = 63 yards

So, my Grist= L/W  = 63 yards / .75 ounces = 84 yards / ounce.
There are 16 ounces per pound, so my grist is 1344 yards per pound.

I need a yardage of 1200-1400 for the Old Shale Stole. Consequently, I would need a minimum of:

(1200 yards) / (84 yards/ounce) = ~14 ounces of fiber.

Unfortunately, I only bought 12 ounces of the fiber, which gives me:

(84  yards / oz) x 12 oz=  1008 yards

I'd be short ~200 yards for the minimum needed yardage. I would need to purchase  more of each fiber type. But at this point, I KNOW what I'm getting into.

Combined with the spinning tools as mentioned in the previous post, I can easily calculate my way into having enough fiber for the yarn that I want to create. And not be surprised after all my hard work that I've fallen short of my needed yardage.

3 Tools to Make Your Spinning Better

In addition to your spinning wheel, there are many tools out there for spinners to help you spin better and consistent yarn, and to reproduce those results repeatedly without guesswork.

There are three tools that I find useful and have made my spinning so much better.

1. a WPI tool
2. a Spinner's Control Card
3. a Twist card

(For ease of use, there are various smartphone apps out there that provide you some of these tools.)

The WPI Tool:

The Wraps-Per-Inch (WPI) tool basically tells you how much yarn wraps around an inch. The following is an image of a WPI tool from Nancy's Knick Knacks. The picture shows greater than an inch, but you get the idea. This comes with a handy-dandy reference card that tells you how your WPI corresponds to yarn weights. For example: laceweight = 35+ WPI; worsted = 9-11 WPI; bulky = 6 or less WPI.

 

I used this to determine my WPI for Frank.

Generally, I tend to use it determine the final WPI for my handspun yarn. But, you can also use the following tool....

Spinner's Control Card

The Spinner's Control Card shows the various widths of yarn and their corresponding Wraps Per Inch (WPI). It allows you to measure your singles WHILE you spin to ensure that you're spinning your singles evenly to the WPI you want to achieve.

You can use either the Spinner's Control Card or the WPI Tool  to determine the WPI of any yarn (and thus the yarn weight), whether it is handspun or some unknown commercial yarn. I tend to use the Spinner's Control Card while I'm spinning.

Twist Angle

This handy tool can easily be made with the aid of a protractor. It tells you how much twist you have in your single. The greater the twist, the more tightly spun your yarn. The smaller the twist, then the more lightly spun your yarn.

To use it, you do a ply-back test as you are spinning, and then measure the angle of your bumps against this card. (You can only do this test when the yarn is "fresh" (i.e. within milliseconds of being put on your bobbin. If you wait 5+ minutes to measure, then the plyback test isn't as accurate.)

If you want a tight twist (like for socks), you want a something greater than 30% twist. For something long wearing, like rugs, you probably want something greater than 60% twist.

Using these Tools & Why You Use Them

So, how does all these work together? Well, these tools allow you to spin the yarn you want without having to second-guess what you're doing.

The WPI tool and Spinner's Control Card helps you determine the weight of your yarn. I usually use the WPI tool with the finished plied yarn. And I use the Spinner's Control Card to measure my singles while I'm spinning. But this is not a hard and fast rule.

With a little bit of math along with these tools, you can easily determine the weight of your finished and/or plied handspun.  For example,  if you know that you always create frog-hair singles (i.e. 40 WPI or more), then you're going to need a lot of singles to make a bigger yarn.

For example: You regularly spin 40 WPI singles (this is your comfort zone), and you want:

• a fingering weight yarn (19-22 WPI), then 2 plies will give you a fingering weight. 
• 40 WPI single ply / 2 plies = 20 WPI
• a worsted weight yarn (9-11 WPI), then you'll need about 4 singles.
• 40 WPI ply / 4 plies = 10 WPI
• a bulky weight yarn (6 or lower WPI), then, you need about 7 singles 
• 40 WPI ply / 7 plies = 5.7  WPI

But, WAIT! 7 plies for a bulky yarn?!!? That's a little hard to manage isn't it? Yes, but if you want a bulky weight yarn, and you only spin 40WPI singles, this is what you need to do...or you can get more fingers or build some form of custom tool to help you ply 7 singles....

OR, you can change your singles instead, by changing the ratio on your wheel to a lower ratio and using the Spinner's Control Card to check your WPI gauge to something thicker. You can continue to tweak your ratio until you get the WPI gauge you want to achieve.  (Of course, you'll still need to spin up a sample of your yarn and knit a test swatch to see if that works for you.).

By changing the WPI of your singles, you change what type of yarn you can produce, and more accurately reproduce the yarn you want instead of second-guessing what you're doing.  For example:

• If you wanted a 3-ply worsted weight yarn (9-11 WPI), then in order to get a 3ply, you need
• 10 WPI x 3 plies = 30 WPI singles

• If you wanted a 4-ply bulky yarn (6 or lower WPI), then  you need:
• 6 WPI  x 4 plies = 24 WPI

Personally, I think a 4-ply bulky weigh @ 24 WPI singles t is much easier to manage than trying to do a 7 ply bulky weight @ 40 WPI singles, don't you think?

The Spinner's Control Card can help you spin consistent singles of various WPI. It allows you to measure the singles while you're spinning so that you can ensure that you're spinning the correct weight.  It takes a little bit of practice to get bigger singles if you normally spin super fine frog-hair yarn, but the end result is worth it.

So, where does twist come into play? Well, as mentioned before, if you want hard-wearing yarn, like for socks, then you need a higher twist. If you measure your yarn twist while you're spinning, you won't be surprised if the finished product doesn't have enough twist for socks. You'll know WHILE you're spinning it.

(I highly suggest that you refer to the The Knitter's Book of Yarn: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Using, and Enjoying Yarn to get an idea of how different plies, twist angle, etc, can really help determine what is best for a given project.)

Using these tools does require a bit of practice, but practice makes perfect (as the saying goes), and by practicing spinning, we get better at it.

So, in conclusion, using these tools allows you to:

1. Spin the type of yarn you want to spin without guesswork
2. Reproduce the type of yarn you want at any time. 
3. And by knowing how to spin the yarn YOU want, you can deconstruct commercial yarn that you like and replicate it on your wheel!

I think that's reason enough to try out these simple tools to make your spinning better.

Real World Example 

One of the things that I'm spinning for is an Old Shale Stole. It's a lovely pattern that lets you use sport or DK weight yarn. The pattern calls for the following yardage:

• 1675 = sport weight 
• 1200-1400 = DK weight 

I opted to use DK, and decided to spin for it. I'm opting for a 2-ply yarn because the "oval" shape of a 2ply will help show off  the lace work. A rounder yarn (3+ plies) will work, but it's not optimal for lace work. Plus, I wanted one single of each of these fibers to make the DK weight. (Ashland Bay Merino & Ashland Bay Silk Merino).

Step 1: I did a some math: Now, I know that a DK weight yarn is about 12-14 WPI. So, this means that I need my singles to be about 24-28 WPI ---> 12 WPI * 2 plies = 24 WPI

Step 2: I started spinning a sample and adjusted the ratio on my Kiwi until I got about what I needed (using the 7.25:1 whorl). And I check periodically using the Spinner's Control Card to ensure that I'm on the right track.

Step 3: My yarn twist is about 20 degrees. This number is fine since I don't want to make too hard of yarn with a lot of twist. I want something close to balance (err'ing on the side of slightly too much twist).

Here's the sample skein (1/2 oz) that I spun up as well as 2 quills of singles that I spun later after finishing my sample skein.

After I spun up my sample skein, I was pretty much exact in the type of yarn I wanted to create. I'm not sure if you can tell, but the resulting yarn is 12 WPI. This is EXACTLY the yarn I wanted.

And I made it without second guessing what my WPI or how many singles I need to make the yarn that I want to make. The math worked out, and the tools helped me get the exact yarn I wanted.

But, you might say, If you KNEW how to that you were going to get the yarn you wanted, why even bother with a sample skein? The math worked out!

You are correct. The math worked out and I created the yarn I wanted, but now, I need to determine how much fiber I need to actually get the yardage I want. And I can't do that without making a sample skein.

But, that's the topic of another post. :-)

Felt Eyes for Blinky

The following is a brief guideline on how to make the eyes for Blinky.

Items needed:

• white & black felt
• needle & thread
• stuffing of some sort
• 2 circle cardboard templates (one large, one small)
• a pin

Making the template for the eyes:
The size of your felt eyes depends on exactly how big your fish is and how big you want your eyes. The items I used were:

a) (for the large template) the small end of one of my spinning bobbins.
b) (for the small template) the tape measure I carry around in my knitting kit -- it's one of those plastic tape measures that are rather commonplace at locales like JoAnns

I would have used a compass, if I had one in the house, but you can use anything, really.

Instructions:

1) Cut out the pieces for the white eyeball using your template. You need 1 pair of a small & large circle. (For Blinky, I cut out 3 large & 3 small)

2) Pair up one small & one large circle and pin them together in the center of both circles

3) Take your needle and thread and sew 90% of the edges together. (Obviously, one is bigger than the other so the big circle will fold over "slightly".) You're creating a dome-like shape using these two pieces of felt.

4) Stuff little dome

5) Sew shut.

6) Repeat steps 1-5.

7) Put two eyeballs together along one "edge" and sew those two pieces together

8) Repeat step 7 for the 3rd eyeball.

9) Cut out your black felt irises and sew them onto the white felt. (I did this last because I wasn't sure how the three eyeballs would look after being attached and didn't want Blinky looking cross-eyed.)