"The Murse" (Man Purse)

A couple of months ago, my roommate got this crazy look in his eye as he was fondling an old project of mine. Inspired, he expressed interest in designing and commissioning a small project for me to create for him. The exchange went something like:

M: "hey jared... i've been thinking a lot about a project we could collaborate on, and i've decided that it should be a European Carry-All."
J: "...........(long pause, confused expression) um, a what??"
M: "A European Carry-All. You know, a small bag to carry stuff around, just a couple of things. Cause you know i hate having things in my pockets all day."
J: "Oooooh... you mean a Man Purse? A Murse."
M: "No, not a Man Purse..... a European Carry-All."
J: "uhhh.... right. Yeah sure we could do something like that......."

Weeks later, after many hours of resolving "creative differences" ... the Murse is complete.

Pattern: The Murse (My Own)(+ a liberal dose of creative input from M)

Materials: Manos Del Uruguay (Brown), and an Unknown Wool/Alpaca blend (Tan) (Yarn band was promptly thrown away upon purchase by said Roommate) 1 ball of each.
Needles: US 6, 8, 9 (Bamboo Straights)
Completed: late June 2006
Measurements: didn't take exact measurements. Its sized to fit a large pair of 'studio' headphones and mp3 player and wallet snugly.
The Strap: A 4-piece braid. I used 4 long strands of Manos held double. Its much less stretchy than a knitted strap, and I like the look.

the backside panel

Lessons Learned: Be wary of collaborating on a design project with a non-knitter. In this case, knowing the limitations of the craft is VERY important (even on such a seemingly simple project... you'd be surprised).

Other notes? Basketweave stitch sucks ass and takes forever. Although I can't deny that it looks freakin' awesome when completed. This project did drag on much longer than I anticipated because of this stitch (cable crossing every pair of stitches on every row, RS and WS).

Was it worth it? Of course. You should see how much he adores this thing. Its really entertaining.


Short notes on other things: Sweater progress has been stunted because of the heat. Sweater projects have grown too large to drape over the lap. I'm in search of something small to keep me busy, but not a lot of knitting is happening in general. This should change over the weekend.