It all started four years ago when I saw a sock blank so beautiful I had to have it. A sock blank is a machine-knit piece of fabric. They start off bare, then a dyer makes magic with it. You can knit or crochet directly from it, but it looks like noodles. You can also take the time to straighten it out, but that takes a little time and effort. I had no plans on doing either one.
I saw the blank as art. Once you use it, it looks completely different. Not bad, just different. The colors shifted and blended. I wanted a way to preserve what I saw originally. I was already making and selling project bags, so I thought, why not make a bag from the blank? I was fabric already; I just needed to stabilize it.
Well, that turned out okay. I say just okay because, like anything new, there were challenges to figure out. The zipper was catching the yarn. I lost a lot of fabric trying to get it even. I decided on a drawstring style. Even though they weren’t the best, I sold every bag. I was so excited! I decided to alternate fabric bags with blank bags.
After a few shop updates, it seemed that the excitement had died down for blank bags. After a long time, I still had so many bags in stock that my feelings were hurt a little. I put them on mega sale and posted them to my Instagram stories to sell the rest. I was done.
I had one rainbow blank leftover and decided to make something for myself. Enters the weekender. Big and beautiful. I couldn’t find a pattern that gave me exactly what I wanted, so I made it up. I’m pretty proud of it. I had a little piece left over from that and made the bag of my dreams. A little tote. Well, it’s not so little, but it’s definitely cute. This pattern is also self-drafted. In that process, I have figured out so many things. I don’t lose fabric; the linings are perfect with pockets, and they have recessed zippers.
People asked for the tote. I wasn’t going to do it. Remember, I quit. But I can’t help myself when Adela of Lolabean Yarn Co makes blanks. So, there I was making more bags. I only made a few, not a major update. I couldn’t stand sitting on bags again. That sale went well, so over time, I bought a few more blanks and waited for feedback. This is the bag I’ll make when I sell them. I found my style. Funny enough, it’s more complicated than the originals. I guess I needed a challenge and to take my time to get it tight.
Each bag is one of a kind every time. That’s what I love about them. If you would like to have your own blank bag, you can find them here.
Detroit Knots 