Friday, March 17, 2006

Knock-Off Weekend

The beginning of a beautiful knock-off
I saw this bag on the Berroco website. Yesterday, at my daytime SnB here at the office, one of my fellow knitsters showed me an ad from Vogue Magazine for a Ferragmo bag with a leather top and raffia-like body....very similar to the Berroco bag pattern. The Ferragamo was priced at $1,600!!!
The minute I see something like this, I consider it a challenge! I have to immediately drop whatever I'm working on (about 10 other projects) and take the challenge. I ran over to Yarns Unlimited here in Santa Monica at lunchtime and picked up a couple of skeins of yarn that I think will look raffia-like in color. Have you ever tried to crochet or knit with raffia or soutache? It's very stiff and hard on your hands, which makes the process painful. Who wants to get crippled for a purse? Not me.
I've decided to crochet my bag, not knit it. I think that crocheted bags are sturdier than knitted bags and require LESS lining and stiffening. You won't find me buying the Berroco Cotton Twist or the Berroco Suede...although these are not really ultra-expensive yarns, they are not budget. I'm using a strand of TLC Amore' in the color of Sand and a strand of good ol' Red Heart acrylic in the color of Warm Brown. For the top of the bag, I'll use a strand of the Warm Brown with a strand of something darker....in the rusty/orange family, to simulate leather. I'm crocheting a basic basketweave pattern. The Ferragamo also had corkscrews hanging from the bottom of the bag. I may or may not add these....we'll see. Lisi at the Stitch Cafe in Valley Village has a kit for a version of this bag too! It's so popular.
The "Lorraine" bag from Berroco
Since I'll be stuck in the house on Sunday due to the L.A. Marathon going right through my neighborhood, here's to a rainy weekend of creation! Have a great one!

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6 Comments:

At 4:08 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love that bag. I can't wait to see your finished version.

I'm tempted to try something similar. I really like those handles too. I think I'm going to make a trip to M & J in manhattan & pick them up.

 
At 4:47 PM PST, Blogger Ellen Bloom said...

Hi Mica! I admit it...in addition to being a yarn-a-holic, I'm a purse-a-holic. I have piles and piles of purses at home and seem to use the same 2 constantly! LOL!

 
At 7:52 AM PST, Blogger ~drew emborsky~ said...

Wow, I'm excited to see how this turns out!! =)

 
At 10:22 PM PST, Blogger mj said...

hey, Ellen. My name is MaryJo and we have a mutual friend in Dr. Brit, the vet for the county. She has told me we should meet because I am crazy about knitting and crochet. I also was a fan of your radio show. I would love to join you at the Farmer's Market or where ever else you meet fellow knitters. I also have a huge weakness for bags of any kind and love that Berroco pattern. I'm going on a search for it now. Thanks!

 
At 8:36 PM PST, Blogger WineGrrl said...

Sounds fun....!

 
At 10:42 AM PST, Blogger Ellen Bloom said...

Thanks for the comments, everyone. I'm taking photos of my Marathon of Knitting for my next post!

MJ! Yes, Dr. Brit!!! Do come to our Stitch n' Bitch at the Farmers Market, 3rd and Fairfax. We meet every Thursday from 7-9pm in the upstairs dining area. Due to traffic, I usually don't get there until 7:30, but go early, hang out with the yarnsters...you'll have a great time. We're all verrry friendly. Be sure to identify yourself! See you Thursday!

 

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