A present for you, but also for me

After the great christmas jumper escapade of last year (and no, he didn't get the arms this year), this was the only cCristmas present I made this year.

My mum had mentioned that she wanted a knitting bag and as soon as she said it I was sure I'd make it myself.  I've seen a few in the shops, and have a Cath Kidston one myself, but none overwhelmed me so I thought I'd be able to knock one up fairly easily.

But then whilst researching spending hours on Pinterest, I found this pattern from The Sometimes Crafter. I was sold. $9 later and I had the PDF pattern on my hands.

A quick trip to Ikea to pick up some Aida linen (on Flossie Teacakes advice) and a shop at M is for Make later and I was all set.

This pattern is a lovely make. It went together really easily, even the zipped pocket. This was my first time inserting a zip like this, and the instructions were extremely easy to follow. And Christina's thought of everything - you can even add a bit of ribbon in the pocket to tie in your scissors so you don't lose them. Perfect!

And I love the pockets. When I first saw the picture of the bag, I couldn't work out how they were put together, but again it's very straightforward. There's also a huge amount of space inside for yarn and WIPs (for me, this is where my Cath Kidston one falls down - it's one or the other).

One note of caution with fabric choices - it's probably best not to use directional or large prints with this. In fact, I realised a little too late that it would be perfect with Liberty print if budget allows.

I loved this so much I made two of these in two days, and instantly regretted not buying enough fabric for a third for me. The second was supposed to be for a friends 50th birthday, but she requested donations to a charity she previously worked with (she's a better woman than me) so that one's staying with me. I felt a little guilty that I felt so happy she didn't want her present (in the nicest way possible!), but at least I know my time wasn't wasted!