Alison's Tote, Part 1

So Alison and I talked about her bag on Friday... and have decided to make the planning/design process transparent to the rest of the world (also this will let us archive our process for ourselves, and it will be fun!). Her yarn is the malabrigo worsted in the Verdes variegated colorway, and she has one skein. Here are my further questions for her (answers to be posted to her blog):

1. Do you like flaps or no flaps?
2. Do you want a button (or similar) closure?
3. Do you like knitting in the round, or do you prefer flat (knowing that it will involve seams)?
4. Shoulder strap or handle? Knit or non-knit? Two straps or one?
5. Do you want it felted or lined (or both)?
6. Pockets?
7. Should the bag be flat or have depth?
8. How big are we talking here? (clutch, purse, tote, bag)
9. What do you think of ripples, welting, or other stitch patterns?
10. Can we mix crochet with the knitting (for finishing, button loops, etc.)

These are the questions I think about whenever I'm designing a new tote. Again, see Alison's blog for her responses.

In other news, I've discovered that the thumb problem only happens when I do a lot of purling. I guess this means I'll be avoiding stockinette for a while... The ITE4 tote is coming along - but I need to be able to purl to finish it! I've got 7 more squares plus the handles and pockets to complete, then seaming and felting. W00t!

On my to do list I said I'd sketch out three bookmarks. I've been trolling through the eyelet section of my Barbara Walker's 2nd Treasury and came up with patterns for at least a dozen different bookmarks. Lucky thing I have two skeins of Patons Grace to do them in! :)