Via Diagonale c'est fini !

This pattern is from Knitty.com and I made it as a sample for our new about-to-open yarn store Three Black Sheep.  It's about 18x9" and is knit from Berrocco Ultra Alpaca.

                                                                                                             

I lined it with pink Kona Cotton to match the pink leather handles. The bottom is gussetted and the bag is stiffened with Innerfuse, a new product to me. It has fusible on both sides and did the trick perfectly. I am so proud of myself getting this done way before the mid August opening.

What you don't see are the zillions of mistakes I made and ripped out and reknit. This is a slip stitch pattern and when I followed the instructions I often got lost, and didn't discover my mistake until inches had been knit incorrectly. Then I would have to unknit them, which with this pattern is not so easy.
 I decided to stop looking at the row by row instructions and just look at what I was knitting. Then the pattern was obvious! That doesn't mean I knit the rest perfectly, but I did manage to correct my mistakes sooner.

When I knew I had to rip out rows, I would put the bag aside for a few days until I had the intestinal fortitude and patience to tackle it again.

Finishing the bag was right up my alley, and I regained my confidence once the sewing part began. I am happy to have conquered this challenge. And I love the final result!