Such a Clutch

What better way to come back from hiatus than with the first FO of the new year?

Pattern: Downtown Clutch [Ravelry link]
Yarn: Recycled silk from a thrift store sweater, somewhere between sport and DK weight
Yardage: ~250
Needles: US 2
Size: 9" wide (top band) by 5 3/4" high
Would I knit this pattern again? Absolutely!  It's such a fun little purse.

My brother-in-law's girlfriend came to the family Christmas this year--the first time he's ever brought anyone, so we knew he was serious!--and even though we'd never met, with a little research before hand we managed to exchange some great gifts.  She got me a lovely silver Celtic knot pendant to add to my small collection, and a knitting book, Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders.  Leafing through it before dinner that night, I found, oh, maybe 30 of the 101 patterns I wanted to knit immediately!

But this one drew me back over and over again as I waited to get home to my stash to get started on something...this is the first (only!) time I've ever seen plastic canvas used as structure for a knitted item.  See how nicely the top bands keep their shape when the purse is open? Each side has a strip of plastic canvas sewn inside the top band facing.

I started knitting this as soon as I got home on New Year's Eve, but I didn't finish until this morning because I also got a new sewing machine for Christmas from my parents, so I've been quite busy with small projects on that as well so I can learn all its fancy-shmancy features.  More on that later!

Modifications: Because my recycled yarn wasn't quite DK weight, the purse is a bit smaller overall than the original pattern, but I don't mind at all.  Instead of a single snap, I used three--it seemed more secure.

Also, I lined it, which isn't called for, but lined purses are so much more professional-looking, no?  The lining looks quite rumpled because I cut it wider than the top bands to echo the ruching on the bottom--I gathered the bottom of the lining to fit, then made tiny pleats along the top edge as I stitched it in.  Here's a better look at the lining fabric:

I really don't think I could be any happier with the way this turned out, and I see the purse-lovers in my life getting their own versions somewhere down the road!