Ghosts of Purses Past

Last week was a just-get-through-the-week kind of week. I haven't touched anything yarn-related. So, no new pictures. 

I have been sort of contemplating what I want to do next. But I can't seem to focus on it. A new purse. It's time. 

So many decisions to make. What shape? What color? What yarn to use? What pattern? 

I thought I'd explore my previous purses. That might help me narrow some things down. 

This is the purse I'll be replacing. It's not as bright and shiny as it was then, but it still does the job. I like the size and I like how it fits me crossbody. I do not like how the corners of the flap curl. My next purse flap should be more rounded, I think. 

This was the purse before. I discovered from this one that cables aren't a good idea, especially if I plan to line the purse (which I do). Cables draw in, and while that's great for a garment that you want to fit a little tight, for a purse that you want to be one size, it's not. 

I also was not a fan of this yarn. But the size was good. I didn't carry it for very long before knitting my current purse. 

This one never made it into heavy rotation for me. It's a bit too big. And awkward. I loved how the colorwork looked in the pattern, but I'm not a fan of colorwork, and it didn't come out all that great. I'd be willing to try something similar again, but I'd shape it differently. 

I did love making this one, but the shape, again, didn't quite work for me. I think the strap ended up being too long here. And with felting, it was hard to know how big the final purse was going to be. I think I have this somewhere still. I should find it and see if I could maybe make it work for me now.

This isn't the purse I carried. I made this one to sell. But it's the same pattern as one I carried 20-ish years ago. It was a good size for me at the time, but I have since found that the under the armpit length of strap isn't great for me in my day-to-day. 

This one was an experiment. I never did get a good picture of it. It turned out to be way too big and a bit too orange. That strap was way too long, too. I still have it somewhere. I don't think I successfully ever wore it out (as a purse, not as in "worn out"). 

And this one I still use. It's my "car purse". I carry my wallet in my school bag. If I go to the grocery store (or other errands) after school, I don't want to carry my school bag, so I pull my wallet out and put it in this purse. And it's the right size for that. Alas, it is too small for days when I carry a purse out. 

I don't think I want to felt a purse again, though. I like the t-shirt yarn I used for my current purse. 

Ah, choices. One choice limits the other choices, though, so by deciding I'm not felting a new purse, that eliminates some stitch patterns. (This is a good thing. Too many choices mean I'll be deciding on what to do for way too long.) 

Designing takes time. Right now I have some time.