The usual Christmas knitting frenzy looked like it would be toned down before it started this year.  With one recipient not being visited until January, two recipients struck off the list as they never acknowledge what they receive and another having their knitted offering postponed until their birthday due to a perfect bought present, this meant that I could relax and just ‘quickly’ knit 4 simple knitted bags to fit hand warmers, the perfect personalised Christmas stocking present. 

As is usual with my plans, the idea of a personalised bag by way of colour, motif or design swiftly gave way due to lack of time to a single block colour bag using a soap sack pattern used before but with acrylic rather than cotton yarn.  Hang on…this was in danger of becoming a Christmas rush if not a full-on frenzy.  Adjustment to number of stitches and needles was needed and a couple of dummy runs were necessary, which meant I finished the last one of the four on 23^rd December, decided on butcher’s twine in white, green and red for the ties rather than twisted coordinated yarns on the 24^th, and put them together on the morning of the 25^th … relax, my *r$3, I didn’t even have time to take a photo of them, doh…

Still, they were well-received and did the job of making a brashly-coloured functional item into a cosy pocket companion.

Thanks to Sheila, the designer, and friend of Stacey of goldenbirdknits who made this pattern available in the first place when I was scratching around for something to knit for an elderly friend who had everything and needed nothing. She didn’t have a soap bag. Mind you, neither did I, but that all changed when I realised you can hang it in the shower. It won’t slide away if you stash it on the side of the bath, and it’s easier to grip when the soap becomes small, soggy and difficult to use. An all-in-one washcloth and soap, if you will. Perfect! A beautiful French soap in a gold-coloured sack with a twisted cord to seal…she loved it.  And now here’s the pattern coming into its own as a hand warmer bag.

The pattern is very straightforward with enough interest to keep me focused but not so fiddly that I can’t keep one eye on the telebox, and it really can be completed in under 2 hours. 

Using 100% cotton yarn gives the added exfoliation feature of a small bag for soap that I hadn’t realised was even a ‘thing’.  Look on www.ravelry.com There are so many free knitting or crochet patterns.  

This won’t be the last time I turn my hand to a personalised hand warmer bag. My toadally good friend will be on the receiving end of a toad or frog-based bag, plus I’ve a few more birthdays coming up…

And I’ll take photos next time.

PS An added plus – you can fill it with those odds and ends of soap for a no-waste solution 🙂