Fun
Introducing: The Knitter’s Tote
Kay and I met Julia Hilbrandt a number of years ago, in a sheep stall at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds.
There she was, in the red-hot center of the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival, surrounded by yarnmakers who had brought drifts of yarn, roving, fiber and fleeces. And sheep.
Julia’s booth was different.
No yarn, no sheep. Julia’s booth was an oasis of sleek, elegant design. Julia is a maker of handmade bags, designed using a very specific palette of materials: leather handles and felt. Black leather handles. Gray wool industrial felt, to be specific.
So modern, so sturdy. So lightweight. These bags, and Julia’s quiet good humor, were instantly memorable.
Years Pass . . .
Fast forward to the day when we found ourselves in a position to collaborate with Julia. We’re still kind of amazed that this has happened at all, but here you go: we have worked with Julia over the past months to create the knitter’s bag of our dreams.
The bag of our dreams is of a very specific size and proportion, one that Kay and I have both loved for decades. For as long as I’ve known her, Kay has lugged around a beloved and frankly ratty-looking Tesco shopping bag from England. For the decade I worked in book publishing, my tote was always rectangular. Made of heavy leather, it weighed a ton unloaded, and two tons on a two-manuscript weekend.
This very specific shape—this rectangle—has always been The One, for both of us. And in our endless market research (aka watching bags go by at fiber festivals), a great knitting bag is one that sits on the floor, is wide at the top, and generous in capacity.
Kay shipped off her precious Tesco shopping bag to Julia as the template for the bag we’ve been dreaming of. Julia made short work of it, and soon we had Julia’s interpretation of the tote that we’ve always craved.
Here it is:
The Knitter’s Tote
It has the design elements that Julia has perfected over her years of making these extraordinary bags.
The sturdy seams are sewn on her sewing machine built to stitch sails. The leather becomes supple very quickly, and the rivets are made to last.
It has Julia’s trademark hand-felted dot on it, in vermilion, to distinguish it from any other industrial felt tote that might be lying around.
We have been field testing The Knitter’s Tote for weeks now. The only modification we made was to make sure the interior pockets are the proper size to carry a Modern Daily Knitting Field Guide.
It has two such pockets because a knitter needs options.
It’s so light to carry. Even stuffed with Field Guides and multiple knitting projects, I hardly know it’s on my shoulder. And at 15″ wide by 12″ high by 8″ deep, it can easily hold a weekend’s worth of clothes for those times when you really need to bug out.
This is a special thing, a design exclusive to MDK, made one at a time in Rhinebeck, New York. We offer The Knitter’s Tote with great pride—we’re lucky to have the chance to work with this talented maker, and happy to offer you a tote that will last and last, through many years of knitting adventures.
Order your own Knitter’s Tote here.
I started to hyperventilate the moment I laid eyes on this. Could it be? The perfect tote? I can’t wait to find out when it is in my hot little hands!
It’s the perfect size and shape of tote!!! I wonder if it’s possible to order it without the dot, though?
You could always stitch a patch or applique over it.
GORGEOUS!
A handsome tote indeed, but totes don’t close securely – well, they don’t close at all. My template for the perfect knitting bag would be based on a gym bag: a zippered main compartment, zippered auxiliary compartments. (Right now, in fact, I’m using such a bag, a freebie from a flight-simulator company that the hubster passed on to me). Would Julia care to take a crack at such an item?
is the bottom of the bag strong enough to hold a bit of weight before colapsing into a round bottom? the size is great, totes are made to tote things. yarn yes, can it handle a couple of books, knitting project and a toss of a small hand bag? stacy
Hi Stacy!
Excellent question, given the relative width of the bottom. I’ve been carrying my tote for several months now, every day, and it has been doing a great job. I’ve taken it on overnight trips, on the plane, with hardcover knitting books in it as well as my small handbag. With its heaviest load—four Sequence Mugs and Bristol Ivy’s new book plus two knitting projects and my planner—the bottom curved a bit, but not in a structurally challenged way. It regains its shape when the heavy things are taken out. The seams are stitched for the ages, as far as I can tell, and the felt is dense.
good evening Ann, thanks for repling. with all of those items you TOTED along with your lovely self (i know i could never keep up)i know with confidence that it is super strong and will keep its shape well. i”ll have to tell santa that i would like one, of course it will be in a form of asking for one. you know in “06” i bought your first mason*dixon book. i made my first completed item, you know the one that really got finished, seeing it was new to me and i just got started learning to knit. i made the “bubbly curtain” pattern. it was my first real beauty and it fit wonderfully in my kitchen window. i was so proud. i blame you two for this awsome love of ours. thank you so, so much. happy holidays! stacy scalzi
So beautiful! Wish I could afford one!
Just one question: how does one clean this bag?
Industrial wool felt is quite soil-resistant but I would recommend dry cleaning to keep its shape.
This is a beautiful item. Nice work!
The red dot reminded me immediately of the best red dot I know – gallery sales! – which is very suitable for a design that would look very much at home in the MOMA shop.
what a lovely thing. a work of art. a way to support an artisan. a place to put a few knitting projects.
I agree with Gretchen… my perfect tote would have a zipper on top. And, it would also have sewn handles which encircled the bottom, rather than riveted in two places near the top. With any heavy use, rivets will pull out of felt, sorry. I would also choose canvas for the fabric. Oh, wait… my Land’s End tote is just like that. Who knew?!
I like to quilt, and I sew my own bags. I prefer a secure closure across the top—this bag needs a zipper!