Inspiration
Julia Hilbrandt Bags: Now in Charcoal!
Despite the challenges of this year, we had so much fun putting together this year’s MDK Holiday Shop. It gave us something exciting to look forward to, and kept us in touch with our favorite makers. We couldn’t see them at festivals or trade shows, but we could zoom and conference call to our quarantined hearts’ content.
One of the most exciting moments was when Rhinebeck’s favorite bag maker, Julia Hilbrandt, breathlessly told us that she was going to work up prototypes of MDK’s exclusive Knitter’s Tote and Knitter’s City Bag—in charcoal!
Dreams do come true! We’d been wanting a deeper, murkier version of our beloved bags for a while. Sometimes a pop of charcoal is just the thing to chase away the blues.
Look at these sultry, sexy things:
It’s the Knitter’s Tote, in black tie.
And the lighter, strappier bag about town, the Knitter’s City Bag, wearing a charcoal tuxedo.
The new charcoal color is the same industrial-grade wool felt that Julia Hilbrandt uses for all her bags. It has a smooth, supple hand.
The two of us have been carrying our Knitter’s Totes, in original gray, for years now. They are indispensable, especially for travel—remember travel?—due to their light weight and commodious capacity. They’ve also been steady companions throughout these home-bound times.
Both bags sit flat on the floor and open wide so you can see all the contents. (The knitting life contains a lot of Contents.)
The Knitter’s City Bag. A pared-down silhouette, with an adjustable cross-body strap so it can be carried hands-free and close to the body.
But it holds a lot! Magnetic snaps snug it all up.
Both bags feature Julia’s signature riveted saddle leather handles, which wear like iron and soften with use.
And a single vermilion dot, needle-felted by Julia’s fair hand.
One thing we know for sure: A bag is an important purchase. A good bag has to go the distance, and it has to fit into your life.
Julia Hilbrandt’s bags, made one by one in her home studio in Rhinebeck, New York, are the ones for us.
(And did we mention, they’re now available in charcoal?)
Do I need a second Julia Hilbrandt felted bag, this time a charcoal City Bag? No. Do I want one? YES! The Knitter’s Tote is one of the finest items I have ever owned. I admire it daily and will soon be admiring my new charcoal City Bag.
The real question is do I need a third bag. I already have both in the original color. We’ll see how long I can resist.
I’m so glad I dithered on the decision about this bag because: Yes to charcoal! I purchased as fast as a click-to-order Kindle book. I intend to use the city bag as a purse into which I also tuck knitting.
(Merry Christmas to me.)
Y’all! Your marketplace is full of so many temptations. I’ve already placed one order…
Thank you for the post and the promo for the beautiful charcoal bag! It is the stuff of dreams come true. Something nice to focus on, the knitting bag by my side.
If I bought this is have no money left to buy wool!
Yay for charcoal, but – they need to zip closed on top so that THINGS DON’T FALL OUT. So that they can be used as big purses or as carry-on bags. (Remember carry-on bags?)