Norwegian Knapsack

 Before I tell you about this project, I want to say that I am SUPER proud of myself for making something so AWESOME.  And I did it in only a month!  I think the fact that I finished it in a month is probably the most impressive part, at least for me.

Anyway, I made myself the Norwegian Knapsack from the book Norwegian Handknits.  I bought the book a year ago and hadn't had a chance to make any of the patterns yet.  This was my second project using stranded color work and I really enjoyed it (the first project was the pair of fingerless gloves I made in December.)  I love the bag but... the pattern published in the book was not edited very well.  I found numerous errors in the pattern wording and the main chart, neither of which were addressed in the published erratta.  Also, the pictures in the book of the knapsack (including the one on the front cover!) differ slightly from the published chart.  However, once you set up the repeating charts, it is fairly easy to get into a rhythm, and figure out the stitches without paying attention to the pattern.

Despite the difficulties I had deciphering the pattern, the actual knitting and assembling of the bag went very smoothly.  I opted to add the extra finishing steps of lining the bag with black wool, adding embroidery to the front of the bag, and making a zipper strap for a separating handle.