The first sprang project -- a small bag

I have complete my very first sprang project and I am very pleased with myself.  It's a simple bag, very much following the project guidelines that are in Carol James' workshop that she did for the Braids and Bands mailing list.

Much was learned.

I used some Sugar and Creme cotton yarn I found in the depths of my oddballs stash.    I rigged up my little PVC tablet weaving loom into a simple frame.  I used 24 ends (12 pairs).

This is very much the most basic interlinking pattern.  Each row is 1 s 1, with the rows staggered.  In other words, one row is 1 x 1.  The other row starts with 2 x 1, has the middle be 1 x 1, and finishes with 1 x 2.

It spiraled quite a bit, of course, since all the twisting was in one direction.  But after sewing it up and scrunching it up, it seems a lot better.  I haven't yet blocked it so don't know how that will affect things.

Once I ran out of room in the middle, I finished it using the method in the handouts -- tie a thread around the middle, twice (in a figure 8), knot it, and then use the ends to sew up each side, matching the edges.  I wasn't particularly neat with that, alas, but hopefully it'll be better and closer to invisible than it was this time.  For a while, I was pretty sure I hadn't aligned the edges properly.  But it worked out, whew, and even if it's not perfect, it's not obvious.

I did a twisted-cord for a drawstring, running it through the top loops and then tying an overhand knot at one end.

It looks rather peculiar but it is indeed stretchy!  It'll fit around a water bottle.  The length and width aren't too different from how they looked on the loom -- about 12" long and about 2" wide.  My gauge is relatively consistent and I like the fabric that was created.

This very much has the vibe one would expect from a First Project.  But it is a successful project.  Now on to project #2...   I'm not sure what it will be, but my guess is another bag.

I'm having fun reading things about sprang by a variety of authors and also checking out whatever I can find on the 'net.  So many possibilities...