Lea's May Dance was last night. A girl can't go to a semi-formal without a cell phone, but she doesn't want to carry a clunky purse. Lea didn't like the thought of a clutch, which is (or at least WAS!) my go-to bag of choice when the situation called for something a little fancier than an everyday purse. What to do, what to do?
Enter the zippered wrist purse. I found a pattern for this little bag in
Stitch and Bitch Nation, by Debbie Stoller. I modified it slightly, adding a defined fold for the bottom.

It holds a cell phone and not a lot more. Lea got her cell phone and a lipstick in there. As I was making it, I thought about how handy something like this could be for me when I don't need the whole arsenal that I regularly carry in my bag. This holds my phone, a credit card, drivers license, a couple bucks and a key (but not my key ring...) Perfect for a night out! Perfect for a shopping day, when the bags get overwhelming (like I have shopping days when the bags get overwhelming anymore...). It would even be great just to hold credit cards or gift cards or a cell phone within a larger purse. How about feminine items? What a neat, cute way to keep those tidy in your purse (and eliminate embarrassment when they inevitably fall out).
I think this is really just a cute little bag with almost endless possibilities. I immediately whipped one up for myself using brown yarn and wood beads in place of the more blingy beads used on Lea's bag. I'm thinking for an even more casual look, I could eliminate the beads completely and do appliques (literally endless possibilities there... my head is spinning!). I could spell out initials with the beads rather than just going with a linear pattern for them.... Oh, I see every woman I know getting one of THESE soon!

They take very little time and very little yarn, so they're going to serve as stash busters, too. I tend to lean towards more neutral colors/schemes for myself - but for such a small project, I could actually go nutty! Make them to match specific outfits!
Lea all set to go to her big dance