Monday, November 12, 2007

Back to knitting (finally!)

Here are photos of the felted mitts and bag.


French market is really cute, but I still have no love for this yarn. I'm glad there's only the better part of one ball left. The wide open top also presents a risk for me, because I've been known to inadvertently tip my bag over when out and about. The last thing I need is to lose my wallet, or something equally important (again!). This is a good bag to hang on a hook in the kitchen to throw hats and mitts into when I come home (there is no coat closet in this house).


I'm really disappointed in my thumb knitting ability. Those thumbs are huge. I managed to judge the length of the entire mitt just right, so I'm pleased about that, but those thumbs are meant for someone else, not my long skinny digits. However, these will make good mitts for shovelling snow. They are warm.


Since I only used a little of the second ball of yarn I bought, I'm going to try again, using smaller needles and four or eight fewer stitches. If I can find it - it's with the AWOL socks-in-progress.

In the interest of posting something good about knitting, however, here is my purse. I made it about a year ago - it took me a week, started on a Saturday when I was far too hungover to do anything but sit on the couch and watch TV. I get lots of knitting done that way. It's the Booga Bag. Made out of SWS, colourway is Natural Plum. 6 balls of yarn and a 6.5 mm needle, if I recall correctly. I made it about two times bigger than the pattern indicated.



I love this bag with every fibre of my being. I carry it everywhere - it holds two knitting projects, my calendar, wallet, little container of emergency supplies, camera, water-bottle, coffee cup, lunch and a binder, if necessary. I adore how the handles going through the bag itself draw the top up tight. In fact, I love it so much that I didn't put it away in the spring, like I thought I would. I carried a heavy wool bag around all summer. And didn't mind a bit. This is a perfect project for learning how to felt, and how to rejig a pattern to get the size you want. Plus, this bag is absolutely one-of-a-kind. Perfect for me, who likes to have things that no one else has.


Since I spent most of the weekend on the couch recovering from the show, I knit quite a bit on my Storm Water stole. I'm well into the second skein, and I still adore it. However, I am starting to feel really guilty about knitting for me, with the babies' second Christmas looming on the horizon. At knit night, tomorrow, I will pick up yarn for one sweater. I know what yarn I want to use. The question is, what shall the pattern be?

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