On Tuesday, I made a bag. I have had some hemp that I purchased just to make reusable grocery bags. I originally bought it when I saw this pattern on Knitty, back in the summer of 2007. Almost immediately, I went to Elann.com and purchased 2 skeins for their Canapone. When it arrived, I put it away, putting a sticky on it so that I would remember which pattern I wanted to use. Come January 2009, I stumbled across this pattern. I pared it down a little and made a bag that is great for apples, mangoes, or other large fruit. I plan to make a couple more so that I no longer need plastic bags in the produce aisle. The yarn is very strong and the pattern is very stretchy. I could probably put around 5 pounds of fruit in this one, quite easily. The color is brown, with quite a bit of blue in it, so it looks almost purple. Lovely!

Today is the day of my class with Ruth Sorenson on knitting a steeked shawl. I am about to head out to Village Yarn & Tea and will bring a report back on Monday.

My Oldest UFO

Yesterday, I pulled out my Civil War Shawl, again. I finished several repeats of the border. Whoohooo! I really like it. This means that I am about 10% finished with the border. The border is about half of the entire shawl. I think that I am expecting too much, but I would love to get this finished in time for the retreat! It doesn’t make a good commuter project as it requires much concentration. My weekends are pretty full between then and now, as well, so it’s doubtful. However, I do plan to make it my home knitting project for the next 2 weeks just to see what I can get done.

A New Knitting Book

On Monday, I received an unexpected package in the mail. We have been expecting some packages, though. My husband has ordered several books with my Amazon account, so I though that it might be on of those 3. Also, I ordered some yarn from Elann. However, it was none of these. It was Sweater 101 from the author, Cheryl Brunette. Last Thursday, she said that she would send me a copy, if I would like it, to take to the knitting retreat that I am going to in February. The first thing I noticed was the extra time she took to personalize the cover page with her signature. I really liked that special touch. I started thumbing through it, and it’s wonderful! I plan to read more, as I can always use help on fit. Thanks, Cheryl!

Newest Project

Ta-da! Here is the vest that I started on 1/25/09 around midnight, after arriving home from the Seattle to Portland Yarn Train. I was so excited from the day that I pulled out my swift and ball winder to make the yarn ready to knit. Of course, I couldn’t stop there, so I cast on and knit a few rows of twisted 2x2 ribbing. I am reminded of why I love this yarn, Elsebeth Lavold’s Silky Wool, every time I pick it up to knit! At the gauge in the pattern the garment has that crunchy silk feeling while still having a bit drape and softness. I am knitting from Knitty’s pattern Honeycomb. The pattern gauge is a little firmer than the ball band suggests and I love it!