Saturday, January 09, 2010

Mostly Knitting.....

Yes, this is actually a post that contains mostly knitting. Since this originally started out as a knitting blog, I thought maybe it would be appropriate! I do know, however, that there are some of you out there who actually SKIP the knitting content! (Not that I would ever mention any names... Michael..)

I have decided that my very favorite thing to knit is felted bags, and my favorite bag to knit is the Ballband Bag, originally designed by Monica. I think the reason that these are my favorite is because I actually see them being used all the time by the ones I have made them for. M, K and CB carry theirs all winter, and it makes me smile to see how much they enjoy them. So I decided I have two 'adopted' daughters that I need to make bags for before the start of this semester. K chose the colors, as they are friends of hers, and I got started. Here is the first one ready to felt....







And here it is, ready for the snaps. I knit it double stranded with Cascade 220. I had two skeins of each color, but didn't quite have enough of the brown to do the whole strap, hence the red section. But I think it works. I am hoping the one I made it for well love it as much as I enjoyed making it for her.













I have the second bag well under way and hope to finish it later tomorrow. The color is a bit off in this photo, but it is brown and a beautiful lavender color. Perfect for it's intended target.. I mean, recipient! I have made a slight adjustment to the original pattern that I am happy to share if you decide to cast one on. Just shoot me an email from my profile page and I will share with you what it is.



Earlier this Fall, I traded some knitting with K. I knit her a couple of pair of fingerless gloves in exchange for her knitting me this scarf. She WAY got the short end of the deal - but don't tell her!!! This is commonly referred to as 'The Scarf That Never Ends'..... You cast on 70 stitches onto a size 5 16" circular needle - join it into a circle and knit around and around and around until you either go crazy or it is as long as you need. Whatever comes first. This is made out of Alpaca With A Twist Baby Alpaca, and I will tell you this is the warmest scarf you will ever feel. I'm trying to talk her into making one for herself.








It really helps to keep one warm on these days that the temperature is WAY below zero. And it has been that cold for days and days and days it seems! I am thankful for my knight in shining snow pants who is so willing to don the snowshoes and take Sophie out on her field walks. If you could see under his coat, you would see he has on his Alpaca Never Ending Scarf on that K made him last year. He is now a firm believer in scarves and wears it ALL the time.






Well, time for more knitting.



Until Next Time.....

5 comments:

hakucho said...

Your bags look great as always! Love your scarf.

Be sure and stay warm! It's very cold here(MA), but not as cold as in your neck of the woods....stay warm :)

happy knitting :)

Unknown said...

I'm glad to see you are blogging
again. The scarf looks very
inviting to try. I love your
bags. Happy New Year!!!!!

Caryn said...

very beautiful!!

rohanknitter said...

love the bags - including the 2-colored handle!!

Barbara T. said...

Hi Janice
I want you to know how much we enjoyed the Lefse that Sheri prepared for us just prior to our trip to Florida. It was wonderful and I thank you for preparing the Tortillas (or whatever you call them)
Danny is here with us this weekend and he showed me how to comment to you.
Blessings
Barbara T