Polgara Knits

It’s been terribly long since my last post, for which I apologize.  I haven’t really been in the mood for posting, I don’t know why. I’m currently sitting in my sister’s living room, playing Scrabulous in my jammies. I should be finishing the hat I’m making for my bil’s Christmas present, or starting the hat or shawl for my sister, but I’m too lazy to get up.

Last Thursday, I and my sister Nancy and friend Jane drove out to the Pioneer Valley, to a) visit my alma mater (UMass Amherst) for the first time in about 15 years, and b) to visit WEBS! It was raining, and then it was snowing, but that didn’t stop us.  Webs was even more overwhelming than I’d expected, and I’d expected a lot.  We weren’t even halfway through the store proper when a salesperson asked if we needed help.  When she learned it was our first time there, she took us to the back room–the clearance room–where I nearly started to hyperventilate. Seriously! I didn’t know where to start!

I was good, though, and managed to stick to the $50 limit set by the two $25 gift cards I had in my pocket (my geekiest purchase was of the Amherst yarn in UMass colors!). And, oddly enough, it was my sister the non-knitter that had to be pulled away from the store, as she checked out fall-colored yarns and every sample garment, looking for just the right item to ask me to make for her.

In purse news, so far I have gifted three of them–the turquoise and purple bag went to my stepfather’s gf; the brown variegated balloon bag to my sister, and the half tan, half red balloon bag to my sister’s sister-in-law.  The green/yellow and mustard with beads booga bags still need to have their handles poked through, then they’re done.

My company’s holiday party is tomorrow night, so last night I made a spiral scarf for the occasion, with chunky wool-ease in sparkly white.  Except, I’m not in love with it.  For one thing, it came out WAY LONGER than I thought it would (which speaks more to the effect of the wine I was drinking when I started it, than to the pattern itself), so I have to wrap it a couple of times, which means I look like I’m wearing an Elizabethan ruffle–not the best effect for a person barely avoiding a double chin as it is. Also, the ruffles aren’t the best for keeping my neck warm, which is an issue since I’ll be wearing a v-neck sweater.

So, I think I’ll be frogging it later today.  Don’t know if I’ll have time to make something else before tomorrow, as I have a full day of chores planned, so I’ll probably end up wearing my chunky green scarf instead.  I like my green scarf, but I think a sparkly white scarf would’ve been more festive. Ah well.

Every year at our company’s Winter Celebration, we have a silent auction for charity, for which people donate handmade items, particularly knitted items and ceramics. Every year I spend way too much time worrying about what I’ll donate, what yarn to use, what pattern, etc.  This year is of course a knitted handbag.  My boss adores the fuzzy blue one, so that’s what I’ll donate.

But this year, I couldn’t find anything on our intranet about the deadline for donations.  I finally gave up today and emailed the charity committee–a mere six days before the party, because I’m a procrastinating idiot.  They’re setting up the preview tables tomorrow morning, so I have to hand over my donation first thing.

Gah! Start the panic! It still needs a clasp! (Which I don’t have!) And a shiny button! (Which I may or may not have!) And worse, the Aura, while awesome and shiny and super-cool on the outside, makes the inside equally fuzzy, so really, it *should* be lined. But I’ve never lined anything in my life, and I don’t think tonight, after I’ve (hopefully) survived the holiday crowds at Jo-Ann’s, is the perfect time to learn.

I have until 8:30 tomorrow morning to figure this all out.  Holy crap, what was I thinking?!

Today I started another bag–I forget what number I’m on, and I’m too lazy to check my own posts.  It’s a Balloon Bag with double-stranded, variegated Lion wool–no base color this time to ground it, so the color explosion is pretty crazy, which means no beads on this one.  I may try to felt some of the others tonight–I have enough quarters and zippered pillowcases to run three bags together for three cycles, which should be enough to felt them.  I have to pick one to donate for the company’s charity auction at the holiday party, which is coming up really fast, so it’s time to risk the sub-par machines in my building’s laundry room. Fortunately I have enough purses stockpiled that if something goes horribly wrong, it won’t be the end of the world.  Damned annoying and frustrating, but not the end of the world.

Last night I finished the Lion Suede project.  I don’t think I’d ever get this yarn again, unless it was for the exact purpose of another one of these projects (which I can’t go into, since I think the intended recipient reads this blog).  Suffice to say, if your project is small, and you crochet instead of knit, and you want something soft, then the suede will work–but use it for anything else at your own risk (of frustration, of anger, of banging your head against a wall, etc.).  On the other hand, it was a nice break for my hands to crochet something after so many knitted bags. I feel guilty for saying this, but I think I like crocheting more than knitting. :-{

Three more posts after today, and I’ll have posted every day for the month of November–woot!  My visitor stats have been very healthy during this time, so hopefully I’ll be able to maintain my momentum, and not fall back on the once-a-week style of posting I had before November.

I don’t have much in the way of yarn news today.  I’m still working with the Lion Suede, which, as I mentioned last night, works much better crocheted than knitted. Omigod yes. I’m even starting to like the yarn, although I still fully expect it to worm at some point. Sadly, I didn’t have the second ball with me yesterday, otherwise the project would be finished by now. Phooey.

I’ve been holding firm on the no-new-yarn-purchases, but it’s hard with that beaded Booga Bag sitting in a corner, pining for one more ball of mustard Patons wool. I try not to look at it.  I think my next bag will be a beaded Balloon, since I already know I have enough yarn for that, and I want to see a finished project with beads, already.

I’ve added a few more projects to Ravelry, including some of the yet-to-be-felted purses.  Yay! I have so many projects still to add, I’ll probably still be adding six months from now. 

Hmm. I need more tea.  Guess that means I’m done!

I’m only posting because I’ve made it 25 days, and I’m going to finish out the month, but I’m too tired to write a real post. The short story–visited both babies yesterday; had lunch today with my much-missed former coworker visiting from Georgia; spent the rest of the day at the hospital with a friend.

I’m cross-posting this with my Polgara blog, because I’m too tired to write a real post for that blog, either.

Oh, but one last thing–Lion Brand Suede works much better crocheted than knitted. That is all.

Ok, who thought Lion Brand Suede was a good idea?  Omigod, is that a pain in the ass to work with!  The lack of give combined with the “stickiness” makes it one of the worst yarns I’ve ever worked with.  Plus, despite the name, I can’t help thinking it’s gonna worm just like chenille.  Joy.

Sadly, it’s the only yarn I have in my stash that is the color I need for a requested project, and I’m trying really hard not to buy more yarn this year, so I’m stuck with it.  I spent three hours knitting it up yesterday before deciding the stitch count wasn’t working, so I frogged it.  It’s sitting there on the table, daring me to try again.  Stupid yarn. At least it’s soft.

The tree is up and decorated, I’ve downloaded new (to me) Christmas music from iTunes, and I bought some of my first presents from the Black Friday online sales–the season has officially begun!

My holiday knitting is coming along nicely, although I ran into a glitch with the beaded Booga Bag–not enough yarn.  Curses! I always forget how very much yarn BBs use.  For the next one I’ll definitely be cutting back on the stitches, probably about 20% to start.  For now, I either have to hit a Michael’s for another ball of mustard Patons (*shudder*), or make the top third brown.  The second option would be my first choice, except the beads make it more complicated.  I don’t think the change in color will work with the beads, so until I can think of a third option that doesn’t require me going to a craft store during the holidays (*shudder*), I’ve put that bag aside and started on another Pink Lady bag, this time in purple and blue.  I started it yesterday, and worked on it a bit after dinner while chilling with my friends, so it’s already half done–yay!

In non-bag knitting news, I’ve had some requests from family and friends that I’ll need to squeeze in, perhaps after I finish this latest bag.  And I have to start felting soon, as well.  Must procure more zippered pillowcases so I can do as many as possible in the same cycles, and save myself some quarters.

That’s it for today–happy shopping!

WIP: Little Coco (waiting for felting) It’s a fuzzy picture, but check out the cool stitch pattern on the bottom of the bag.

WIP: Pink Lady Bag (top left; bottom is knit)

I finished bag #5 last night, and immediately started bag #6, this time using Lion Brand’s feltable wool.  I’m using the same pattern that I used for my very first felted bag three years ago, which I conveniently found when I was cleaning my bedroom last week.  It’s call the Pink Lady Bag from Designs by Shelley, and it’s very easy, although it does involve the kitchener stitch to seam the handle. The Lion Brand is about 50 yards shorter than the listed required yardage, but I was in the mood to do something variegated, so while I’m hoping the 200 yards was just optimistic, I’m double-stranding two different colors (one purple, one variegated) just in case–since I bought two of everything at Michael’s last week, that gives me two sets of the mix.

I’m really enjoying this whole “cranking out as many bags as I can” strategy–takes the indecision out of my next project, which is what frequently stalls me out when I finish a project. With so many incredible patterns and yarns to choose from, I can never decide what to do next! I’m getting a little tired of the Booga/Little Coco type bags, though, and while I adore the Balloon bag pattern, it requires stitching the handles before felting, which I hate doing.  Hopefully this Pink Lady Bag is as easy as I remember, so I can get a few under my belt before going back to one of the other patterns.

It feels like forever since I posted (recent) pictures, but it’s true! I downloaded them off my camera a mere three minutes ago, just to bring them here to you!

First, we have the turquoise and white clutch from One Skein, before felting.  Even the bottom is seamed, can you believe it?! I hardly can, and I did it. The colors remind me of something, but I can’t think what.  Something commercial.  Not Microsoft, not Apple…. They’re the same colors as my own employer’s logo, but I don’t think that’s it either.  Maybe it’ll come to me, someday.

Next up in our show and tell is the “What a Difference Blocking Can Make!” scarf, done in orange and red cotton in feather and fan.  The cotton was purchased from Suss Design (at least, I think that’s the name of her shop on Beverly, but you know who I mean–there’s only one Suss!) with the orange and red already wrapped together.  Next time, I’ll separate them and ball them separately, ’cause it was a nightmare trying to knit them off the same ball with their slightly different weights and tensions.  However, the colors make my heart sing, and that’s really all that’s important, right?

In other news, I cast on the purple and turquoise Little Coco last night while watching Chuck and Heroes.  It took me the full two hours just to do the bottom of the bag.  The stitch isn’t standard garter or even stockinette; it’s something for which I don’t know the name, but looks awesome and creates a stronger felted bottom than you get from garter or stockinette. I’ve always intended to make a scarf with that pattern, but so far it hasn’t happened.  The other reason it went slowly is the yarn–I’m using Lamb’s Pride, double stranded, which is thicker than I expected, and more tiring for my fingers. It should be easier once I’m working in the round, though.

And just for the hell of it, I give you Jack, trying to nibble off a piece of a dead hydrangea: