Where do they come up with these names?

The booga bag? "I got a boogie on my finger and I can't shake it off!" Anyhow. It's done! The straps are shorter than I expected from the pictures I saw. But it's gorgeous. And super cute. I ran it through two felting cycles.

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Right now I'm about a third of the way done with a later gator mitt from Stitch 'n Bitch Nation. My boys have been dying to have those to play with. We don't really need mittens around here. But if I can whip up two they'll both have a puppet. Dpn's are not the easiest thing for me yet. I keep getting them tangled up!

Everybody do the booga!

My booga bag is almost done. I should have pics up soon of the felted and unfelted versions.

Notes on Noro: It's beautiful. I used Kureyon #95 (same as the pattern called for) and the colors are just to die for. Also for 100% wool, it's surprisingly soft. I'm not good at choosing colors on my own, so I tend to stick to what the patterns calls for. Of course I guess any of the colors of the Kureyon would booga beautifully. I thought the #95 with all the yellows and greens would work for spring though. The only thing I am hating are the knots! I've found two knots in each skein so far. (I've knitted up two). The knots in and of themselves are quite annoying. But they aren't in keeping with the color scheme!!!!! So I'm playing this horrible cut and paste game with yarn that costs $9 for a measly 50g (1.75 oz). I mean, I'm sorry, but that is just plum ridiculous!

Hopefully the bag will be so gorgeous and wonderful that I will forget all about this nonsense. But who knows.

In other news, my teeny-bopper that helps at Sunday school was admiring my orange & hot pink Meema tote, saying they were her favorite colors. I have some leftover. I'm thinking I might make up a booga type bag for her in those colors. Just cause she's such a sweetie and a good helper.

Purse/Bag/Tote Conundrum....

I made myself a meema tote. And I bought the yarn to make another slightly larger one. But I think I don't want another meema tote. I want something with a nice long strap. So I'm thinking maybe a booga bag? I don't know. It has me using 10.5 circulars, which I don't have, and only one strand of worsted weight. I like the sturdy feel of my double strand meema. Can I work the pattern double stranded on my size 15 circulars? Hmmmm....

I guess I should buck up, buy the circulars and the dpns and make the booga bag as patterned. But I have no way to get to the LYS today. *sigh*

Then again, I really wouldn't mind having the noro to do it in. The colorwash effect is so gorgeous! I'm gonna fall into the poorhouse over all of this.

Completed Birthday Bag

I like it. But I don't love it. But it will have to do since tomorrow is her birthday. I think I will work on something else for her as well.



Worked in peace fleece. Felted through two cycles. You can't really see the details. It has a snap closure on the front flap. And a silver ring connecting the two pieces of the strap.

In the bags in my bedroom...

...stand various states of projects, started, not started, patterns, books, etc. So here's what I'm working on (or will be soon):

1. A blue & pink Meema tote - only the base is finished.

2. A black messenger bag - this needs about 2 more inches on the flap, the left side strap, and then it needs felted.

3. Later Gator Mitten from SNBN. I started these the other night, but had to frog them. I'm making them in bargain bin acrylic, because they will be functioning as hand puppets for the boys, it never really gets cold enough here for mittens. So I want them to be super washable.

4. Easter Egg Cozies - from a tutorial off of crafster.org. I need to get my butt in gear on these. I wanted to send a bunch to work for the man on Friday, but I don't know now if that will happen. My sister's birthday is on Thursday and project #2 has to be done for her! She chose a handknit bag by me over a promise of a vera bradley. So it's gotta get done and it's gotta look good!

5. A "fun-fur" scarf. This I started before the baby set. Working with it is a pain in the boo-tay! It was almost done until I looked at it and realized that it had a wavy shape due to various increases and decreases I had unknowingly done. So I ripped it out and started over. It's about a quarter finished. It's very pretty colors, but I don't have much need for a scarf here. Especially since today it will be 80.

Meema's Felted Tote sans the evil marsupial pouch...

Pre-felting:



After felting - 3 hot cycles in my washer:



I love it though. Although I swear the tote in the book is a variation of that pattern and not the pattern as shown. There is no way they made that pouch from that pattern (not the colors part anyhow) and the tote I have is much taller and more narrow than the wide & low tote they picture. Oh well. Just another thing to gripe about I guess.

I'm in the process of making two more: One that is blue with the same pink for the upper part, but wider and shorter. One that is a big variation of the pattern, all black, with a 14x50 base (as opposed to 16x44) that has long straps and a flap a la messenger bag style. I'm almost finished with that one.

marsupial is now one of my least favorite words

I tried so hard to make the pouch that goes inside Meema's Felted Marsupial Tote (from Stitch 'n Bitch) which attaches with an i-cord. I finally got a knitted pouch that I liked, attached it with an i-cord and felted it. The pouch sucked. The i-cord got all twisted and twice as long as it started. And the pouch itself was all warped from the i-cord pulling on it. I tried to block it, but it was useless. So I cut it out. My bag is in the washer right now - re-felting to hide where I cut it out. I don't think I cut the actual bag stitches, just the stitches that connected the pouch. I hope. I will just freak if it has a big hole in it now. The bag itself worked very quickly, but the yarn was expensive. It used 4 hanks, and each one cost $6.50. That's $26 worth of yarn down the toilet if this didn't work.

My very first finished objects...

Made in Red Heart 100% Acrylic baby clouds. Enough to make many knitters shudder. But you know what? I don't care! It turned out pretty and unbelievably soft. And I honestly have no patience for snobs of any size, shape, or form.

Baby Hat with obscenely large pom-pom...


Baby Blanket (folded in quarters)


I started the blanket first, but finished the hat first because knitting into the yarn overs was giving me gas. But all, in all I'm pretty pleased with this. Now to ship it off to Iowa.

The innocent beginning....

It started innocently enough. I mentioned to the man that I wanted to learn to knit. So for Christmas he bought me one of those kits - "I taught myself how to knit" along with a ball of yarn. Um, it was *not* easy. I made knotted chains of cast-on, and holey swatches that my sons used for "rock blankets". I was frustrated. And then one night I entered Michael's. And they were having a class the very next evening. Only $15. So I went. And the wonderful lady showed me what I was doing wrong, and made it all make sense. Like magic, even. I bought some fluffy acrylic baby yarn to make a blanket.

I worked on the blanket, but it was kind of boring. But ok still, and strangely addictive. And one fine Saturday morning as I sat in the uncomfortable chairs at the fat farm (Weight Watchers) I saw an older lady knitting a gorgeous scarf. Do you think they make the chairs uncomfy to encourage us to have smaller butts? And I wonder if I could sell a knitting diet. If you get addicted to knitting, you can't eat *while* you knit. You'd lose tons of weight if you got good and addicted like me. Anyhow, I chatted her up and found out there was a knitting store less than a mile from my place.

My first trip to the knitting store I only spent $42. I bought a lantern moon basket to hold my yarns, and some novelty yarn to make a scarf, and some miscellaneous odds and ends.

Later I finished my blanket. And a matching hat. And then I began my project for me - Meema's Felted Marsupial Tote from Stitch 'n Bitch. I bought the yarn for that this past Friday afternoon. Including the needles, and a book I wanted, I spent $68. I had to frog it twice. Not little frogs, big four inches of sides worked in the round frogs. But last night I finished the main work on the purse. This morning I will make the pouch and felt it. And post pictures. Look for lots of pictures.

I have about 27 projects that I need to choose from for my next knit. And craftster.org is not helping me. It just gives me more ideas. More and more. But I will *not* buy any more knitting books for a while - I have SnB, and Stitch 'n Bitch Nation, and Knitting for Kids. Oh man. I tell you what.