Bad Ass Knittin Bag Part 1

I started the work on my bad ass knittin bag this weekend!! Friday I pre-washed the fabric, Saturday I ironed it and cut out the outside of the bag, and then I put my husband to work.

Here he is making his blog debut. He's transferring the pattern onto my fabric.


This is what the pattern looks like before I started work.



And here it is after a little longer than a day of work.



Damn this thing called work that interrupts my embroidering and knitting!

Frustration

I’m frustrated with my knitting. It’s making me feel stupid. You see, I just discovered a couple days ago that I’m making the knit stitch and the purl stitch wrong. Oddly enough I did them both so wrong that they look right. Now, after over 6 months I’m having to go back and learn how to do it the right way, which means unlearning it the wrong way. Which sucks great big, huge, hairy donkey balls. I’ve discovered that the wrong way has much more economical motions than the right way. The right way just seems so wrong to me now even though it’s not. I’ve been making myself do it properly though. I want to make nice stuff so I have to do it the right way. Before I discovered my issue my knitting had become a thoughtless escape. It was easy, I didn’t have to think about it. But now I do. So I’ve been procrastinating. My procrastination has given me the opportunity to catch up on my trashy romance novel reading, though.

Projects, Project Everywhere

For once in my life I got money for my birthday earlier this month. Usually I spend any money I get for gifts for groceries or something else I need. This year I decided that I needed more yarn and supplies for projects.

I got this Friday night at Michaels. The blue yarn is going to be a felted bag. I'm not sure about the other yet. It was on sale and I couldn't resist it. I also got another size of circular needles for knitting the bag and transfer paper to transfer an embroidery design onto another project.

I got this Saturday morning at a little store called Fabric 101 on the other side of creation from me in Pontiac near Sand Hills. If anyone in SC reads this they have a really nice selection of great quality fabrics. This is going to be for my "Bad Ass Knitting Bag" that I'm making as well as embroidering.

So yeah, if you're keeping track that's 3 projects I've got started/planned: Baby Blanket #2, felted bag and the knitting bag. At least I won't be bored anytime in the near future.

Holy Crap, It's Hot!

In case you didn't know, knitting a blanket in July is not particularly a great idea. That's just my observation for the day, so take it as you will.

I have three (three!) more rows and I'm done.

Baby Blankets for Everyone!

Last weekend I started my biggest knitting project to date: a baby blanket.

I went to Michaels and got the yarn. Lots of pinks and purples and even some green for another splash of color.


I had chosen a pattern earlier. I'm using the pattern for the Big Bad Baby Blanket in the Stitch n Bitch book.

I have done nothing but knit this past week. While the notion is with me I need to get it done, otherwise I'll procrastinate like nobody's business! The good news is that I'm 3/4 of the way through with it. It's been so exciting! (yep, I'm a nerd) It's been my first pattern that I've had to pay attention to rather than making it up as I went. It's also been my first time using circular needles.

Here's a picture of the whole thing so far. I'm sorry to say that this picture does not do it justice at all. I should have found a better place to lay it out other than my kitchen table I guess.


This is a picture of the middle of it which shows the actual pattern. It looks like four blocks with a border around the whole thing.


I've had off of work since Wednesday afternoon and it's pretty much been all knitting all the time around here. Now that I've had the idea that this blanket might become my standard baby gift and I feel ambitious, pregnant women are coming out of the woodworks! I know 4 people due between October-December. I think I have the gumption to finish this one and one more before I need a big break so I can finally get to work on my Bad Ass Knittin Bag.

Antique Store Finds

I love antique stores/malls! Unfortunately, my favorite one closed recently and now I have to find a new favorite.

In the past, I haven't had much luck finding any embroidered items that were in good condition. I am now happy to report that I have found an antique store that has shelves of embroidered pillowcases, towels, table cloths, etc. Beautiful stuff! Of course I had to come home with a pair of pillow cases and a table topper... They may or may not be gifted to others, but I had to bring them home with me!

This is a pair of pillowcases, They're white with the palest blue embroidery.

And here's the table topper. I couldn't get a better picture.