Summer Bag And A New Book

With all this bag knitting...I thought I would change it up a little and try a new pattern. I have so many more to knit and I don't want to get bored with it before I get them all done. So....

I decided to give this one a try. This is Mary's Summer Bag from Knit Picks. I love this pattern as much/if not more than the Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty. It only takes two balls of cotton. I used Sugar & Cream in Sea Mist and a co-ordinating blue.

I admit that I'm not particularly thrilled with the top part (ruffle) or the little twisted cord handle. I prefer a handle with a little more bulk to it...much easier to hold on to. I've already started another one in shades of green and white and this one I will tweak when I reach the top. Maybe I'll do something a little more similar to the Everlasting Bagstopper with the top...we'll see when I get that far.

I got this in the mail yesterday. I love Vickie Howell...she's so talented and so much fun to watch...although Knitty Gritty isn't available here anymore. :( I started watching it when I was teaching myself to knit and I learned so much from this show. This is her new book and it's the perfect size to fit in your take-along bag with your knitting. It's got tons of useful info, tips and even a sheet of knitter's graph paper that you can make copies of to use for your projects. The back has a handy little tool for checking your needle size and your gauge. It's definitely worth the whole $7.95. Great price for a handy, helpful little book.

The bonus....I snagged an autographed copy. How cool is that!?

Back to my next bag....pool time will be here soon and I gotta get these things done. *mental note to self- go get black yarn for bags* For the boys...they don't want those girly colors....YUCK! lol

Hugs!

My Cocoa Package Has Arrived!

I have a lot of photos but I wanted to try to share everything. The mail lady brought my Cocoa Swap box of goodies today! First off, I was so totally shocked to find out that my secret swapper was none other than the awesome sweet Aunt Kathy . She spoiled me pretty darn good.
This first photo is not even all the goodies. I got my favorite candy...Ferrero Rocher....several different flavors of Holy Chocolate...sock knitting book....needles with the lighted tips...cute hot chocolate mug...mini marshmallows (yummy)...some luscious hand lotion, a cute Chihuahua fridge magnet, a magnetic bookmark and pretty stitch markers. She also included one of her own original dishcloth designs.

Here's a close-up of the bags...aren't they just too cute? The one on the left (darker pink) was made by Aunt Kathy. The one on the right is made of felt and has cute little flower cut outs. I love them both!

Here is the yarn goodness I got...some sock yarn in the brightest colors and 1 ball of cotton in a neutral color....sort of an ecru I think you would call it. I love em! Can't wait to knit something up.

Here are my pretty stitch markers. The pink ones are my cocoa swap markers and the blue ones are my prize for linking to her contest from my blog. I can't get enough of the pretty stitch markers...every girl needs a stash of shiny, girly things.

And last, but certainly not least......my Blah Buster Buddy and his own personal cup of hot cocoa.
He is just too cute. This is why I want to learn to crochet! There's even marshmallows in his cup of chocolate.....She thought of everything! And he's even the same color as my little chihuahua, Diva. Wow, I hope I didn't forget anything....there were so many goodies in my box and I was so excited....If I find anything I forgot I will post them later.

Thank you so much, AK....I 'm really glad you turned out to be my Secret Swapper. Love Ya!!

New Book

I had so much fun knitting my little ducky (no, he has no eyes yet) that I thought I would try out some of Jean Greenhowe's patterns. I have heard a lot of wonderful things about her patterns and they are all so cute. I had such a hard time deciding which book to try first. She has so many and they all have the cutest littlest toys....I finally chose this book. You gotta admit, those are some cute chickies. Now, picking a book doesn't mean you've done the hard part. You still have to go through the book and pick the pattern you want to do first. My youngest daughter has had no problems whatsoever picking quite a few she wants. lol Easy for her to say.

I've a handful of dishcloths I have to go get finished and then to decide what's next. There's a felted camera cozy I've had my eye on for a while. Man, am I easily distracted. :)

I've Got Mail!

I love my mail lady...not just because she brought me these book today...but it sure didn't hurt her at all. I think I'm developing as bad an addiction to knitting books as my addiction to yarn. These three arrived today and so far, my favorite of the three is the 101 Designer one-skein Wonders. My Christmas gift knitting is going to shift gears because of this book. There are so many patterns in this book that I have to try. This is not one of those books you want soooo bad and then you get it and there's little to nothing inside that you would actually want to knit. This one is full of great stuff! And...one skein....how great is that?! For now, I am again ignoring that sock knitting urge...I just don't have the patience for it right now. The Interweave Knits book is very nice...quite a few in there I would like to try too.

I got my yarn kit from Sarah's Yarns for the Icelandic Shawl. I am so very glad to see that it isn't that tiny lace weight yarn. I'm really looking forward to that KAL which starts in February. If anyone wants to join us, we'd love to have you. It's a great group. If you'd like, I could even send you an invite. Just leave me a comment with your email address and it will be on it's way.
Why didn't I think to take a photo of my kit? DUH! Maybe I can get that up later for you.

Oh, almost forgot....my awesome brother-in-law (Hey, Barry!) and Major Cuteness (my nephew, Killian) got me a little after Christmas present. I had heard lots of talk about this but haven't seen them anywhere. They did a little shopping in Greenville and found me the Knitting Pattern A Day Calendar. There are so many cute patterns in this thing. I need more hours! All this knitting requires time....can we do something please!? Yeah, I forgot to take a picture of that one too. :P

Okay, enough babbling for one day...gotta get back to that purse. It's just hard to stay focused with all these awesome patterns laying around.

Gotta Love The UPS Guy

I finally got my books today. I have been wanting the Mason*Dixon book for so long. I've peeked inside but haven't gotten the chance to just sit down and read it and enjoy. I do think I want to give the Log Cabin blanket a try. There are several projects in the One-Skein Wonders that I liked as well. I would love to knit something other than a dishcloth with just one skein. But, before I even get started, I have so many things OTN that I need to turn into WIPS. I think it's time to sit down and get them all together and organize them all. That way I can get a game plan for getting them in some kind of order. Then to actually get them finished. I hate having so many unfinished projects. Lately things have been very crazy and more than a little stressful and I just haven't had the time to knit as much as I usually do. I also need to get some more designs done and posted...some for sale and also some free patterns. I miss posting freebies to share. Where does all the time go?

This was my other surprise for the day. My yarn order from Yarns&ThreadsbyLisa. This is the new Sugar&Cream Stripes. I can't wait to pick a pattern and knit with this yarn. I love to watch the stripes take shape. It amazes my blonde mind that yarn can create stripes on it's own. But, I will have to force myself to hold off til I get my UFOs done or at least the majority of them. It's getting out of control. I have 2 shawls, afghan squares, 1 scarf, 2 blankets and a bag that was to be felted that is now getting frogged. I hope....no I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only ADD knitter around. We need some knitters intervention around here....lol Maybe I'll go get my things together now and get the ball rolling. The more I look at this yarn, the more I feel the urge to grab some needles and cast on. Might have to get my son to hide it from me until I get my knits in order.