Pattern: Such a heavily modified version of
The String Bag that I don't think I can say it is the same pattern at all- but definitely inspired.
Needles: 3.5 mm and 8 mm circulars
Yarn: stash cotton/ramie blend, about 400 yards
Modifications: Oh, where to begin. First off, I changed the lace/netting pattern of the body of the bag to the pattern from the Montego Bay scarf. This meant I could happily do a repeat of k2tog, yo round and round and round. I switched to the 3.5 mm and bound off the sides of the bags, and then knitted the handles one at a time, one on each side. The handles are 8 stitches wide, and just plain old stockinette.But how they attached, that's where I wanted things to be flexible. Enter the buttons, one of which is sewn on the inside of the bag at the base of each handle:
Since I put in a button hole at the end of each handle, there are two ways to arrange the handles for easier carrying. Doubled up:
Or grocery bag style:
I can't tell you how pleased I was that the handles worked out. I was a pretty happy bunny about those handles!
Notes: I had no idea that the lace would be that stretchy:
Which has it's good points and bad points. Good: This thing could hold a full grown cow, it has that much stretch going on. Bad: Who wants to carry the weight of a cow on their shoulder? Not me. Or G, for that matter.
Since G ends up carrying all the groceries we get in Chinatown, he mentioned that it could be improved upon by making the lace section shorter, and having the option of a shoulder strap so that it could be worn diagonally across the body.Better to make the trek with a cow's weight worth of veggies.
Since it is undyed cotton/ramie blend, I'm going to throw it in the tumble dryer and see if it shrinks up a bit. If that doesn't fix it, I'll probably tack down part of the lace to shorten it a bit. Even though it turned out bigger than expected, I really am pleased. It is my idea of the perfect reusable grocery bag.
As it was a long weekend here, I decided it was the perfect time to do a bunch of baking, and invite some friends over to partake in all the goodies.My List of
101 Things included doing a bunch of baking I hadn't done before, like making cinnamon rolls from scratch:
These were so popular that once I pulled them out of the oven and put the cream cheese icing on them, they went so fast that I didn't have time to get a picture of a full plate:
Thanks to
Teresa for the wonderful recipe!
Also in keeping with the list- My goal is to try five different cake recipes that I've never made before.
Juicy Knits sent me a recipe for a delicious flourless chocolate cake, and
Phoe sent me a recipe for an amazing ginger cake.
(Sorry for the wonky lighting, not sure what happened there). They were absolutely amazing. People loved the brownie-like texture of the flourless chocolate cake, and were equally enamoured and impressed with the satisfying spicy/sweet ginger cake.
So thank you for the recipes! I know I'll be making all three of these again in the future.
And at Canada's Wonderland a couple days later:
And just one day shy of the closing ceremonies, I ended up with this:
(Note: when doing FO photo shoots in parks, friendly dogs that are enjoying their leash-less freedom like to participate)
Pattern: Gathered Pullover
Needles: 4.5 mm circular and dpns
Yarn: Knitpicks Telemark in cilantro heather.
Mods: about 4 inches of extra length, and waist shaping. I decreased about 6 stitches on each side for the waist shaping. And in my zeal to race through this project, I accidentally made one sleeve about 1" longer than the other, so I had to undo my cast on cuff and rip it back slightly. In order to preserve the rolling cuff look, I needed a bind off that would mimic my cast on. Enter Elizabeth Zimmerman's Sewn Bind Off. It turned out perfectly, and was ridiculously easy. Magic, I tell you!
Also, when I wet blocked it, I added glycerin to the water to prevent felting. So when I ran it through an industrial dryer in the local laundromat in a fit of impatience- it still didn't felt. I'll definitely be using that handy little trick again in the future- I love wool!
Notes: According to Ravelry, there are 507 Gathered Pullover projects either completed or on the go, and it's in over 2000 queues. That's one popular sweater. And I completely understand why- I love it. It's infinitely wearable, comfy, and classic. This isn't a sweater that will be out of style next season, or any season. And hey, green is my favourite colour. Cheers to that!
Woohoo! I finished the Sweater Sprint for Team Knit Girl!
