Knitting Right Along

That's what I've been doing for the last few weeks. The two shawls are taking a bit longer to knit. Of course, if I hadn't started the 2nd one...I would have finished the first one. What can I say?

Here's my 2nd version in Noro Taiyo yarn:



Here's the 1st version in Noro Silk Garden:



I prefer knitting with the Taiyo yarn since it's a cotton-silk-wool blend. Much softer on the hands. It looks like I will be finishing this version first. I'm avoiding the itch of starting up a third version in a solid color, plus two more. Looks like my plan to begin my Christmas knitting is off to a great start.

Knitting Bliss

As you can see, I've had to limit my time on my computer in order to spend more time knitting. I've finished my Colonnade shawl. It's waiting to be blocked. In the meantime, I've started two more projects.

First up, is my 220 Yards of Heaven Shawlette. I'm using Noro Silk Garden and I have to mention...I love this yarn! The colors are stunning! It's a nice surprise to see something like this develop:



Next, I've started a sleeveless shell in plum color. I'm using one of my favorite yarns, Lion Brand Cotton-Ease. This is my second attempt. I made one last year when I was starting to knit garments. It came out okay. Now that I have a year's worth of knitting experience under my belt, this should knit up faster and look a bit more finished. I am knitting this version in the round (no side seams). This version has a moss stitch border at bottom edge of the shell.



Looks like I'm anticipating and preparing for warmer weather. I am! It's been in the 60s here and I definitely have Spring Fever!

Vintage Bubble Bag - Completed

I've already started knitting another Vintage Bubble Bag and thought I should get this review posted for the first version. So, here it is my Chianti Vintage Bubble Bag:



Name of Pattern:
Vintage Bubble Bag

Designed by:
Pursenalities - 20 Great Knitted and Felted Bags by Eva Wiechmann (book)

Pattern/Garment Description:
Taken from the book: This bubble bag reminds me of my mom's shopping bag - room and practical. This vintage look is very stylish right now, and although I used colors that are subtle, you can make yours wild and bold.

Size(s):
One Size

Yarns Used:
Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted in Chianti (burgundy) (18 sts/4 inches, #8, 190 yds) - wool/mohair
Noro Silk Garden in 282 (beautiful colors) (18 sts/4 inches, #8, 110 yds) - silk/mohair/wool

I used less than 2 skeins of Lamb's Pride and 2 skeins of Silk Garden.

The bag is knitted with one of each yarn type (double stranded).

Gauge:
Not necessary to get gauge

Knitting Tools Used:
Circulars: 24 inch in size 10.5 (top & i-cord straps)
Circulars: 24 inch in size 15 (bubble bag)
DPNs: size 15 (3 needle BO)

Techniques I used:
Joined and knitted in the round
Garter stitch in the round (knit one row, purl one row…so on)
Stockinette stitch in the round (knit all the rows)
3 needle BO
5 stitch i-cord
Felting

Changes I Made to the Pattern:
The only change I made to the pattern was to lengthen the straps by 6 inches. This turned out to be the right call, as I can wear the handbag over the shoulders.




What I Like About this Pattern:
Quick & easy project. Ability to use different yarns and different colors. Straps could be lengthened.

What I Dislike About this Pattern:
Nothing to dislike

My Pattern Rating (Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Hard):
Easy

Conclusion/Additional Comments:

I never really had an interest in felting a hand knitted project. I suppose I haven’t seen a felted project that caught my interest, until this project came along.

I first saw this felted bag at my LYS. A customer had brought in some knitted bags to be felted and then pulled a pretty black/multi color one that she had already felted. It was amazing to see this bag, before and after felting. I knew right away that I wanted a knit bag of my own.

The hardest part was trying to figure out which yarns to use and then what color combinations to use. Possibilities are endless. For this bag, I used similar colored yarns. I bought the Lamb’s Pride Worsted in Chianti (wine color) and came home to see what Noro yarn’s I had in my stash. The Silk Garden #282 was a perfect match.

It took about 4-5 hours to knit this bag and about 35 minutes to felt.

Another TNT pattern for me.


Before Felting Pictures:






Felting Process:

My LYS has a felting/agitating machine. I placed my bag in the machine. Added hot tap water, enough to cover my bag. Added a dime size amount of All liquid detergent (white bottle) and turned the machine on for 15 minutes for the initial agitation. Afterwards, I would check the bag by feeling the stitches/fabric. I set the machine for 10 more minutes and checked it again. I could still see the stitch definitions in the bag and the bag had shrunk. I set the timer for another 10 minutes and the bag came out perfectly. A felted fabric and nice size. I then placed the bag back into the machine with the soapy water and added a few drops of fabric softener to the water. I set the machine on 2 minutes, enough time for the soap bubbles to disintegrate. The fabric softener also gave the bag a nice scent.

The water had turned a nice light wine color and the machine had lots of fuzz/lint. I suppose that’s from the Lamb’s Pride yarn. I drained the machine into a bucket and used a fine mesh colander to scoop out any fuzz and lint.

The Lamb’s Pride had felted into a nice thick wool fabric with no stitch definitions. I understand that the Noro Silk Garden takes longer to felt. You can see some stitch definitions from the colorful Noro yarn. I like this effect.

NOTE: I am fortunate to have a LYS that has a special felting/agitating machine to felt my bag. I am certainly spoiled in this area. For those of you who will use a washing machine, your felting process, felting time and results will be different than what I’ve mentioned in this review.

Another Project in the Works...Chianti

A few days ago, I started another small project called the Vintage Bubble Bag. Here it is still a WIP:



I've used two strands of yarn and knitted the bag in the round. I have been knitting the i-cord handles and I'm almost finished with the second handle. The next step is to attach the handles to the bag. Then I can felt it. I can't wait to see the end results.

I'm calling my bag Chianti. Named for the main color of yarn I'm using. I will be back in a few days with the results of my felted bag. Stay tuned!