Felted Tote Bag

It's Wednesday! What are you reading? What are you knitting?

Join in at Yarn Along and let us all know!

 

 

I'm working on the second side of the tote bag which will be felted--soon, I hope! SusanB has given me some good suggestions on how to add a pocket to it, so I'll see what I am able to do with that.
I like the feel of this Rowan Colorscape as it slides through my fingers. It would make a soft shawl for cold weather reading -- maybe a book like Wit's End by Karen Joy Fowler. This book has an engaging story line with subtle humor, a very enjoyable read about a young widow who visits her eccentric godmother, a celebrated author of murder mysteries. Wit ensues.

What are you reading and knitting?

Wit's End

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme, hosted at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page along with the title & author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

 

"Her mother wished her to be thinking of fairies and dewdrops, but she was already the knives-and-curses type. You can tell me anything, her mother used to say, and then respond to anything she was told with disappointment or alarm."
-p. 56, Wit's End by Karen Joy Fowler

Tote on a Boat -- And Train

 

I came home from a yarn crawl  with two cakes of Rowan Colorscape with no idea of a project for them. Then, the yarn spoke. "You are searching for a new tote for your upcoming travels. Use me." In obedience to the call of the yarn, I cast on 58 stitches with size 11 needles to make a felted tote bag.

 

I am knitting in stockinette to focus on the colors rather than a pattern. I knit for approximately 24 inches, then started the handles, which I hope will be long enough for a shoulder bag. For the handles, I knit 20 sts, then cast off 18, then knit the remaining 20 sts. When I purled back, I turned to the right side at the cast off sts and CO 50 sts, turned back to complete the purl side. I'm continuing in stockinette until the handles look long enough for felting. This is a huge guess on the length!

One yarn cake is for the front, one for the back, so I am using Cascade 220 for the handles. It will be interesting to see how the felting compares with two different yarns. I am thinking of adding an exterior pocket, but am undecided because I'd have to use 220 for that. Hmmmm, what's your advice on this?

 

This tote will be with me at the end of the month when DH and I board Amtrak and head off for New Jersey and a Fall cruise along the New England and Canadian coast. Smile, smile, smile!

Saturday Snapshot ~ At the Library

"To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post at http://athomewithbooks.net/ Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you."

At the East Morgan County Library in Brush, CO

If you look closely at the web page banner,

can see this sculpture to the right of the door

Death of the Party

It's Wednesday! What are you reading? What are you knitting?

Join in at Yarn Along and let us all know!
 

 

 Two...maybe three...years in stash is quite enough for this sad Patons yarn.

"Knit me!" it cried. "Knit me, please!"
 

 

 Knowing that I need a small project when working on DGD's afghan gets too-too hot, Patons wanted to become a simple 2x2 scarf on size 15 needles.

And so, it is happening.
 

 

The final few pages of Death of the Party by Carolyn Hart are at hand. I'll finish it today--hurray! I have interrupted this book to read others, but have been plugging away to finish this. While the author has some clever bits in this book, her wordiness and awkward references to other mystery books and characters are distracting.

With good editing, this book could be a very engaging story.

Tell me about your current book and yarny project!

Ruby Tuesday ~ Arch

Fourth of July in St. Louis

Celebrate Ruby Tuesday!

Post a photo of your choice taken by you that contains the color red and link to this blog.

Saturday Snapshot ~ Promoting Civility

On display at the Overland Trail Museum

"To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post at http://athomewithbooks.net/  Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you."

Crocheted Ruffle Scarf

 

 For a quickie project there's nothing quite like the ruffle (or potato chip) scarf--crocheted version-- done here with some aran weight stash yarn and an I hook.
 

 

 My model, the lovely Lailah, did not want to sit and stay. However, she executed a model's stretch in a most fetching way.
 

 

Pink is obviously her color though maybe not this particular pink item in 90-degree temps!  Good Lailah.

Yarn Crawl

It's Wednesday! What are you reading? What are you knitting?

Join in at Yarn Along and let us all know!

 

I started a yarn crawl yesterday even though the absolute last thing I need is --you guessed it -- yarn! I received the complimentary tote at the first store and now have the convenient list of stores to tempt, tease, and---ok, it doesn't take much---encourage me to visit yet another yarn shop!

 

The passport is stamped at each store in the crawl. I am consciously trying NOT to be an over-achiever here!

 

The cutie-cute "puppy snips" are a freebie treat from one of the stores along with Eucalan samples, a very appreciated treat.

See my cakes? Doncha love 'em? This is the closest cakes have been to my oven in years!! Really. The cakes are made of Rowan Colorscape by Kaffe Fasset. As for reading, here is a book that I just finished:
Sheer Abandon by Penny Vincenzi

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Fluffy yet engaging story based on the friendship of three women. I know--never been done before. This is an easy summer read, though I must admit I skipped the graphic sections. If necessary, I prefer a few well-chosen words to suggest a scene. It's not that difficult to get the idea! I did enjoy the story which has a predictable, but satisfying conclusion.
View all my reviews

What are you reading and knitting?

The Opinionated Knitter

 

 

 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly book meme, hosted at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page along with the title & author so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

"I deplore Mother's Day. Mother has it good and if anyone loves her and wants to show it, one measly day in the year is a pretty squinchy space of time in which to do it."
   ---from The Opinionated Knitter by Elizabeth Zimmerman

What are YOU reading?

Ruby Tuesday

 

Lailah guards her new toy. She doesn't share her toys at all!

Celebrate Ruby Tuesday! Post a photo of your choice and taken by you that contains the color red and link to this blog.

Succinctly Yours ~ Week 21

Using the photo as inspiration, write a story of 140 characters or 140 words. It doesn’t have to be exactly 140, just not more.The added optional challenge is to use the word of the week in the story. Then post it here.

 

 

Although Al Gore has not been visible in Presidential politics for several years, he continues to wonder why people think he's wooden.

Steamboat...Comin' Down the Mountain

 

 The return drive from Steamboat on Sunday was a nightmare! I hadn't even considered all the people heading down the mountain as the weekend came to a close. Backed-up driving is common on Sunday nights during ski season, but I didn't think about everyone heading down the mountain in the summer! It took 2.5 hours longer to get home than it did to drive to Steamboat!

 An ironic sign in Kremmling

 

 I was off the road for about 20 minutes when I stopped at The Alpine Earth Center.

 

 Wildflowers grow on the roofs of the buildings. This one features a deer contently  munching. It is an entirely captivating and beautiful place.

 

 Luscious blooms greet customers at the door. I purchased four pots of annuals and a kit with a water pump and bamboo "pipes" to make a small water feature for indoors or out.

 

 Miss Rumphius is a dear friend from my teaching career because I used the book with my students every year. A local artist  used the beautiful book as wall decor in the ladies' room.

 

 Miss Rumphius advises us to make the world beautiful. Such clever use of this book and its message! Hmm...wonder how the men's room is decorated?

 

Can you see the small waterfall gushing from the mountain? Nature inspires me, blesses me with happiness and love from the hand of God.

Steamboat Springs Daze

 

Five days at Steamboat Springs was the perfect break from our terrible heat. I particularly enjoyed the view from our third floor balcony which wrapped around the end of the building.

 My two sons and their families made this little escape all the more special since I don't see them as often as I'd like. This includes the four grands too!

 

 Beautiful flowers abound in Steamboat. From these lovelies painted on a restaurant wall

 

 to the glorious hollyhocks and mountain wild flowers

 along the sidewalks.

 

 We spent time downtown at restaurants and

 

 the Farmers' Market. What a lovely time we shared in gorgeous Steamboat Springs.

Death of the Party

 

It’s National Book Week.

The rules: Grab the closest book to you. Go to page 56. Copy the 5th sentence as your status. Then post your link here. This is a good way to peek into many books!

"Annie had a sense of inexorability."  p.56, Death of the Party by Carolyn Hart

This is a brief sentence, but a fun exercise. Why don't you join in?

Death of the Party and Knit

It's Wednesday! What are you reading? What are you knitting?

Join in at Yarn Along and let us all know!

This is my along-along project--my Yarn Along and my carry along! The blanket for DGD is too unwieldy for a carry along project in the summer heat, so I started this little garter stitch scarf in alternating rows of moss green and burgundy using two strands of yarn of each color. One of the burgundy strands is slightly redder than the other, so it makes a very pretty blend when knitted. Yes, you guessed it! A stash-buster!

I've just started reading Death of the Party by Carolyn Hart. So we have the requisite death and the gathering of related characters in the manse. I like the way she is introducing the characters.

What are you reading and knitting?