Rainy Saturday = Playtime Show-and-Tell

Blurry photos courtesy of Charley, who finds playing with the camera strap good fun

Today I got up, turned on my local NPR station, and played around with a couple of projects totally unrelated to my "work knitting" (if you can call knitting work...well, designing - with all its math - isn't exactly knitting, but you know what I mean, right?). Anyway, I hung out in the studio, crocheting and hand-sewing, throughout the Saturday lineup: Car Talk, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, This American Life, Studio 360, and The Splendid Table.

This is what I have to show for it:
My stash of Repro-Depot fabric has been calling my name, siren-like, for the past few weeks. So in the midst of beginning a crocheted scarf (which I'll talk about in a minute), I decided to make myself a new project bag. I love making project bags. You can use fun material and be as creative as you like, and after just an hour or two of stitching (if you, like me, lack a sewing machine), you have a fun new toy that you can actually use!

For this one, I pulled out some turquoise embroidery floss to highlight the top (and hide my hem), some blue and gold lampwork beads, and a couple of remnants of burgundy ribbon. (The latter was cut off a 9 West tank top I bought two years ago. You know the ones: those annoying ribbons that are supposed to keep the top on the hanger, but hang from your armpit or slip out the back of your shoulder if you don't cut them off...)

I like the result a lot. But I'll probably end up changing the ribbon. Time will tell.

Now for the crocheted scarf:

This is a project I'm working on as part of the Shalimar Yarns Spring Knit- (or Crochet-) Along* (KAL). The pattern is: Echarpe Pointes Violettes/Violet Points Scarf, by Annette Petavy, one of my all-time favorite designers (if you go to her site, please do cliquez sur les images to see her lovely designs).

The yarn is (of course) Shalimar Yarns Zoe Sock, in the delicious Lychee colorway... Love it!!! (The yarn or the color, you ask. Yes, I reply.)

This is only Row 3 of a 60+ inch scarf, and because it's lace, it will be blocked (wet, stretched, and dried). So use your imagination -- flowing, fully-blossomed lace in this rich colorway, made from ultra-soft Merino fingering-weight yarn. Mmmmm....The KAL goal is to finish by June 15th, though, so I'd better sign off and get back to my hook and yarn!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, with at least a little bit of time to play :-)

* Here's a link to Shalimar's Ravelry group, where you can join the KAL.

PS. Just as an FYI: Our Internet issues continue, so I am unable to be online as regularly as I'd like. Thanks for bearing with me!

Rainy Saturday = Playtime Show-and-Tell