Bag Lady

I'm on a knitting kick, of late, although I find myself day-dreaming about apparel sewing, lately.  The changing seasons always read as changes of clothes, for me: fall brings tweeds and aubergine and cabled sweaters, winter is cozy socks and cuddly textures, spring ... spring makes me think of summer dresses and skirts and cotton prints and little cardigans.

And I find myself tempted to order 5 yards of this Amy Butler print or that Liberty of London.  I'm looking at my stash fabrics and wondering how many full cotton skirts I can make and whether I have any good blouse patterns that fit my current size.

I wonder if JoAnn's still carries these cotton prints I got last summer?  I have been looking at the polka-dotted one and thinking "skiiiiiiirt" for weeks, now, and now that I see the floral, again, I'm thinking they'd both be cute for summer.  Not in the same outfit, though.  The floral might even want to be a dress or an a-line skirt with patch pockets.




So, yes.  I am day-dreaming about skirts, even though my output has been Bags! Bags! Bags! lately.  (Well, that, and lesson plans, but lesson plans are less pretty.)  I've made two bags and am working on the third - and none were intended for me.  Two felted bags, one of which I'm keeping (because I'm not happy with it) and another I'll give to one of my methods-course host teachers at the end of the semester.

And, funnily enough, as soon as I decided I wasn't ultra thrilled with the first felted bag, I began getting compliments on it left and right.  (Which makes me wonder if I have any taste whatsoever, since I clearly don't recognize awesome when I see it.)

Or maybe it's that it's hard to feel that the purple bag is as great as it could be because I'm constantly comparing it to the turquoise flower bag of fabulousness.  Seriously, I am in love with this one and kind of sad that it's a gift.  Because it could totally live with me.  It's even in my colors.

And I'm even more excited!!! because I've finally chosen the lining for this bag.  I had the potential fabrics laid out, and this lime-and-aqua paisley (another dress candidate, had I enough yardage) practically jumped up and down and yelled, "PICK ME I AM THE RIGHT CHOICE!"

I hate it when fabric yells at me, but this length was right.  It just pops against the knitted fabric and picks up the chartreuse used for the flower's stem.  (whine: I wanna keep this baaaaag.)

I'm also working on Via Diagonale from several Knittys ago and am really pleased with the pattern.  It's very graphic in black and white and should suit the sophisticated host teacher it's intended for.  If I can pry it away from the Yarn Guardian long enough to finish it.

Um, is anyone else kind of scared of Yarn Guardian Cat, here?  And he's the squishy one.  Muscles Cat (who lets me put sweaters on him) would probably just roll over.  Yarn Guardian Cat complained when I tried to reclaim my work.

You learn to knit, buddy, and you can sit on your knitting all day long.