Knitter in the Kitchen

I was inspired to sew again after seeing Monique’s gorgeous Mischievous Gnome Messenger Bag. If you click the link, you’ll see that I totally copied her.

I love this little patch on the front

Inner side of strap (the outside is wool)

A ribbon wrapped around this button closes the bag

Interior zippered pocket

Pattern: Mischievous Gnome Messenger Bag by Montessori By Hand
Mods: I used a slightly heavier interfacing because I couldn’t find the one listed in the pattern. I also changed up the fabric combo a bit and used four fabrics instead of three.
Thoughts: The pattern instructions are absolutely stellar. I was a little nervous about making the interior zippered pocket — I’ve never done one before — but I had no problems understanding the process. I’m the type of person who likes very detailed instructions and I was completely satisfied with these! I also liked the full-size pattern pieces and the photos accompanying the directions. If Meg came out with more bag patterns, I would definitely buy them!

While flipping through the June issue of Martha Stewart Living, this simple tote bag project caught my eye:

I went through my stash and found the necessary supplies. I would have preferred a darker colored bias tape, but the pink was all I had.

I made several modifications:
–lined all pieces, including the pockets and the handles
–added heavyweight interfacing to the tote front and back
–used extra-wide double fold bias tape
–added a magnetic snap closure
–made my own handles because they weren’t included in the pattern
–encased all edges of the handles in bias tape because I didn’t want to see any raw edges
–sewed the handles 3.5” in from the sides of the bag (instead of 4”)

Although lining all of the pieces means a bit more work, I think it’s worth the extra effort because the finished product looks more polished. For me, the hardest part was binding the front and back together with the bias tape because I am really bad at sewing bias tape around curved edges. In fact, my first attempt was so horrible that I ripped it out entirely. It was bad – there were bunched up spots at the curved corners and spots where I missed the bias tape entirely on the back side. The second attempt, while far from perfect, was at least acceptable to me. The funny thing is that the second time, I didn’t even pin down the bias tape before sewing – I just winged it and it turned out better! There was no way I could have done it with regular width bias tape, so I’m glad I had the extra-wide stuff on hand.

Received my second Piddleloop small project pouch. If you are searching for a practical and stylish way to tote around your sock projects, look no further. These pouches are simply awesome.

Gifted with this lovely book by Joyce. So many enticing projects!

Started another sock. Hubby and I went to an NBA game and the sock made the time go by quickly!

Baked banana bread using the recipe from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. This has become our all-time favorite banana bread. Even if it’s not low-fat.

Sewed two zippered pouches and a tissue holder. Both pouches are lined with fleece. Hubby is using his pouch to hold a saxophone mouthpiece, and I’m using mine for my iPod.

Hope you enjoyed a good weekend as well!

Finally, a finished object.

Pattern: Clapotis
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Worsted, Color #162 Icehouse, a little less than 3 skeins
Needles: Addi Turbo US 8 / 32″

One reason why it took me almost two months to complete the Clapotis is that I don’t particularly like this colorway. I chose it because I was trying to move away from my natural inclination towards reds/purples/oranges. But these shades of blues and greens just aren’t me. I considered frogging the entire project multiple times because of the color issue. Ultimately I decided to finish it simply so I could have a shawl at work. My office is freezing cold whenever the outdoor temperature drops below 70 degrees, so at least now I can be warm as the weather continues to cool. And I love Shepherd’s Worsted — it feels comfortable against my skin.

Last month I also started a Karaoke Scarf for my sister. Currently I’m about halfway through with it.

If you’ve been reading my blog since last year, the scarf might look familiar to you. It’s because I knit the exact same scarf in the exact same color for my sister last year — here is the photo. She asked me to knit her another one because she lost the original. Sigh. But my sis is awesome so of course I’m willing to do it. This pattern is great for mindless knitting.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about my yarn stash. I have decided to cut my stash drastically by selling anything that I don’t anticipate using in the next year. I’m just not inspired by most of my yarn anymore, yet I feel guilty about buying anything new because I already have so much. This is exactly how much I’m selling:

Please visit my destashing blog for photos and descriptions of yarns for sale. Thanks in advance for looking. In case anyone is interested, this is the yarn I’m keeping. This Rubbermaid container is a lot smaller than the destash container, though I must admit it’s hiding ten skeins of Kureyon and six skeins of Silk Garden. But this feels so much more manageable to me.

Finally, on the sewing front, I’ve been working on travel tissue holders as I will be contributing to the November Sampler.

Eating a homemade blueberry muffin

Knitting my Clapotis

Looking at my new vintage dishware

Baking Chocolate Anise Biscotti

Selecting stash fabric for my next project

Cooking yummy steak fajitas with Hubby