It's a Sunny Lucy Bag

Sunny Lucy Bag Bottom
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I knitted on this project until my fingers were sore yesterday, so I am delaying going up to work on it more by blogging about it. The picture shows the bottom of this bag, which is the Lucy Bag pattern (can be purchased many places on Ye Olde Internet). I made it a bit bigger than the pattern called for, mostly so I'd use all my colors on the bottom, plus the recipient wanted a slightly larger bag.

The yarn is mostly remnants of Cascade 220 Wool from other projects, but the variegated yarn is some other undyed wool that I Kool Aid dyed last year in the big dyeing experiment. I already felted it in another project (a bag that just needs to have its handle attached), so I know it will work fine. The comment I have received most on this project is, "Individually, these are pretty yucky colors, but they look great together." I do think it will felt up nicely.

I got 80 rows into the long strap last night, but stopped when the last football game ended, with hand cramps. I don't want to make the straps much longer than the pattern calls for, because I had a bad experience with a strap lengthening and getting all icky last time I tried to make this bag much bigger than the pattern called for. I know the recipient wanted a slightly longer strap, because she is plus sized, but I don't want to go too far. I'll just add a few rows.

It took me three tries to cogitate the right spacing for the straps since the bag is wider than the original. I'm not good at ciphering, I guess. But it should be good now.

When I stopped knitting, I switched to reading and finished the highly amusing Anticraft book. I kept reading parts of it aloud to Lee--it is so funny. I don't think I'd really make anything in it, but I sure love the attitude and find I sure have a lot in common with the authors. I always enjoyed their website, so was thrilled when the book came out. It is really weird to come across other people with your own world view when you have a rather nonstandard world view.

Well my parakeet is telling me to PLEASE replenish the food dish, so I'll go do so, then sit by the phone and apply for jobs for a while, then finish this project so I can see if it will felt in the front-loader.

PS: I forgot to say we now have 6 buttons on Lee's sweater. Anyone need 4 buttons? We had to buy ten. They really look good. I'll take a picture!