On the needles and upcoming project

Right now I have this shawl on the needles. I've switched to my bamboo needles and it is going much better. I'd like to work on this on the plane but need to revert back to my plastic circs and fight the cable because my straights are 14" and I won't have room to move on the plane.

I also just picked up Glampyre's One Skein Wonder (OSW) and we'll see if I can finish one while I'm in Hawaii. Don't laugh. I plan on getting some major knitting done while I'm back home with Mom and my family and friends.

I'm excited! Everytime I think I'm done packing, I remember something else that I forgot to pack. Just now, sitting here blogging, I look up and see my camera on it's dock. Hmmm, trip to Hawaii, Christmas and New Year's with family, d'ya think I could use this??? Nah! Yeah! What a doofus!

FYI, Knit Picks Sock Garden Felts Well!

Remember those Knit Picks Sock Garden socks I knit for myself recently? The ones in the Geranium colorway of red, pink and green? I, the idiot that I am, washed them in the washer. I was amazed at the amount of felting that was done on a cold/cold cycle. So if anyone was wondering if this yarn is good for felting, yes it is! With little effort, apparently. How much did they shrink, you ask? Well, I wear a women's size 10 shoe and these socks now fit my 5 year old son who wears a kid's size 11 1/2 shoe. Believe me, I tried to put them on and stretch them as soon as I discovered them in the washer but I couldn't get them over my toes. The fabric would really make a good iPod cozy or coasters. So next time I want to felt something on purpose, I'll think of Knit Picks Sock Garden yarn and all the yummy colorways.

Consider this a public service announcement...or an announcement to the public of what an idiot I am. I had the best intentions, honestly. I'm trying to wash every dirty bit of laundry in the house so that I can pack for our vacation to Hawaii on Wednesday

Beware! Yarn Porn Ahead!

Steph and I went to Gail Knits today and I fell in love with this pattern and yarn for a Magic Shawl made with Karabella's Magic yarn. Also bought these Addi Turbos in size 13 to make it with. The pattern calls for a size 15 and 3 balls but it was suggested to me that I go down a size and buy one more ball. I'm a good girl and do what I'm told. The Berroco Optik will be made into a scarf with some black fun fur. Who needs to look at pictures of naked people when we can get just as excited by pictures of yarn? Sad, I know, but true enough.

Speaking of naked people, we were discussing Heidi Fleiss and her planned male bordello outside of Las Vegas. Can someone explain how these guys are going to service all these women unless they're on Viagra? It's not as if they can fake it like their female counterparts can. Heidi plans to charge $250/hour, of which the studs only get 50% for their troubles. These guys better not watch HBO's shows on the Moonlight Bunny Ranch where some of these girls lowest rates to "party" start at $2000. They're going to feel terribly underpaid. I've also read that HBO is working with Ms. Fleiss on a similar show. We'll just have to see about that.






This is a scarf that I started tonight. The yarn on the right is another new yarn I found at Wal-Mart, their No Boundaries brand and the one on the right is Plush by Red Heart.





Finished this scarf last night. It's Bernat Boa and Red Heart Plush. These aren't my colors but I just might have to keep this one. It's growing on me. It would look so good with a chocolate brown sweater or coat, wouldn't it?

Merry Christmas!

These are our 2005 Christmas pictures, just taken tonight. The boys have gotten so big. Bernie and I took a picture together but I hated it. I can't believe the photographer let me take a picture with a double chin showing! How rude! Would she have taken it if I had a booger hanging out of my nose, too?

You guys are seeing these before anyone else. Yes, you're special!

New yarn @ Wally World?

Went to Wal-Mart after dropping the kids off at school this morning and what did I spy? Wal-Mart has their own brand of novelty yarn. I am trying it in a scarf on size 19 (15mm) needles, single strand. I started out using 2 strands but it was surprisingly thick like that. It's cute and funky and it was only $3.47 per ball, I think. They also had a ladder type and one that resembles Paton's Allure. Only drawback is that they are only in limited colors like black, white, pink and teal.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Bernie put up the tree yesterday afternoon and Christopher just couldn't wait for anyone to help decorate so he did it himself. He could reach all but the top 5 tiers while standing on his stepstool. He was motivated!






I started this stocking the day after Thanksgiving and finished it the next day. I tried 3 different toes and wasn't happy with them. I wound up doing a short row toe to match the short row heel. It sure was faster than making a sock! I used a size 10 circular and 48 sts. I used Caron Victorian Gold yarns in lace and mistletoe ombre.






I've been fighting the flu and just today feel about 75% normal. I just hate letting the housework go. I've lost 6 pounds, in water weight, I'm sure. The family finally got a hot meal last night. I'm glad I've gotten into the habit of having a clean kitchen sink before bed each night. No matter how sick I was, I made sure my sink was clean. It was a great sight to wake up to each morning. Thanks FlyLady.net!

Thanksgiving scarf giving

Last night at the in-laws I brought my knitting and finished a garter stitch scarf our of LB Chenille Thick & Quick in the Sapphire Print that I got from Bernie last Christmas. I used size 15 needles and last on 10 sts and just knitted until the end of the skein. It was really pretty and I'm sorry I didn't take a picture but my MIL liked it so much that I had to give it to her. We were all sitting outside chatting after dinner and it was a bit chilly at 50 degrees so I sewed in th ends and just draped it around her neck. I'll definitely make another. In fact, my friend Pat bought some of the Paton's Bohemian chenille, which looks a lot like this one and I'll make her scarf in the same way.



I'm also knitting a Christmas stocking out of Caron Victorian Christmas Gold in the colors Lace, which is a gold color and Mistletoe Ombre, which is burgundy, hunter green and gold with gold tinsel running through it. I'm striping the two and I'm using a size 10 circular needle with 48 sts. Picture to follow.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We normally have 2 Thanksgiving dinners. One on the real day and another the next day. Bernie has been working several Thanksgivings so we celebrate with him at work but then have a family gathering the next day at our house. Since we had dinner at his brother's house last night and he's working today, we'll have our Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. I cooked the turkey today and I'll just carve it and put it away and make as much as I can tonight. Unfortunately, our fridge is so full that I can't put much more in there. That's why I had to cook the turkey today. I couldn't fit the bird in the fridge but I'll find room when it's all carved. The pumpkin gooey butter cake went over well last night but I'm kind of "pumpkined out" right now so I'm going to make the pineapple gooey tomorrow along with some collared greens, green bean casserole, cornbread casserole, dressing, cranberries and macaroni salad. Yummy!

Finished doggie afghan

Finally finished Thor's doggie bed afghan. It was just a coincidence that the colors match completely! Hope he likes it. We'll see in just a little bit. It's almost 2 a.m. and we'll go to bed after this post.





Made this scarf today out of left-over pink yarns. It's different but still a bit cute.

DOH!

Yesterday I decided to see for myself if I could knit a sweater in the round from the neck down without a pattern. I didn't want to embark on another long project only to find it years later in my UFO pile. Therefore, Homer Simpson (or Homer Simsim in Christopher-speak) got a new sweater. Can I just tell you that gauge swatches are important even when knitting for fictional cartoon characters? It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Now I can swatch for a sweater for Chris to match Homer's. I think he'd like that.



Saw this in a Sky Mall catalog that Bernie brought home. It's goofy looking as Hell but I'm sure it does the job it's supposed to. Now I'm just wondering if I'm going to knit it or crochet it. I think one of these and a pair of mittens would make a cool gift for Christmas.

Finished Tychus this morning and am working on a scarf right now knit lengthwise on size 11s using the leftover Crystal Palace Little Flowers from Pat's scarf and some coordinating LB Jiffy. Though not my colors, I think it will be cute when done. Pat's scarf had the Little Flowers fringe but I think I'd like to fringe mine in Jiffy and Little Flowers if I have enough left. Picture to come.

Tychus progress

I was hoping to finish Tychus in time for the game but alas, it still isn't complete. I have two more wedges to go. I'd better get on the ball and get my gift exchange item done as well.



Tonight was the championship game and it wasn't even close. We lost by a score of 40-0. The Gorman Gaels came into the championship undefeated and it's obvious why. Unfortunately, we had 4 players on the sidelines and there was almost a fight at the end of the game. The concession stand did well and we ran out of macaroni salad! Last time I brought half of it home but I must admit, it didn't taste as good as today's batch. Maybe I should make some for Thanksgiving?



Yummy pumpkin gooey butter cake and a latte. I'm going to be up all night, but it's worth it. I have a double chocolate gooey butter cake in the oven right now. I have to test these things before I bring them over to the in-laws, you know.

My boys

Isn't pride in our children a wonderful thing?









Last night Anthony was on My Space and wanted to update his picture. He's so glad that his old Mom knows a thing or two about stuff like that. He's getting a lot more mobility in his knee. I'm so glad to see that he is getting better. I had to pick him up early from school yesterday and the poor kid was covered with sweat by the time he got to the Dean's office. He's complaining of soreness in his armpits and forearms. Can you just see my brain working up a pattern for a crutch cozy? I'm sick! I could make it out of his team colors so that when we go to the final game tonight we can show our team pride! Tonight is the championship game and I know it's going to kill him to watch, especially since his friend, Austin, is also out with a concussion, also aquired at the last game. Anthony and Austin ARE the offensive and defensive line. That leaves poor Westover to pull all the weight. I hope he doesn't get hurt, too. I'll bring an extra ice pack and wraps and pray we won't need them. Oh yeah, final fundraiser and pot luck to follow so guess what I'm bringing? Yep, 10 pounds of macaroni salad...AGAIN!

I'm currently knitting Tychus in the team colors but I think I might just have to keep it or give it to Christopher. I was working on it yesterday and asked Anthony if he liked it and he said "no". Perhaps when it's finished and he sees how absolutely cool it is. Hmmm, perhaps if I can get it done before the game, maybe one of his friends would like it. I'm sure if he saw it on one of his friends, it would lend a more credible coolness to it. Now you know why I don't knit/crochet very much for my family. The only one who is coming around is Chris. I think it's guilt. He overheard me telling someone that while I was pregnant with him I was on bedrest and couldn't do much but crochet, so I made him about five baby afghans and assorted layette items. When he was old enough to choose which blankie he wanted sent with him to daycare, he chose a cotton quilt that belonged to Anthony when he was a baby. He wanted nothing to do with the afghans I had made him. After hearing this story, he dug out a couple of those afghans and has been using them and, in fact, commenting to visitors that these were afghans his mom made for him before he was born. Hey, whatever works!

Off to cook macaroni!

Yay! No surgery!

Yummy latte! I think I'll treat myself to another after my walk. It's not Starbuck's but it's better than shelling out $3.75. Got to be frugal now, don't I? A great thing about being home...I can now drink my lattes to my heart's content and not have to worry about offending anyone at work when my lactose intolerance kicks in!!!

Yesterday we went back to the ortho and he said that he won't need surgery at all. He expects Anthony to make a complete recovery. Surprisingly, the MRI was interpreted as having a fracture although the ortho said that he didn't see one. He even performed additional x-rays with oblique and lateral views and didn't see anything. We trust his opionion completely and he wants to see us back in 3 weeks. In fact, Anthony was so excited about going back to school that he wanted us to drop him off at lunchtime yesterday. We made him wait until today.

Poor Chris, our 5 year old, who knew that yesterday everyone was going to be home so he tried faking an illness to stay home as well. Didn't work. I got a lecture yesterday because before I took Chris to school I turned on the water to fill up the pool and since it takes awhile I figured it will be done by the time I dropped Chris off. Well, my memory being the crap that it is, when I dropped Chris off at school, it was so cold and he told me he needed mittens so I forgot about the water and went happily to Wal-Mart. Bernie got up and found that I wasn't home but the pool was near to overflowing! He called an reamed me at Wal-Mart then I got the lecture about not only leaving the water on but that since I'm not working, I can't be going to Wal-Mart "every 5 minutes" and that I'd better not come home with more yarn!! By the time I got home, I had forgotten that the reason I went in the first place was to get the baby some mittens (bought them but forgot to give Bernie that as my excuse). Attached is a picture of the beanie I made with the yarn I bought! Hahaha! This is Anthony's football team colors. I'm making one for Bernie, Anthony and Chris. I'd make one for all of the football players but I don't think I'd get 18 of them done by Saturday.

If I learn one lesson in life, it is to make sure I tell people I love how much they mean to me more often and that my procrastination will cause little fissures in my heart. What am I talking about? I started another Clapotis months and months ago with the intention of sending it to a dear friend in Hawaii who was fighting cancer. I let other projects work their way to the front of my "to make" list and never finished it. Molly passed away last Saturday. She was the mother of my first serious boyfriend, Dennis. We were together for six years starting when I was a junior and he a senior at rival high schools. His family, especially "Mom" embraced me as another daughter and even welcomed my husband and children into their family years later. I continued to call his parents Mom and Dad, as did my husband. Weird to some people, but so cool to us. In fact, whenever they would come to town, we'd all go out to dinner together. Bernie once went down to the hotel bar with "Dad" to enjoy a football game and a customer at the bar remarked how nice it was to see a father and son having such a nice time together! Mom always had a smile on her face and aloha for everyone around her. She was a very statuesque lady of nearly six feet tall but God knew what he was doing because she needed all the room to house such a big heart. I know she knew how much I loved her but I didn't say it often enough. She didn't want to burden me with the knowledge that her cancer had spread to her brain. I found out from her daughter how weak she really was. Unfortunately, I can't afford to fly home for the funeral but will have to pay my respects when the kids and I go "home" in a few weeks. I'll miss her always.

Poor Thor & Gooey Butter Cakes

Our Maltese is 14 years old. Poor old man, he just wants a place to lie down in comfort, usually for most of the day. He took a mad liking to Bernie's afghan and spent a good deal of time on it after I finished it the other night. I decided to make Thor his own afghan out of the left-over yarn.




Anthony had his MRI this afternoon and will see the ortho doc again tomorrow. He has a medial meniscus tear which I'm hoping will be amenable to a meniscus repair rather than a meniscectomy. A repair should return his anatomy to normal and a better chance at full recovery. If they are only able to remove the torn portion of the meniscus, he may have problems later in life such as arthritis, just like his father who suffered from torn menisci and ACL injuries in both knees, also secondary to football and bull riding and now has arthritis.




Having never tried a gooey butter cake but always wanting to,I currently have one in the oven. It is a pumpkin gooey butter cake, recipe courtesy of Paula Deen. If it is as good as I've heard, I'll be taking a couple of these to Bernie's brother, Andre's house on Thanksgiving, along with a few other side dishes. I haven't made Lumpia in a very long time, might bring those. They are Filipino spring rolls and are always a big hit. Only thing is that they are such a pain in the ass to make. Much easier when you have a friend to help. My nephew Nick is doing the majority of cooking but I can help. Maybe some type of salad, like a pea salad and maybe a spinach dip in a bread bowl. Maybe a pasta salad? Hmmm, I mean yummmm. Damn! That pumpkin gooey butter cake is making the house smell fabulous. Anthony just asked if I was making a pumpkin pie. He can smell all that yummy pumpkin goodness upstairs. I think a pot of coffee is required. For dinner we're having a kielbasa soup that I put in the crockpot this morning. I don't know how good it is. I didn't even add all the water called for and it's quite watery. Just added another can of tomato paste and I'm trying to thicken it up a bit. Added a bit more salt, some garlic powder and a couple dashes of Tabasco. Oh yeah! Couldn't wait any longer. Had to take a spoon to a corner of the gooey butter cake. It's a winner! Definitely taking a pumpkin one to Thanksgiving at Andre's.

 

Finished afghan

Bernie's afghan for work is finally done. He's going to be in Heaven sleeping between his new sheets and afghan. It's getting colder here in Las Vegas at night and this afghan is so cushy. I have to make a couple of mini afghans for the dogs' beds. Yesterday Thor slept on the folded afghan and looked so comfortable that I figured he deserved one for himself.






I begged Bernie to make me a crochet hook and this was what I got. He actually threw it in the trash because he wasn't happy with it. I rescued it, sanded it and shaped it then waxed it and added the beading. I like it. I told him how much I've seen the beautiful artisan made hooks going for on eBay, especially the ones made by GrayDog. They're gorgeous albeit pricey. Bernie makes some beautiful pens and I thought this would be an easy transition for him. Unfortunately, he is getting frustrated with the hook portion and that's what happened here. I just had to hone it a bit more but it could have been a deeper cut on the hook. It works!
Just a bit more practice and I think he can sell these. His prototype is off limits though. I know it's rudimentary but it means something to me.

New banner

Ok, so I was bored. I made this new banner from a picture my sister sent me. This is the view from my Mom's front door in Kaneohe. These are the Koolau Mountains on Oahu, Hawaii. I have a view of the Las Vegas Strip from my front door. Hmmm...Mom wins! I can't wait to see these beautiful mountains when I take the kids back "home" for Christmas.

I'm actually too nervous to sleep. Tomorrow is my last day at work. My kids don't have school tomorrow and you'd think they'd try to stay up as late as possible. Nope. The two of them are crashed out on the sofas in the family room. I've got to get into the kitchen and fix their lunches for tomorrow.

I wonder how many of my co-workers are going to join me at the RoadRunner bar after work tomorrow. I'm not expecting very many. It is, after all, Friday night. Anthony has already lectured me on drinking and driving. I had to explain to him that I don't drink, so one cocktail will be my limit.

Still working on that spiral sock with the leftover Sock Garden yarn from KnitPicks. Picture to come when it's done. I'm also dying to start a lace shawl. I'd better finish Bernie's afghan before he sends me back to work!

Spiral socks revisted

Here are my old spiral socks. They must be at least five years old and are holding up really well. They're made of LionBrand WoolEase on size 4 needles. I'll most likely finish the current ones tomorrow morning.

It's really late, 12:38 a.m. and I'd better get my tired self to bed. Bernie is in Colorado for football, Chris has an 8 a.m. soccer game, for which I have to bring the snacks this time, and I have to finish 10 pounds of macaroni salad for Anthony's football game fundraiser. Yes, I said 10 (ten) pounds of mac salad. I have to assemble this between games as I don't have enough room in my fridge for this. I just cooked the pasta and it will hold until I'm ready. We're doing Hawaiian style plate lunches for $5 each. They will consist of Hawaiian style BBQ chicken, rice and macaroni salad. Apparently, they did so well a couple of weeks ago that they ran out of food. This stuff beats the typical football food of hotdogs and chips! Hopefully we'll have enough left over after the game to feed all the players.

Some knitting content

After all of this crocheting, I had to pick up a knitting project. I found a half finished spiral sock that I started over a year ago, completed that, now I'm working on the mate. It just felt wrong watching Knitty Gritty on DIY while crocheting. Also, I had to have something to bring to our Knit Nite, although many of us also crochet and we welcome either crochet or knit projects to be worked on. I found this spiral sock pattern a few years ago and it has remained one of my favorites even though I am no longer a beginner sock knitter. I like these, particularly as gifts, because I don't need to know how long someone's foot is, there is no heel to wear out, and they stay up! This is a great pattern to adapt to babies or small children because the socks can be used longer than others while they're still growing. The only problem I ever had wasn't related to the pattern. I made a pair of these for a friend without knowing she was allergic to wool! I've only made these in worsted weight although now I'm dying to try them in a nice sock yarn, I'm thinking another order from Knit Picks is in my future.

Bernie's afghan

My poor husband! He has patiently waited over a year for an afghan to cover his bed at the fire station. He bought the yarn last September and only occasionally asked about his afghan's progress. He has seen me start and complete over 100 projects in the past year without making a start on his afghan. No, I take that back, I had started it but was never satisfied with a pattern so I didn't go any further than swatches. Not only that, but he bought Red Heart worsted for the afghan and I just didn't want to make a project of that size in that yarn. I wanted him to have a nice, soft, cuddly afghan and not something that not only wears like iron but feels like it as well. I have always liked Red Heart Light and Lofty and a new friend suggested using this for an afghan because she just completed one and raved about it. I have used this for a poncho and shawl and a pair of house slippers. Here is the result, though it is not completed just yet. Even though his bed is only a twin, I want to make it large enough to hang over each side by a good foot. I expect it to use at least 15 skeins.

The red and purple ones are my versions of the Martha Stewart Poncho. I made some alterations because I didn't care for the higher neckline and I thought the scallop edge was too involved. I substituted the edge with treble crochet shells. They were quick to do and took me just a tad over 4 skeins each. I made spiral scarves with the leftovers. Unfortunately, the purple one was made with a discontinued color - Renaissance in the LB Homespun. I searched high and low for an extra skein because I was a few inches of scallop left from being done. I finally had to cannibalize a shawl in my UFO pile of the same yarn. I finished the poncho and bound off the shawl, then a few days later I found an extra skein in another of my secret stash places. The shawl was a bit small for me but luckily, my sister, Sherry, is smaller than I am and was the happy recipient of said shawl, along with a poncho and some scarves. Being that she lives in Ohio and I live in Las Vegas, she will probably get a lot more use out of them than I.

Spiral Scarves

This will be "the scarf" for gifting this season.  So easy and so different!  I've tried to do the knitted version but my hand kept getting cramps, fighting with over 700 stitches.  The crocheted version is much easier to do and this is an immediate gratification project.  Love them!

I've been a bad blogger!

This was a very interesting trilogy. I am now a Nora Roberts fan. In fact, I've got another one called Rising Tides for tomorrow.





Okay, where to start? This has to be quick because I have to get to sleep. I quit my job. My last day is October 28th. I have been with this same doctor for 10 years, although I've been working in the corporate office since he merged with this group over 3 years ago. Bernie and I had a deal that once he made Fire Captain, I could quit. Well, that was 3 years ago. This just seemed like good timing. They didn't want me to quit. In fact, they offered to let me work from home but I'd be tethered to my house from 8-5 every day. What good is that? I wouldn't have much time to myself and with my family. They offered me a higher salary plus quarterly bonuses. It sounded like a good deal but I wanted more freedom. Bernie said he didn't care if I knitted and crocheted all day. It was time to quit. Isn't this what all of us dream of hearing? It was still hard to let go. My boss was so supportive. She stayed home to raise her kids so she understood where I was coming from. She said that as long as she was with the company, I could have my job back if I wanted it. I'm scared. I'm excited. I can't wait to wake up Halloween morning and not have to go to work. In fact, October 31st is also Nevada Day, our state holiday, so the kids are home too! Woohoo!

What I'm reading/listening to now

Just finished:


Have I mentioned lately how much I love SimplyAudiobooks.com?

First Day of School

Forgot to post this picture of the boys on the first day of school. Don't they look so excited?

Round ripple

Since the picture was taken on Friday, I have added another row of cream and black. I took it with me to Anthony's first football game yesterday. They kicked butt!
The final score was 30-6. Unfortunately, this team was really small. Anthony plays offensive line and the kid on the other team was not much bigger than our 5 year old, Chris. On one play, Anthony just put his hands on this kid's shoulders and basically folded him in half. I really think he should try defense. Perhaps he could play both.




I crocheted this fun fur around Sam's collar. It didn't seem to bother her. It was really cute but she needs to be groomed badly and it will probably look better when she's clean and cut.

More cell phone bags

My project du jour...cell phone bags! Sorry for the crappy picture but it was taken with my phone. I have made about 10 of these so far. It's a great use of scrap yarn, especially those odds and ends of fun fur and eyelash that I couldn't bear to throw away yet didn't have enough of to do anything with...or so I thought! The bag is of my own design and like the crocheted version, the strap buttons to the inside of the bag so that I can hang it from my purse strap or a belt loop, etc. When buttoned, the strap also hangs nicely from my wrist or I can carry it like a mini purse. It can accommodate not only my phone but my ID and some cash. I decided not to put a closure on the top of the bag to facilitate easy accessibility. The dimensions are 3 inches wide by 5 inches tall. It is knit with double strands of Red Heart worsted weight on size 11 needles and has a Bernat Boa and Lion Brand Fun Fur trim. I made a slightly larger one for a friend who likes to spend time in the casinos. She told me that it was perfect for carrying her phone and other essentials. She wore it on her wrist and didn't have to bring her large purse with her. I showed my friend, Steph, how to make them, which is better to me than writing a pattern because I suck at that! I also showed her how to make the crocheted version that appeared in the previous post. She likes the crocheted one and I prefer the knitted one. We're both happy!

The crocheted one that I felted didn't come out to my liking. I might just try to felt it one more time as I could still see the stitches. I have also started another one to felt but this one is knitted. All I have to do is finish the i-cord on that one. Pictures to follow.

Camouflage cell phone bag

Gina bought Devan a pair of camouflage flip flops from Footworks at The District @ Green Valley Ranch. They had pink details and were quite comfortable. I have been thinking about those slippers or "slippahs" as we call them in Hawaii, and remembered some camo yarn and pink fun fur that I just happened to have in my stash. Here is the end result of my efforts today, a cell phone bag. I wonder if Devan will like it.

In case anyone is interested, one end of the strap buttons on the inside of the bag so that you could either loop it around your wrist or around the handles of your purse so that it hangs on the outside of your purse...no more digging around trying to find your phone before it stops ringing! Cool, huh? I'm currently working on another one made with scraps of 100% wool trimmed with fun fur that I plan to felt. I didn't like my first two attempts at felting crocheted items. I much prefer to felt knitted items but I'm a faster crocheter and can tweak crocheted ideas easier than knitted ones.

By request, here is the un-pattern since I suck at pattern writing:

I didn't have a pattern. Just did it on-the-fly like I usually do with crocheted projects. Basically, this is what I did:

I think I used a size G or H (my favorite sizes) and worsted weight Red Heart

Start with a chain that will equal the width of your bag. Single crochet in the 2nd chain and ea chain across. Then, working into the back of the chain, sc across to where you first started. You don't have to join, but instead you can continue working around and around (in either sc or hdc) until you get the bag as tall as you'd like. You should end on one side of the bag so that you can continue with the strap from this point. To be honest, I'm not sure how I made the strap. It was about 4 sts that I joined into a ring and just kept crocheting around and around until it was the length that I wanted. I decreased the 4 sts down to 1 st and made a short chain for a buttonhole loop. Attach the other end to one side of the bag, sew a button onto the inside of the opposite side. I added the fun fur after the bag was complete by starting 2 rows down and, using 2 strands together (each end of the ball) I crocheted around the post of the stitch until I reached the top of the bag. Cut yarn and weave in ends.

What I'm reading/listening to now