Pretzel Anyone?

I know it doesn't look like much YET, but this future bag is as blocked out as I want it for now. Maybe tonight I can get the final touches and handles done to it, ya think? Needing to get this one listed in the store and put away so I can start that awesome green bag that has GOT to get completed! I don't like to keep people waiting for their things. :) Anyway, I need a catchy name for this one, it's just fun and should have a creative name........ ideas??

Two Projects Completed

Finally got two projects that have been on the needles or getting ripped out (arghhh) completed. Whew!

Now I can start on the design contest - the package of yarn came yesterday and was just sitting on the doorstep just waiting for me to rip into and have some fun.

Tugging On My "Heart Strings"

The beginnings of a new bag - all in my head and morphing as I go. This one is "Heart Strings" and as it comes along, you'll be able to see why the name. The first heart cable is sort of apparent in the center, but just not REAL clear as there is so much other activity going on around it. Isn't that true of our real hearts anyway? :) Keep watching as it slowly makes its way into being a true one of a kind handbag, purse, tote, carry-all, whatever! Who knows! No time to work on it tonight and tomorrow is bleak as 'old man' poker is at our house Friday and the poker area needs to be rid of my very important things. So CLEAN UP is tomorrow night! YIKES! Bill said he would help, and he means well, BUT..... I think maybe some of you understand that when things are in piles, it doesn't necessarily mean it's unorganized, right? I will get to knit while the 'old men' are over Friday. Makes a perfect time for Law & Order (whichever version) and yarn.

BlueBelle FINISHED!

After getting a call this morning from the guys in the shop telling me to stay home, that the ice wasn't a good fit for the van this morning, I got busy! Here she is, all finished. She's a little longer and less in width than the Wishbone. The depth on this gal is much more pleasant.

The BlueBelle, flat...
The BlueBelle, top shot... The BlueBelle - side shot (gotta show off her label!)...
BlueBelle with flash.....
The top on this one fits the hardware much nicer and she has a double lining to hold the old gal up better.

"BlueBelle" Beginning

The beginning of a new bag, a little different from the other. Lessons learned, trying some new things with this one. Abby helped me pick out this color for purses, too. She's a great shopper and helper. I call this one BlueBelle because once it is blocked, flower shapes hopefully will come out and show themselves. Isn't the color luscious? Probably should take that super shopper Abby with me more often! This one will be deeper and thinking of using TimTex for the interfacing which would make it MUCH sturdier. Just thinking out loud.

"Wishbone" Bag Done!

The Front....
The Back....
Side View #1......
Top View....

Completed! I learned a LOT doing this one.

Parts and Pieces

Here are FINALLY some parts to the purse design I'm working on. Now comes the part I don't like and that's actually sewing the bag together, making it workable and usable. Sure am hoping what I see in my mind will come out that way in 'real life'. I will post when it's complete - I will need your feedback!

Designing My Own.....

This represents almost half of a design I'm playing with for a new bag. Picture doesn't do the colors justice as the rusts, reds and browns are much deeper in color. But I love cables....AND this tweedy effect. Once it gets blocked and lined, I think this bag is going to be simply luscious.

Season, this is the stuff Abby helped me pick out at Michael's a while back, remember?

Brea Bag Minus Strap

Here is Shawna's Christmas present minus a good strap. Season and Bill BOTH have great ideas for one, so that's all to be done on this and it's finished.
And the pretty insides.... I rather like it.

Hey, I may be sitting on my hind end, but it feels good to get some things accomplished!

Cable Bag ready for Etsy

WOW! Get this - TWO completed projects in 8 days? Don't get used to it though. This one will get listed on Etsy to see how if does over there. Above is of the bag laying flat......
.....and here it is kind of propped open.

Thanks for looking and have a nice day!

One Bag FINISHED

Well, folks, here is the completed Formal Boot Bag from BagStyle Knitting (link to the left). As usual, after doing the first one, there are obvious things that can be done to improve on the second one. But I'm pretty happy with how this turned out and it's DONE! :)

Weekend Updates

Good morning to everyone! Here it is Sunday again with no blogs all week, not keeping y'all updated on things that are happening around the zoo. Have a cup of coffee (here's my new favorite cup I got from Sue on her latest trip to California) and sit back.


With all the recent eBay-ing I've done in trying to get rid of stuff' around here, it's been very interesting to find what is worth trying to sell, and what stuff isn't worth even a penny. It's been very informative and educational, sometimes surprising and sometimes disappointing. But such is life, a rollercoaster as grandma says in "Parenthood", one of my favorite lines and moments from that movie.



In cleaning up photos on the computer and the camera, I came across this silly one of Jack after Halloween. Looks like it is his costume to be a platypus. Poor guy, you'd think he lived in a house of pranksters. But he is the most forgiving and loving dog that he may have been laughing right along with us, just enjoying a silly moment.

Updates on projects which have sat too long unattended, hoping that just posting in public will help me get moving and get them completed.


This is going to be a market bag from a knit-a-long I'm involved in from the BagStyle book. Yes, the fiber is hemp, but there is a little wool in it so it's not as scratchy as all that macrame' cord we all used to use for hanging plants! Remember those days? YIKES!




This is the update on Kodiak's sweater (the shop lab). He didn't get it for his hunting trip with his dad last week, but he wasn't mistaken for a deer and came home safe without his Safety Orange gear. All that's left is the ribbing around the whole perimeter and ribbing for his 2 front legs.

This is the Formal Boot Bag, from the same KAL for BagStyle, that is in the final stages. Need to keep sewing (ick, by hand) the band around the center and get a good idea for getting a good lining going with plenty of pockets and pen holders. Wish I didn't mind the hand sewing so much, it might have been done by now. :) But it is getting there and will probably end up being a Christmas present.

The Brea Bag is ready to have the same done to it, sew it together and get a pretty lining into it. Shawna really likes this one, so she may be getting this for Christmas. This was an incredibly fun pattern to knit up, but can you tell I can get the knittin' done, and then stall on the hand sewing of stuff? What can I say, but that it's not from NOT having enough coffee around! LOL



There was a movie on last night that I'd been meaning to watch for awhile now, called "Facing the Giants". After having a week as we'd had this past week, yes - a rollercoaster, this was the perfect movie to watch to get things back into perspective. I would highly recommend this to anyone who not only enjoys football movies, but to anyone who has maybe lost vision, hope, perspective or deals with fear. This is one movie that should be in our home video libraries.

More Knittin'

This is the latest project that is amost completed. Very very cool felted wool purse hanging up to dry while I get the embelishment finished. It's fun to see the bag start out so horribly big, but after giving it a good spin in the washing machine it comes out small, thick and darned CUTE! Have to figure out a good strap for this, the book calls for a chain, but think I'd like to figure out something different. I'm up for good ideas, folks! Season - you have this pattern and you would LOVE doing it! Or is this going to have to be your Christmas present? hee hee Can't wait to line it, too.

Saturday Stuff

I had been cleaning enough, so had to sit down and find a way to use some more of my 'buck' yarn from Spirit Lake, so just wanted to share.

Here is the beginning of a purse I think Shawna may like at Christmas - or not. But it's so much fun finding things to do with such CHEAP stash I have. Bill has even suggested some tips on how to make the purse handles sturdier, but that's going to be my secret because it WILL work.

You may notice that cute little Lucy & Desi purse on the laptop, that was a gift from Sue (my sista from anotha mutha) after their trip up the California coast. I don't know why, but she said that when they were in Hollywood, she saw this, thought of me, and brought it back. Little does she know that this will be in all my needlework photos from now on. It will show that what I'm posting is really from me and not something stolen from the web! Like you all worried about that.

I also finished another scarf, this one is a hot pink, same pattern as before and absolutely beautiful.

Updating My Lazy Photo Habit

I warned you that Bill was on a roll - painting and all. What a suprise THIS was coming home last night! Straight out of a Christmas Carol, don't you think? He got a lot done and finished up this evening with the bulk of the painting. LABOR DAY

Here are all us old farts, and Heidi. :) The Cole's are traveling across a great deal of territory and were able to stop here in Lincoln over the Labor Day weekend. Here we are after having a great brat lunch by their RV, or should I say HOME!

Pictured are sister-in-law Doris and my brother Jim, don't know who the couple is in the middle, just know they kept saying they needed a nap after such a big lunch, and then brother-in-law Julian and my sister Donna along with Heidi.

This is the August mystery dishcloth. Needless to say I was quite disappointed in the design.
And no one gets to touch my YARN HO!
Here is a satchel that I will be felting at some point and lining. Pretty excited about this one.
And here is the shawl update.......... working toward the center back. Then will come the long and tedious part once this little mid-section is done.

Another update......am I boring you?

Here is the picture of the felted purse I did, still not quite dry on the inside. Probably should have left it in the dryer a tad bit more. Oh, well. I haven't made slits for the handles yet, little afraid to do that. But they say it should work! I'll slit them another day. Here is the beautiful yarns that came in today from New York for the Icelandic Shawl!!!! Aren't they beautiful? I've never worked with high end yarn before so this should be double fun. OK, this means I'm committed! Now to figure out the graphs and junk on the actual pattern. :) We'll give it the old college try for sure.
p.s. Tuesday is Abby's first day of school as a FIRST GRADER @ LCS!!!!! YIKES!