Where am I and how did I end up in this handbasket?

Being a good knitter does not necessarily mean you are a fast knitter.  I envy those knitters who are not only very, very skilled, but also very,very fast, like my friend Esther.  Watching her hands and needles flow like a well-oiled machine is truly a thing of beauty.  I am not one of those knitters.  My speed would be considered quite average in fact.  I can get in my own flow as well, don't get me wrong, but I will never win a contest for the world's speediest knitter! 

I know this is about the time you start thinking, why is she comparing herself to anyone else?  Isn't the whole idea to enjoy what you do?  Satisfaction comes from the process itself and completing the project, right?  Of course you are right.  But there are times when I wish I could knit faster so that I could complete MORE of the projects that are on my endless to knit list, especially this time of year.   

Yes, I am going there...it's the holiday knitting season and if you are anything like me that means planning and knitting all of your holiday gifts in a 6 week period, or less.  I have been known to finish a gift at 5pm on Christmas Eve a time or two!  It seems reasonable to start this sort of thing in say January, but that never seems to work out for me.  Good intentions and all that...you know...  "Where am I and how did I end up in this hand basket?" sort of thing. LOL:)  (My mom saw that saying on a t-shirt once and I thought it fit right in here.  Maybe not.  ANYway...:getting a little off topic;)  If you intend to follow this blog, though, you will have to put up with my strange sense of humor at times.  :)

So when I came into work on Monday morning and saw a gorgeous pile of newly handpainted Burly Spun (that is Brown Sheep's SUPER bulky yarn), done in absolutely rich fall colors, I was inspired.  Hmmm...If you can't knit fast, you can knit efficient.  By that I mean, choose projects that work up quickly by way of big needles and big yarn!  That's my plan this year.   

So I have 3 ideas for your holiday knitting that were inspired by the yarn... and here's the first one....

Desert Satchel by Kate Jackson
(go to her site and click on patterns then scroll down to see her bag)

I knit this bag in one evening on size 13 needles with less than 1 skein of Burly Spun!  The ball of yarn in front is what I had left over, so I will have to think of something to do with that...

Yes, one night.  And remember, I am not that fast, I've confessed that to you.  Burly Spun is just that bulky.

The next night I dug down in my box fabric scraps for the lining.  And if I hadn't wrestled with the old sewing machine for about an hour, I would have had this bag lined in about 15 minutes. 

Then I found an old belt that worked for the handles and tied it on...

And finally added a beautiful hand made wooden button from Tanglewood Studio










Total project time:  Maybe 4 hrs.

Stay tuned for Project #2...I will be working on it over the weekend.