Project Bags

I know, 2 posts on 2 days. Could it be I'm actually returning to the land of the living from my self imposed lung ick seclusion?

I have a finished project to show (finally!) Last summer I made a project bag for a friend that I designed based off a bag another friend got from an Asian market. The bag wasn't designed for a knitting project bag but - we knitters take what we can to use for our obsession. So, the summer bag was a little too big to be able to make from 2 fat quarters and the rings I used on the top were a little too heavy.

 

 

I decided to give the bag another try and made it an inch smaller on each side and made the side top side loops inside of using rings. I think it turned out pretty good. Hope the person getting it likes it.

 

 

 

See the loops at the sides - the front long loop is brought through each of the side (and back) loops and becomes the handle.

 

The front of the bag has a bit of knitting related embroidery from a design by Embroidery Library. They're a local company that sells wonderful (and great priced) embroidery designs on the web. They have frequent sales and this design I picked up for only $1 during one of the sales!

 

 

I liked the way this bag turned out and I think I see more of them in my future. I may even get around to writing up the design. 



All Creatures Great and Small

I haven't posted since Christmas for a couple reasons, the biggest being an attack of the luck ick. It's my term for the nasty bout of bronchitis I get every few years. This year it came on Sunday before New Year's and I'm still trying to get back to normal. I "never" call in sick but this time I left work early New Year's eve and pretty much slept or coughed for a week. Naturally the day I decided to try to rejoin the world was the coldest day in a couple decades - timing is everything.

But, enough about crummy health. Because of it I really haven't done anything worth blogging about. So that's why the silence. Until today. Today is a day worthy of breaking the silence because today is my big boy's birthday.

12 years ago Chief came into this world and 3 months after that he changed my world. I've mention how he got his name before but for his birthday I'll repeat it. I've always named my critters for family members. Jessie was my initials - JC. Jamie was after my brother Jim. (I use family names but not a straight copy of the name). Chief got his name the first night I got him. I brought him over to my folks house and he played with Dad on the floor and then crawled up on Mom's lap and fell asleep. We were talking about names and during this I said he had all of us wrapped around his little paw and Dad said it was just like the Chief. Grandpa was a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy and when he said to do something - everyone jumped. So with that, the new little bundle of fur was named after Grandpa. To this day he still has me wrapped around his (not so) little paw and he is the Chief.

 

Chief's first night

 

He loved to be with me so much I finally hunted up my old arm sling so he could hang out with me while I worked on the computer.

 

Like all cats he loves boxes of all sizes

 

Chief is great helping me check out the fit of preemie hats and modeling other knit items

 

He is also willing to try and learn to knit (or at least pretend to learn)

 

But his best thing is the constant attention and love. Chief is my buddy like no other cat I've ever had.

 

Happy Birthday Big Boy - here's hoping for many, many more!!

 

 

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.