First Felted FO!

Yay! so I finished my first felted tote bag today!


I posted pics earlier of the work in progress, but here's the finished bag before felting (I crocheted orange edging on the corners, around the bottom, and reinforced the bottom with orange, green and blue)
The stitch pattern is RT, k1, with RT, RT, on the corners. The yarn is Filatura di Crosa 127 Print (labelled for Japan as Simpatico)




After felting in the bathtub (stretched on a bag of CD cases to dry) It actually didn't take so long because this yarn is very loosely spun, and the yarn has a felted-feel to it already. The colors dimmed a little, but it's still really pretty. Maybe when it is fully dry, in full sun, it will be brighter.

Oops!

I hadnt really decided what I wanted to do with the handles for this bag, and finally decided that the shape called for cast-off/cast-on handles like the bag that inspired this one, the Marsupial Tote. So I started doing the handles then realized that the body of he bag was just a bit longer than I liked it, so I frogged back all the orange I had done on top of the blue, and 4 rows of blue. I think it will work out now. I'm going to edge the handles with green on the inside and blue on the top of the bag, orange down the sides, and stripes of all 3 colors to reinforce the bottom.

I also discovered the Crafster.org message boards! whee! I could spend all day on there, but I can't since I have to work at 2:00. I added new links to people and places though, and even added two buttons so people can link me too!

Punk_knitter

So I joined the Punk_Knitters community on Livejournal and have already been posting and getting tons of comments :) It's such a great active community! I also got the amswer to my yarn question: Why can't I find info on "Simpatico"? Because is the us/uk etc it's called Filatura di Crosa Print 127. YAY!

more about the bag

WIP pics: here's the Filatura di Crosa Simpatico bag that I will be felting.




knitted in RT *k1, RT* RT on bamboo #15US circular needles

First Purse!

So I decided that since the Filatura di Crosa Simpatico is a little too brassy to use for a scarf I'm making it into a tote bag (or maybe a purse, it hasnt decided what it wants to be). I'm roughly following the instructions for the "Felted Marsupial Tote" in "Stich 'N Bitch". It will be color-blocked black, green, navy and orange. I havent decided what to do for the top yet: either handles like in the pattern, or a messenger-bag style flap with a shoulder strap.
Strangely, I can't find any information only about Filatura di Crosa's yarn Simpatico! It's like it never existed! very odd.

I wandered into my LYS on Tuesday and found this interesting pearly "100% Wood Pulp Lenpur" yarn for Y315/ball so I bought 4 and am planning a lacy scarf or shawl in varigated pink with varigated green edgeing. I also found this really cool paper yarn by Noro that would make fantastic little handbags..
So would the wonderfully weird yarn from www.pluckyfluff.com

The Stash

Tried to post this Friday, but Blogger was being Buggy.


I came to Japan with only two suitcases, and very little room for yarn. All I brought was the skein of LionBrand Homespun that I was making into a scarf for my sister, intending to knit on the plane. The scarf did not get finished until January or February, and I didn't buy new yarn till I found a local yarn store having a big spring sale in March.
I bought:
3 balls Filatura di Crosa Mushino
2 balls Filatura di Crosa Dali
4 balls Filatura di Crosa Sympatico (various colors)
2 hanks Noro Kochoran
4 balls Greeting 100% wool

It's not all pictured there...
The Noro became a hat and a pair of mittens (my first mittens ever!) 50% wool, 20% silk, 30% angora

The Japanese wool became Boyfriend Beanies (one for the bf, one for another friend) both pictured on me. The black has 5 rows of k2p2 ribbing at the bottom, but you can't see it.


I'm still brainstorming about what I want to do with the Sympatico, it's lovely stuff, maybe some more mittens . The Mushio and the Dali are becoming a verticaly striped scarf.

And so it begins...

I don't know who will actually read this, but I was encouraged by the fact that whenever I was google-ing knitting questions, or looking for pictures, or wondering what was going on in the knit-world, I found my self being led to knit-blogs, and subsequently drowning in a sea of information and oddly-addictive accounts of strangers daily lives.
I'm not new to blogging, I've kept a Livejournal for 3 years or so, and update regularly, but the idea of a blog for a hobby amuses me. My Livejournal started as a way to keep up to date with friends, and has evolved into a chronicle of my time here in Japan, read by many more people than I think I realize. If you'd like to read about my adventures as an Au Pair in Japan visit http://www.livejournal.com/~alizarinorchid . Doozo.

I have always lived in places removed from any sort of culture (be it art culture, music culture, subculture), and so the internet has been a way for me to connect with interesting people. Here in Japan there is no shortage of interesting people, but meeting ones who speak English is sometimes a difficulty. (My Japanese is no where near where it should be). Knit-wit friends are something I have a shortage of ;) I'm a member of the Tokyo Stich 'N Bitch, but would love to chat about knitting (or anything) with anyone anywhere!