Unfinished August in October

This is the lovely autumn view of the tree outside my front window. Yes, it's October, my favorite month of the year!!! But ever since we started getting ready to move, last July, my knitting projects have pretty much been in limbo. Until this weekend, when we cleared out and closed our second . . . . drumroll . . . storage locker, I couldn't even FIND most of my knitting needles, projects and paraphenalia. However, Chelle's a much happier girl now that we're getting some things put away and in place. So, since it's been 3 months of dishevel, I feel like I'm beginning to go "back in time" 3 months and pick up on projects I started way back then.

In August, I was going to participate in Jeanie's Unfinished Object Month, but I only finished one project before having to put all knitting away in the name of household moving behaviors. Now that's this place is finally starting to feel like home (and it's a much more open floor plan), I no longer have all the nooks and crannies to store stuff into, so I must streamline my clutter. Including knitting. Yes, I know knitting is not clutter in the true sense (perish the thought!) but let's face it, a Crayon Box jacket done in pastel shades that I started 3 years ago and I'll never, ever, ever EVER finish not to mention actually WEAR has finally gotta give up the ghost. So I'm donating all that yarn to Grammy's charity yarn knitting stash. She will make much better use of it than I will.

I also finished another object, one of which I really like a lot. Both fingerless gloves of that Knitty pattern I can't remember the name of. What is it? Oh shesh, it's the one everybody in my knitting group is making that is in the summer issue of Knitty. I finshed them last weekend, just in time for the nippy morning drives to the office.




And then here's the purse I also started in August but finished and felted today. The colors may not show through well, but it's a cranberry shoulder bag with streaks of green. I love cranberry and green together!!






I'm going to buy probably a jade decorative button or clasp to put on the flap as a closure. The purse is knit double-stranded throughout. Pattern is in Ee Wiechmann's PURSEALITY PLUS: 20 FELTED BAGS on page 46 and 47 (I think I mine is much prettier than the one in the book). I also plan on sewing a cloth lining inside to make it even more usable. Yarn used was: was Cascade color 2401 and Lumpy Bumpy "Autumn" shade by Farmhouse Yarns. The thing that is unusual (and particularly nifty) about this bag is that the shoulder straps are THICK, not those thin little icord handles that are on many felted bags, and also, they are knitted into the bag from the beginning. You start with the handle side of the purse and make it like a big buttonhole technique. So the handles are knit intergrally into the purse and not added on later as an afterthought. Once I get this bag more "finished" from a lining/button perspective, I will display the bag in it's full finished glory later.

Also, look for more upcoming objects to be finished throughout the Fall. Since the weather is getting colder, I'm having a STRONG hankering to start a new sweater, and I'm going to. Next time, I'll show you the 3 sweaters I'm considering making. 2 are old favorites that I already have yarn for. A third and fourth are brand new temptations that I DON'T yet have yarn for!!!! Ah oh!!! More yarn pillaging ahead?

But in the coming month or two, I also hope to finish a few lingering projects that have been sitting around for a while. I will show you those too as they reappear from the old yarn closet and take on renewed life in the midst of falling red and gold leaves around here.