Little Lacy Purse #2

I liked the first little lacy purse so much, I made a second.  I used a brighter yarn (still Louisa Harding Mulberry, this time  #23 Vivid Aqua) and lined with bright yellow cotton fabric.  I embellished with little daisy buttons I found in my sewing stuff.  I think the color changes really change the feel or mood of the purse.  The first was more romantic, this is more playful.

This is going to be a Mothers' Day gift for my mom.  I'm planning ahead!  It's nice to know I won't be rushing around come May.

Finished -- Lacy Purse

I couldn't be happier with this little purse!  I was recently in a yarn store and right up front were the newest Louisa Harding books and yarns.  I couldn't help myself.  I bought the book Deco and the yarn to make the purse on the front cover.  Knitting the lace was a fairly quick process.  Then I went to Joann's for fabric to line the bag, ribbon, thread, and embellishments.  Making the liner was the hardest part.  It's actually doubled, so if you look through the lace you can see the front of the fabric, but looking inside the purse you can also see the front.  I'm not much of a seamstress so how to do this wasn't instinctive.  But it worked out!  Oh--I chose white because it best showed off the lace stitches.  And I used cotton (a white-on-white) from the quilting section rather than the recommended felt.  My inspiration for the little ribbon rosebuds was the Louisa Harding purse featured in the newest Debbie Bliss magazine.

I am truly happy with this and giving it away will be hard.  But soon it will be in its new home.

DOT -- Walking in the Woods

There's a park in Houston (Memorial Park) that is near the intersection of two of our busiest interstates.  But once you get into the trails through the woods, it seems really remote.  You can't hear cars or see skyscrapers or anything.  It's really peaceful.  Lucy and her dad often take walks here and lately I've joined them a couple times.  Here's photos from a recent walk.

Lucy and her dad walk through the woods.

Now Lucy is running back to see why I am falling behind.  (It was for photo purposes.)

Lucy takes a short rest.

Now it's time for a quick dip in the bayou and a run up a very steep hill back to the trail.

Right now the violets are in bloom.  How pretty!

Waterfowl

I need to report this to the Audubon Society.  I've had a sighting of a very rare Purple Variegated-Wing Duck.  Actually it is more than a sighting.  She came to live with me.  She migrated from California, where she used to live with my friend Ariel.  Her name is Maybelle.  Welcome, Maybelle!

Purse in Progress

I am such a sucker for prominently-displayed stuff in a yarn store.  Recently I was in one with the new Louisa Harding books and samples of yarns right up front.  So guess what--I bought stuff to start a new project.  I am making that little purse on the cover.

In the photo below you can see the purse, the fabric for lining (white stuff), ribbon for handles, thread for sewing, and little ribbon rosebuds for possible decoration.  I think knitting the lace might have been the easy part.  Now I've got to get out the sewing machine and work on the lining.  Wish me luck on that!

Close-up of the lace purse is below.  I love the miracle of blocking!  I learned how to M1 and the three-needle bind off during this project.  I love projects that teach me new skills.  I am pretty proud of this so far.

Finished Martha Scarf

I am a fan of Martha Stewart.  I think she's got some really good ideas and some really good food.  On my trip home at Christmas I picked up the then-current issue of her magazine.  I was surprised to find a couple knitting patterns in there.  This little scarf looked cute and my mom thought so too.  So I finally got around to making it for her.  She'll probably have to wait till next fall or winter to wear it, but it's done.

I finished it yesterday while waiting for Discount Tire to put new tires on my Jeep.  They had a refrigerator of bottled water in the waiting room so I was able to knit and hydrate at the same time.

Here's how it looks on a neck.
The yarn is a merino and bamboo blend called Meriboo.  It's by Frog Tree.

This is actually the second project I made from this issue of Martha's magazine.  The first was a cake.

DOT -- Lake at George Bush Park

It's great to be a Labrador Retriever!
People throw the ball into the lake and the Lab swims out to retrieve it.
Playing in the water is fun too.
Retrieving along side the lake is good.
Eventually the Lab needs to sit in the grass and catch her breath.

There is a great park not too far from my house called George Bush Park.  I knew it was there, I'd been to parts of it, and the dog park we go to (Millie Bush Bark Park) in within George Bush Park.  But I'd never been to this part of the park until recently.  You can't see this from the road, so I had no idea what a nice place it is.  There are lakes, trails, woods.  It's amazing to think that this kind of place is right next to the city.  It's a great place to take a pup.  So Lucy has enjoyed a few visits there recently.  She sure seems to enjoy it!

ISE7 Scarf Received

What a nice surprise!  I was outside photographing my smoke ring when I realized the mailman had left a package at my front door.  It was from my scarf pal, Val from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  She knit this beautiful Wabenschal (Ravelry link) scarf in Noro Kureyon sock yarn for me.

I love the colors!
Val also sent me a big dark chocolate heart, some chai, and her favorite spice blend.  Thank you so much for a great scarf exchange package, Val!

Finished Smoke Ring

I finished the smoke ring last week and blocked it yesterday.  Blocking does wonders, doesn't it?  I think it's a really elegant stitch pattern but a somewhat wild-colored yarn.  I bought the yarn while on vacation last summer with no purpose in mind.  When I realized this pattern called for this yarn (Mountain Colors Bearfoot), I decided it was a good way to stash-bust.

I'm pretty happy with it.  
I can see myself wearing this next winter to keep my neck warm.
I showed my boyfriend how this has dual purposes.  It can also be pulled over my head to keep it warm.  He told me it looked like "one of those Middle Eastern things, a hoobah."  I don't believe that is a word, but I knew what he was trying to say.  Men!  I guess if I ever need to go to Saudi during one of their rare cold spells, I am ready!