The Constant Companion is ready for action

I completed the Constant Companion felted bag from the Knitters Stash book. I learned some clever new techniques from this pattern. I am always amazed that people create this stuff.

The slots for the handle straps were made during the first bind-off I-cord. I bound off 3 stitches by slipping and passing over then continued the I-cord without binding off to make a length of I-cord that is the top of the slot. I then continued the I-cord with binding off. Here’s a picture of the slot before felting. Pretty cool, isn’t it? The loop and button closure was made in-line in the same manner. Here’s a picture before felting. The “button” is a length of I-cord tied in a knot.
And here are the after pictures. I felted the pieces in my kitchen sink last Sunday while Tropical Storm Fay dumped 20.1 inches of rain on my house in 2 ½ days.
The yarn is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Cobblestone Heather. The contrast color is Wine. I think I’ll get a lot of use out of this bag.

Add a binding to your books

Tropical storm Fay has us socked in. We have had 8" of rain since yesterday morning. And there's still a lot of storm to go. We lost power 3 times so far - just for short periods. We did have to light the hurricane candles. We are storm veterans so we know the drill.

On the knitting front, I did something I think is really cool. My friend K. told me about a tip Knit Picks' Kelley gave on one of her podcasts. The tip is to have a spiral binding put on a knitting book.

If you are knitting from the book, you can fold it in half and stand it up. Here's my Knitters Stash book after the spiral binding was put on. Kinkos charges about $4 per book. It really works well and I had several books bound.

Check the inside margins of the book to make sure there is enough white space to add a spiral binding. You can also ask the copy shop staff if the book is suitable for binding.

Well, I'm going back to knitting on the couch while the storm rages.

More stash

One of the local yarn shops in Tallahassee had a big sale last week and one of the yarns I snagged is Margarita by Plymouth Yarn. It's a 78% nylon 22% micro tactel blend (whatever that is). I was really attracked to the colors. The picture is a bit fuzzy but the colors are true.I knit a swatch to see how it would look with those little knubby things sticking out. As you can see, the nubs disappear when it's knitted up. The first few rows of the swatch are garter stitch. I switched to stockinette to see which I liked better. Stockinette won out. I'm going to make a sleeveless top - I think a very plain pattern will work best. The yarn will do all the work.

Felting a companion

I have started another project from the Knitters Stash book. I love this book. It is full of patterns from the owners of yarn shops around the country. The layout is lush, with great pictures and delightful narratives about the shops. Everytime I crack open this book I want to yell "ROAD TRIP", hop in the car, and visit every shop.
I am making the "My Constant Companion" from the My Yarn Shop in Coos Bay, OR. I can't wait to felt this bag and put a knitting project in it. I haven't felted in a while so I am itching to shrink some wool.
I am using my very favorite felting yarn, Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, in Cobblestone Heather. I will use Wine for the contrasting color on the pocket. I will also make an extra pocket to attach on the inside for extra organization.
The Rambling Rows afghan and Henry scarf (both Christmas gift knitting I am working on) will have to go in the back seat for now while I knit something for myself.