In the absence of much knitting I thought I would show my knitting bags, all but one bought from charity shops.
This is my favourite. The colours are brown and yellow, and the fabric a 1950s pattern. It may even be an original piece of 1950s fabric. The large design has been arranged very attractively so that the front and back are different. It is lined with a yellow plain cotton, except for one side that has a zig-zag embroidered owl on an off white cotton. I like the way it is placed inside the bag, and the mischievous look of the owl. To think that somebody has gone to all the effort of making this and then giving it away.
The same applies to the second bag. This is much more professionally made, probably from a pattern. The workmanship is perfect. I am fairly sure that the fabric is Rowan, all three of them, designed by Kaffe Fassett. These kind of murky colours appeal to me.
The third is a Gudrun Sjöden tote bag. There were several of these for sale last summer, so the charity had probably been given them because they were from last year's collection, 2012. I chose the one I liked best. I would like to wear Gudrun Sjöden clothes, but not only are they too expensive but they are made for people taller than me. Occasionally you see them in charity shops.
The fourth is a Cox and Cox toilet bag made in flower patterned green velvet. I like the design and the velvet makes it nice to the touch. Also, the lining is in the green cotton and not in plastic. This is my bus knitting bag. Fastening the zip makes it very secure.
The last one I have shown before, my felted basket. It sits on the floor next to the sofa for easy reach.
I have finished my friend's sweater, so I can go back to where I was at the end of June. The pile of blankets to be finished has reached five by now, and I have cast on for a cardigan for myself. It is normal for me to take three months to knit a sweater. It is strange in a way, because I can knit a blanket in six weeks - four is my record. It takes longer now, because I do less knitting than I used to. The problem with garments is that the thinking takes time, and I have learnt that a hasty decision is a bad decision. The books say that you should adjust patterns to your body measurements, and that involves a lot of decisions. The books also say that you should work out all the measurements before you start, after you have knitted your tension square. Well, I prefer to start knitting and making decisions as I go along. So when I hit a problem I may put the knitting away for two, three, five, ten days while I decide what to do next. This is what takes the time. With blankets I cast on and knit knit knit until it is long enough. So simple.
