The Irish Cables Bag is all knitted and seamed. I sewed a lining for it and, after a bit of trial and error, it is ready to be stitched into the bag. I'm not great at linings. In my efforts not to make them too small, in the past, I've made them a little too big. I need them, though, because I tend to haul around way too much sh --...uh, cr--... uh, important stuff.

My embroidery efforts on the Fish Bag aren't really wowing anybody, either. I don't mind, though: it is good practice for the Future Day when I finally make the Indian Floral Vest. I did get the eyes on Just Right. Pat myself on the back.

Rob tells me my yarn will be here tomorrow or the next day. Gotta' get that lining in tonight. My next bag is a Booga Bag! (My husband will be tickled. He's pretty blase about my knitting but the felting impresses him like all get out.)

Okay, so the correct name is Monk's Travel Satchel. Which explains why I couldn't find last night the link to the free PDF download of this pattern that I knew Interweave Press had graciously put on-line as advertisment for MY FAVORITE BOOK EVER. I don't know why I had Missionary on the brain. Too much Eurythmics as a kid, perhaps.

Ram Wools called today to tell me they were waiting on Teal and wouldn't be able to send my Camel Bag Raw Materials for two weeks. Bummer, but I appreciate them calling me.

Getting lots done on the Silk Garden Cardy. Second sleeve may be done by bedtime tonight!

With so many Knit Bloggers on yarn diets, I felt I had a duty to Step Up For The Economy.

Yesterday I ordered the Mission Falls 1824 for the Folk Bags Camel Bag. I didn't want to substitute for this yarn, because I wanted the exact colors and I LOVE the weight and sheen of 1824. With that I also purchased the Paton's Street Smart booklet. Then, from Matt and Rob I did order some Folk Bags-sub-yarn: Cascade Sierra to take the place of the Cotton Fleece for the Missionary's Bag. PLUS, Kureyon for a Booga Bag and a little more Kureyon just for fun.

You may recall I have yarn in my stash for what I thought would be my next bag, the Irish Creel. My swatch worked up perfectly, but the pattern is written in a very tight gauge and a tricky pattern stitch. NOT the thing for my arms to try right after the Irish Cables. So, it will be Camel Bag and Missionary Bag next, in whatever order the yarn arrives.

I must say, very good episode of Andromeda this week. Dramatic and unusually coherent. That makes two of the last five episodes that actually made a lick of sense. Although, two more of the last five eps were interesting to watch (the two-part Take Tyr Into the Abyss and Drop Him Down In) because I was truly wondering whether Beka was going to betray Captain Hunt and join Tyr or if it was just a setup. Both ideas seemed equally possible. That is good character development, whatever the show lacks in Plausible Plotting.

When I downloaded October’s Andromeda Wallpaper, I noticed Rhade was in the pic with the regular cast. It looks like he is going to be our full-time Nietzchean now that Tyr is in a pit. I had hopes when Buffy ended that Andromeda could find a permanent spot for James Marsters’ Charlemagne Bolivar. I’m sure Angel probably pays better, but, really, does he get to wear red leather jumpsuits?

I'm glad I had this day today. If it had happened earlier in the year, my performance might have been forgotten when it came time to hand out the Dumbass of 2003 awards.

I woke up this morning and found both my arms were still asleep. It seemed past time to lay aside the Irish Cables and resume the Silk Garden Cardy, but then I thought about how I needed to dig out eyes for the Fish Bag and lining material for the Irish Cables bag. In the sewing room, I found neither mother of pearl buttons, or appropriate material, but I did find my serger.

I’ve had the serger for a while. I bought it on clearance because it was a good price and I’d always wanted one. Then I was so intimidated by it, that I had never touched it until today. After about three hours, I was ready to throw it out the window. I had read both manuals and watched the video and tried fifty million times, but the stitch tension was insanely loose no matter what I did. I re-threaded the machine, adjusted everything, tried everything the manual said and then, when one of the threads finally broke because its tension knob was turned up so high, I finally realized I had had the PRESSER FOOT UP THE WHOLE TIME.

Of course, now it works perfectly. But both the manual and the video had rhapsodized about how you don’t have to raise the presser foot before you feed in the material, so I had never even touched it. What shall I wear to the Dumbass of the Year Awards?

Before I began the Serger Saga, I spent a little time with some scrap yarn and smooth needles, experimenting with different styles of knitting. I know I have trouble with my arms and wrists sometimes because I knit so tight. When I was learning, I could never get the hand of threading the feed yarn through my fingers. Thus, I have always “fisted the yarn,” as Sally Melville calls it in The Knit Stitch. Consequently, I pull the yarn really firmly around the needle. Actually, if I didn’t run around hopped-up on caffeine all the time, that would probably help.

Irish Cables felt a bit tame today so, while I worked, I cruised around Allegro Yarns' Dale Kits. How cool is Jubileum? Kastanje is something I definitely see myself wearing, though. I thought I loved the silver colorway till I saw the MAGENTA. Is it wrong that I've only become insane for pink since I entered my thirties?

I hate bobbles.

I was trying to remember this morning on what project I had bobbled before. Eventually it came to me that it was the Sweater On Your Head Hat. (AWESOME hat.) It pained me to keep turning the work around and around to knit and purl on just a few stitches. As I was remembering that, it occurred to me I had seen an article that might help me with my Irish Cables Folk Bag Bobble Trim problem. A few key words typed into Google (much quicker than looking through all my magazine indexes) and I was there -- Vogue IK Winter 2002 and Shirley Paden's article on "knitting backwards." (Have I mentioned lately how much I love Shirley Paden?)

It worked! Instead of turning my bobbles and purling back, I reverse knitted them from left to right and it was a beautiful thing. The article even included instructions for doing a P2tog and P2togtbl from the front side. I had a bit of a hard time getting the hang of reverse P2togtbl, and, truly, my first couple bobbles were very awkwardly executed. By Bobble Seven, though, I was sailing.

Hooray!

I USED to hate bobbles.

Felted fish are the BEST. (Although I do like Tilapia.) My cords came out fine and my fish is all felted and lovely. Took three runs through the wash, although the third run I used the Heavy Duty setting, which I probably should have done first. I'm trying to decide now what to use for the embroidery. I am NOT spending $50 on four skeins of Provence for a few yards of cotton as directed by the pattern. I think using a full strand of DMC thread might do the trick.

Making very good progress on the Silk Garden Cardy. Back is almost done. When it is, my next thing will be ripping out the first sleeve to fix my stripe pattern mistake. It's bugging me even more since I did a near-perfect job matching the stripes on the back.

Went ahead and started the Irish Cables bag with my freshly washed Dover yarn. Halfway done with the front. Cables have been a little hard on my hands and wrists with this project. I'm going to check my needles and see I have metal set in the size I'm using.

You may have realized by now that the pic of the Fish Bag is on page 41 of the recent Patternworks circular, not 42. You can see it there or you can see it here. My fish turned out a little different: the tail is WAY longer. I wondered if I misread the directions, but if I did, I did it twice. I read them line by line exactly for both front and back.

Got the Patternworks Holiday Catalog Supplement in the mail yesterday. If you got one too, check it out! There's my fish bag on page 42 next to the Folk Bags book. That's not MY fish, of course, because mine is not felted yet. I'm starting to fear it never will be.

I'm having a terrible time with the straps. The patterns calls for twisted cord straps. No problem, except that it directs one to thread the strand through the body of the fish before twisting, placing the fish at the halfway point. Thus, when the twist "breaks" and begins to twist on itself the fish is in position at the bottom of the cord. The problem becomes the weight and the fuzz of the wool of the fish. It provides enough resistance that the strands won't twist and break like they are supposed to do. And the strands ends are supposed to be at the opposite end of the fish because they are incorporated into the strap design when finished, so I couldn't simply put the fish at the other end. I finished the longest one finally but it is Very Aggravating.

On a more positive note, click HERE to gaze upon the gorgeousness of Ann's Clock Vest. (Hi, Ann!)

The power was off here on Green Acres last night so, not only was I unable to post, I couldn't read My Favorite Blogs, either. I walked around in a daze. "What do I do without the internet?" I think I must be very spoiled. And foolish -- one of the bylines of a Rural Electric Cooperative is you don't really get to take your power for granted. Especially when it is WINDY. (Or stormy, or snowy, or icy....)

I did knit, and my husband read, by the light of the camp lantern (which really illuminated the kitchen.) I'm onto the back of the Silk Garden Cardy -- more details on this interesting back later. As I moved through the third ball of yarn (no knot yet, one each for the first two balls) I realized that I had made a misjudgment on the sleeve. Somehow I missed that there are TWO pinks in this colorway. I ended the first ball after a dark pink stripe and started the new ball after the light pink stripe. They both fade into green -- one sort of emerald and one sort of bright green.

HOWEVER, I was concerned about the sleeve stripes. This color pattern extends three-fourths of the way along the length of the sleeve. I was afraid I was going to end up with the second sleeve exactly the same, except three stripes off, which to me would look like a mistake. I was trying to figure how to get a more "random" look.

Why are the photos of this sweater Artistically Blurry in the pattern book? Do they realize this is not helpful? I want see the colors on the sample and I want to see them Really Well. I also can’t tell if their yarn is as “slubby” as mine. (I like the slubs -- they really say Silk to me, but I was curious.)

Lots of good knitting this weekend. I covered the Clock Vest and put it in the closet to "marinade" a little while, Bonne Marie style. Sewed the hooks and eyes in the Ruffley Cardy and tried it on. Looks very good, except the body-skimming top I started four months ago now has about two inches of ease. Definitely a second-layer sweater -- which is good because it is COLD again. I’m going to wear it tomorrow.

I started something new -- the gorgeous side-to-side cardigan on the cover of the Bliss Noro Book. I am enjoying silk and mohair and spot-on gauge, because I am using the yarn the pattern was written for: Noro Silk Garden. Different colorway than the sample, though. Mine is #45: sort of "Springy" colors heavy on the pink and lilac and sky blue. Silk Garden is a Knitting Sensation. I’m pleased that I’m going to have a decent bit left. I bought enough (in May) for the 38” size -- nine balls plus one for safety -- and I’m making the 36” which calls for eight balls. I should have most of two left. I think I’ll make myself a little tam with the remnants.

Also, I’m almost done with the knitting part of my felted fish bag. One side complete and the second side complete up to the tail. Problem, though: every time I glance at the pattern and see the word “tailfin” that Nelly song about “shake your tailfeather” pops into my head and WILL NOT LEAVE. Interesting note about Nelly: I watched a bio show about him the other day (VH1 maybe) and they were talking about how the hip-hop establishment was suspicious of him because he wasn’t “urban.” He came from a “small town in the Midwest.” I was intrigued until it was later revealed the said town was ST. LOUIS. I admit it ain't L.A., but the Small Town in the Midwest I live six miles OUTSIDE OF contains, by the count of the last census, 1,580 people.

Here's a sad fact: I have completely lost interest in the Clock Vest.

The Ruffley Cardy is all done but the sewing on of hooks and eyes, and I promised myself I would finish the Clock Vest before I started something new. I picked it up last night thinking a few rows would restore my forward momentum on this project and I Faced The Truth At Last.

I really don't care if I finish it. Ever. I started this vest because I fell in love with the back. The cabled pattern was so gorgeous I just wanted it. I wanted it BAD. And then, after I knit the back (and I loved knitting it), I just didn't care anymore. Plus, the fabric is a little stiff. And this garment is really not my style. I cannot imagine wearing it. It all feels like becoming infatuated with someone useless just because he or she is beautiful. Inevitably the day comes when you say, "What the hell am I doing with this person?"

So, here’s the question: is there anything in this relationship to salvage?

A sudden hitch in my Folk Bags getalong: the yarn I dug up for the Irish Cables needs WASHED before I can use it. Dust was flying as I balled it up and before I even had enough swatch to measure I was sneezing my head off. The yarn is lovely: Classic Elite Devon, 90/10 Wool/Silk in deep, tweedy brown. It came to my stash by way of a friend's stash and I think she bought it from a clearance bin sometime long past. Plus, I think sometimes certain yarns are just a little "dusty" anyway. Good progress was made with the red fish, however. For that I'm using WoolPak remnants which are a little lighter weight than the yarn specified the pattern. I think for this bag even if it comes out a little small it will be okay, though, because it won't really be an everyday bag -- more of a special occasion thing. Or I could hang it on the wall! Several times while reading Folk Bags, the author mentioned bags that were used primarily as household containers. They were hung up inside tents and huts.

I watched The Truth About Charlie last night. It was the Saturday Night Premiere on whichever movie channel it was on. I think, judged on its own merits, it's an okay movie, but I love the original, Charade, so much that the remake made me feel crabby. Also the pace was a little slow and I found myself thinking of other things. Like, has anyone ever seen Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon in the same room at the same time? I think they may actually be the same person. Maybe there is some kind of Superhero/Alternate Ego thing going on (although which of them is the Superhero and which is the Alter Ego would be a good point for debate.) And if Thandie Newton is ever cast in a role where the producers need to hire someone to play her as a child, I think Kerrie's daughter Brooke would be an excellent choice.