finally!

see? this is what comes from spending way too much time surfing the net. i saw this poster on someone else's blog and had to have it. coincidentally, michael's was having a 50% special off custom framing (yipee!). i picked it up on friday night and hung it in the front hall on saturday morning. it looks awesome! i am so glad we went with custom framing.

and since this is a knitting blog: i made the felted clutch from one skein. i started it friday night i think and finished it sunday morning. i was going to make a bowl to felt as well but figured if the clutch was gonna dry in time for the guild meeting on tuesday that i'd better get it into the washer asap (which explains why i forgot to take a before picture).

the bag ain't much to look at but i do plan to jazz it up a bit with buttons, as the pattern suggests. it is cute though. i can see myself maybe using it. don't know when because at the moment whenever i go out there's usually a water bottle, some cheerios, a package of mum mums, at least two baby toys, my blackberry, wallet, keys, lip balm, a hat, sometimes a sweater, a knitting project, etc. i think i should have made the felted tote instead of the clutch. ah well, if i ever go out sans monkey, i'll be sure to use the clutch.

wool: patons classic merino in gray, double stranded.

needles: big fat ones. denise size 8 mm.

notes: it felted exactly to size. i find the handle openings a titch too small. next time i'd cast off 14 or 15 stitches instead of 11 or 12 (whatever the pattern calls for). i'd also knit two extra rows before binding off; i find the handle themselves a titch narrow. i do wonder how well the handles will hold up after i load the clutch with my wallet (which is admittedly huge), blackberry, keys, and lip balm. maybe the point of a clutch is to carry only the essentials. but uh, those are my bare essentials. maybe i need a smaller wallet.

when i was almost finished knitting i remembered that i have some fingering weight blue wool that my mom rescued from a thift store. if i ever make this clutch again (which is likely, it'd make a nice gift), i'd triple strand -- two patons stands, one blue strand. i think it'd give the bag a bit of dimension and subtle shimmer. i'm actually pretty curious to see how it turns out.

also on the felting front, we bought a front load washer & dryer yesterday. on one hand i'm all thrilled with the thought of appliances that are not older than me (and hence way more efficient, faster, better for the environment, easier on our water bill, i could go on...). but part of me is all aghast that i wont be able to felt in the washing machine. two hours, a bucket, a potato masher, and blisters do not sound fun. i'll just have to convince my mom that a little dish soap is not going to hurt her washer...