Hmmm...

Today, I am going to take a look back at my so-called knitting progress over the past year.  (I wish the topic was how my stash has grown over the past year - by leaps and bounds - perhaps too much!  But that will be a blog post for another day!)

Last year at this time I was a Twitter and Ravelry newbie and I probably hadn't even thought about a blog yet.  I was just beginning to get interested in knitting again...I learned to knit from my grandmother when I was about 9 and have gone through knitting phases over the years...no previous knitting phase has been quite like this one though.  I attribute this lasting interest to Twitter and Ravelry.


@Voolenvine's Vinelle



So, about this time last year, I knitted Bella's Mittens, which were my first learn about it on Twitter and find it on Ravelry project.  Then, I knit @Voolenvine's sweater, Vinelle. 


Later came Ishbel, joined a sweater twitablong with @jbee42 and @cheekytart.  And met @knittingknoobie when I visited NYC last summer! 


Test Knit Granny Bomber Jacket
for @Sweatshopoflove










Then, I test knit a sweater with intarsia for @sweatshopoflove.

Irish Hiking Mittens Designed by Me!!

And I even designed a pair of mitts and a pair of mittens. I guess my knitting has progressed quite a bit since last year! Learned to knit lace and intarsia. I had never knit mittens before and here I was at the end of 2010 designing my own! And I am noticing that I am a bit of a binge knitter. Handbags knitted for holiday gifts in 2009 was followed up with hats for holiday gifts in 2010. Now, it's socks. Lots and lots of socks. For me, this kind of binge knitting gives me a chance to develop certain skills and see how different yarns work in similar patterns. Of course, that's not really why I binge knit...it's more like...Oh! This is fun! Let me knit another one! Hmmmm.....what's next? Any suggestions?



I'm so in Love...

with this handbag, that is. It's Namaste's Zuma and I love it!

My Namaste Zuma Bag

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not a Material Girl.  Expensive Handbags are not for me.  And this was a steal! If you follow my tweets (I'm iKnit2Purl2 on Twitter), you might have seen a tweet last Sunday mentioning a  50% Off Namste Sale by Little Knits .  What a deal!  I was so excited that I had to share it with everyone!

So what do I love about my new handbag? Well, first, I love the size...I have several large, not huge but large handbags, that get a little heavy and a little cumbersome.  Zuma is a little smaller at roughly 9" W by 11" H with a 17" Base.  And its lightweight which is perfect since I tote a knitting bag along with a handbag about half the time. Open it up and there's plenty of room for stuff.  Plus 2 zipper compartments on the outside.  I love this feature as I can stuff my keys and phone into one compartment for easy access.  It closes on top with three magnets.  Usually, I prefer zip tops but the 3 magnets (one of which snaps) seem to prevent the contents from falling out as I throw my purse in the backseat of the car or beside me on the passenger seat.  A regular occurence as I pick up and drop off kiddos at school and other activities.

I'm already thinking about which color Zuma to get for summer!