Angel for a Day

I've received so many wonderful, creative, generous swap packages over the last few years.... when I heard an angel was needed for The Big Bag Swap & KAL I figured I'd help out. When I found out it was Brenda who needed an angel, it seemed so appropriate that I would be doing this for her. See, Brenda has been my "spoiler" for two knitting swaps (one of which was The Big Bag).

This angel project was a bit bigger than a normal swap. That's because, in addition the normal goodies in the package, you needed to knit and then felt a large bag. A bit of work! But I love making bags, so it was lots of fun as well.

I wanted to make this as quickly as possible because I knew she'd already been waiting several months for her package. So I bought some brightly colored (her choice) yarn and JoAnn's and started knitting. The bag took a little over a week to complete -- drying it after felting took the longest in this humid summer weather.

In addition to the bag, I tucked a bunch of goodies that she specifically requested into the bag. I hope you enjoy it all Brenda!

Big-Bag-in-the-Mail

Crossposted on winemakerssister and The Big Bag Swap/KAL.

So, is Brenda tired of me yet?

I'm certainly not tired of being "spoiled" by her!

For the second time this year, my name was assigned to Brenda for a swap. Aren't I lucky? First she sent me a box filled with goodies (including an adorable crocheted Cookie Monster) for the Hot Cocoa Swap. Today I received another box -- this time filled with a gorgeous Big Bag and more goodies.

The bag is knitted (and felted) in all sorts of shades of blue. Inside there's lots of tea, dark chocolate cocoa, a cute yellow mug, flowers, mini-Sharpies, and some wonderful yarn. The yarn feels lush.... two skeins of Elite Alpaca, a lovely "wasabi" colored blend of wool and silk, and a cute little variegated skein of cotton for dishcloths.

Thanks so much, Brenda...... again!

The Big Bag

I got word from my "spoilee" that she received my package for The Big Bag KAL & swap. So now I can post about it and not spoil any surprises!

I had a lot of fun with this bag. Of course, it's right up my alley -- a bag that's felted. One of my favorite things to knit.

The only problem I ran into was running out of yarn. I ran out of 3 out of the 4 yarns. I'm a loose knitter, and I'm sure that's part of it. But the yarn I used (Cascade 220) has 20 yards more per skein than the yarn in the pattern. So you'd think they'd even each other out.

Anyway, I was so low on the 3rd color (lime green) that I ended up adding a 5th color (yellow) so the bag would be tall enough. I think it worked out fine, but I'm glad I happened to have a color in my stash that looked good with the others.

My "spoilee" gave me lots of leeway with the color choices. She just said that she likes bright colors. I looked at her Ravelry profile and found that she had knitted with a lot of blue, so I decided to use blue as the base color. And... of course.... I love lime, navy, and aqua together!

One of the nice things about the pattern is that it narrows at the top a bit. This seems to take care of the problem with so many felted bags -- the top felts wider than the rest of the bag.

Time for a Hint

Crossposted in winemakerssister and The Big Bag Knitalong & Swap.

I'm currently participating in The Big Bag Knitalong & Swap. All the participants are making a felted bag -- the pattern is by Maia Discoe and is available for free through Ravelry.

This is my first knitalong (KAL). The idea is to chat with the other participants and compare notes as you knit with the same pattern. But because it's also a swap (you'll eventually send your bag to the person you're spoiling in the swap), you sort of want to keep some things a secret...

So this is my first hint. The bag is made up of seemingly random stripes in four colors. Here are the first two.

It should be very interesting to see how everyone interpreted the pattern and their partner's favorite colors.

Questionnaire: The Big Bag KAL & Swap

My answers for The Big Bag KAL & Swap questionnaire:

Do you knit, crochet, or do both? For how long?
I knit (barely crochet enough to finish knitting projects). I taught myself to knit as a little girl, but only did a little knitting then. I started back up when Tommy was a baby (18 years ago), but really started with a passion about 5 or 6 years ago.

What other crafts do you do, if any?
Lots. I like to think of it as having a lot of interests... rather than being easily distracted. :) Take a look at my Flickr pages for examples. My other art/craft interests include charms and other jewelry, lots of paper arts, sewing....

What are your favorite colors?
I love lots of greens - chartreuse, sage, teal, evergreen - although I'm not a fan of Kelly green. I love red, dark red, and burgundy. I like lots of blues - periwinkle, Swedish blue, cobalt. I also love fresh combinations of colors like lime and bright blue or aqua, aqua and red, chocolate and cream/pink/blue/aqua, citrus colors....

Colors you loathe?
I really don't "loathe" any colors. My least favorite are muddy yellows and Kelly green. I'm not a huge pink fan, but it's fine in combination with other colors. And I'm not particularly crazy about pastels.

Favorite yarn brands?
I tend to use standard things like Lamb's Pride, Cascade 220, etc because they fit with a lot of the projects I do. I also like working with most Mission Falls yarns -- their colors are nicely sophisticated. I lust after the soft, luscious decadent stuff like alpaca, silk, and cashmere.

Fiber types? Yarn you can't stand?
I actively dislike eyelash yarn and other similar novelty yarns. I'm not a fan of acrylics and other synthetics. I'm not even particularly fond of natural/synthetic blends. I'm soooo much happier with natural fibers.

What is your favorite type of item to knit/crochet?
Bags. I also like hats, scarves, and an occasional sweater. I love felting.

What kind of needles do you like? (i.e. circular, straight, metal, bamboo, etc.)
I mostly use circulars. My favorite materials are casein (and the vintage mock tortoiseshell ones that are similar), bamboo, and wood.

Any knitting tools you lack but crave?
I got a winder for Christmas.... yay! I'm lusting after Knit Picks' Harmony circular set, but it's way too expensive for swapping. I'll put it on my birthday list.

Honestly, I'm pretty well set for knitting tools, but always like recommendations from other knitters.

Patterns you've been dying to get but haven't yet?
The Lucy Bag from Two Old Bags. Nothing else that I can think of at this moment. I love knitting books, but have quite a few...

Do you drink coffee, tea, cocoa? Flavors you love/hate?
All. I tend to drink decaf coffee -- caffeine seems to bother me. I don't really like chai tea or other sweet drinks (that doesn't include good hot chocolate).

Favorite sweets & snacks?
Dark chocolate or other good chocolate (not white! it's not chocolate!). Can be plain or with goodies mixed in like nuts, dried fruits, and other flavors. I also love maple.

Any pets, kids, spouses? Spouses that act like pets or kids? (j/k)
A Golden Retriever named Winston, 4 cats, a teenaged boy, and a husband.

Favorite things to knit/crochet for the above, if applicable?
I'm trying to finish a hat for the boy but am finding it boring. He also wants a "Mrs. Weasley" sweater... we'll see. :) He's very picky but would probably also like some fingerless gloves. Winston loves the cold and wouldn't appreciate a sweater. I have knitted a few catnip toys for the kittehs.

What kinds of books do you like to read? Favorite authors or genres?
Mysteries. I also like recommendations from others.

Do you collect anything? (besides yarn! LOL!)
Depression-era kitchen ware (Fiestaware, Hall china, cotton tablecloths, bakelite silverware, that sort of thing), Atomic era (1950s) barkcloth and china, cookbooks, fabric.

What, if any, are your non-craft related hobbies?
Gardening, cooking.

Scents you adore? Scents that make you gag?
My very favorite is green tea. I like clean, fresh scents. Very clear florals. Citrus. I'm less interested in heavily perfumed scents.

What is your idea of a relaxing time?
Knitting, watching movies, reading, gardening, art/crafts.

Oh yeah, are you on Ravelry and if so, care to share your Ravelry ID?
Yes. Winemakerssister.

The Big Bag Knitalong & Swap

What a fun idea -- a combination knitalong (KAL) and swap!

This knitalong is based on a free ravelry pattern, The Big Bag. It's a key-hole felted tote bag, perfect for a knitting project. The group is currently open -- sign-ups end March 7.

Once you receive your partner, you can start knitting. Of course, you want to make a bag in the colors your partner will love. And, of course, I signed up....