Off to France

Just a quick post to say we're off to France today - back mid July. I shan't post in France but I'll try to make up when I'm home.....

More Felting Projects

Well.....  now I've attached the handles to the creamy yellow bag and I'm quite pleased with the result.

My next felted bag project is well underway.
I've finished the knitting and I'll pop it into the washing machine tomorrow. This bag is octagonal and has an attached icord round 7 sides.

It looks more like a circle than an octagon in the photo so it will be interesting to see how it turns out after the felting. I'm also concerned about the top because it rolls down - would it have been better to have a few rows moss stitch before casting off?

This bag is from Alice Underwood and Sue Parker's book "Felted Bags".

Today I had a girlie day with my friend Sandi. We visited a lovely little shop and I bought some goodies....

This blackboard for the kitchen, and a picture that I'll put by for my daughter. She's in the early weeks of pregnancy so I shall keep it until she's a bit further along.

I think this will look lovely in the baby's room..... hope she lokes it!!!!!!!!!!

A Hot Saturday

Goodness it's been so hot today!!! Too hot for anything too heavy this afternoon - well that was my excuse!!!

On the positive side I managed to felt a bag I knitted from Bev Beattie's book "Knit and Felt Bags".I used Bev's felting wool - one strand of buttermilk and one of ecru. The bag is knitted on 8mm and 10mm circular  needles, so it knits up really quickly.

As Bev says in her book, before felting, the bag is very much the ugly duckling -

 - but then in the washing machine the magic happens. I used the 40 degree cotton wash programme and I'm really pleased with the result. My ugly duckling is on its way to becoming my swan!!

I have stuffed the bag with towels and need to wait until it dries and then I shall attach the handle and think about embellishing it. Bev recommends attaching embellishments and handles before felting but my confidence isn't that high yet. Maybe next time.....

The other thing I have finished is a birthday present for a friend.

I hope he will hang it on his shed - it doubles as a store for all the bits for his garden railway!