Finally a finished project--- Lambe!

How cute is this bag? I'm telling you, it is darling, and I am pretty dipdog excited to have a finished project. I would much rather it be "Twilight" the errant socks, but I'll take this and be happy! Lambe was a great little project, and fast, which is a good thing. Thanks Berroco!

I actually like this photo almost better because you can see my dogs' reflection in the glass of the garage at the back of the lot where this photo was taken. Lambe is hanging on my Moon Trellis, covered to the top with ready to bloom mini clematis. The dogs want to know why we have to go back in the house and get some work done. Why can't we stay out and play??? HUH HUH? No matter that it is a work from home day, it should be a gonna be 80 degrees outside play day!

One of the modifications I made to Lambe was to line it. I do love a lined purse and it seems to do a very good job of stabilizing the knitted fabric and keep it in the shape I blocked it. Very curvy---- what a great waist! The lining fabric is an old feedsack from stash. I loved the red and taupe retro print, there is a dash of a turquoise as well that makes a very pretty interior. One side has a nice deep pocket for 'stuff'.

Instead of the handles with the attached bar that were called for in the pattern, I knit a few more rows on the top of the bag so that I could enclose a skinny dowel cut to the proper length. Using a tapestry needle I securely stitched up a casing and slid the dowel in both sides, stitching the ends closed on all 4 sides of the bag.

The handle is made from braided yarn on my cord maker. It turned out great and I can't wait to use this particular gadget with some other materials! It is heftier and more complex that a knit or crocheted cord and it has more style than a simple I-Cord, although that would work too.

Now, the bow. I alluded to the fact in my last post that I had to insert a design element on the front of the bag, a cute red bow. This happened because I am a big old dork and made an error on the big wide cable pattern. Because I am not savvy enough to know how to go back and fix it, something needed to be done. I thought of the bow, and actually, after it is all said and done I really, really love it! The bow is a simple piece of garter on an 11 needle so it is not too stiff, the center piece is about 8 stitches worked in stockinette until it was long enough to cinch up the bow and make it look good. I then tacked down the bow and the center piece to the purse.

On a quick aside, this does bring up a conversation we had last Sunday in knit group. If you could have a little gathering of friends with a nice skill set, and you all offered just little mini classes in something you find lacking in your own know-how, what would your request be? As apparent, I would love to learn how to go back and re-do a cable pattern that has been fluffed. I can ladder down and knit (or purl, or even pattern) up a misplaced knit stitch, but a cable pattern? Forget it. I'd also love to see lots of different cast on's. I'm telling you, we're going to have to do a get together like that someday soon!

Anyway, Lambe is finished and I do really like it. I have some natural 'fisheman' style yarn that I want to use for another bag, and don't know if I will cast on for another Lambe, or something else.


And from the back flower bed, where the Moon Trellis lives, comes a solo mini clematis blossom. There is always one that wants to be the first show-off, the over achiever as it was! She is spectacularly pretty, I can't wait for the entire trellis to be full of these lovely white blossoms!