Bookgrump

I’ve really been enjoying my free time this summer.  (Sob!  It ends in two weeks… Can’t think about that…)

I spent some time this past week working on Adipose.  I knitted two of these babies. The first turned out a tad on the anemic side.  The other fit the specifications, so it’s on its way to the UK.

Have a happy life, little blobby guy!

Then I worked on a beach bag for my kiddo.  She’s going on a trip with her best friend in a couple weeks, and I wanted her to have a nice bag to carry things.  I dug through my stash and found some Cherry Tree Hill North Country Cotton that I bought at a Shabby Sheep sale a year or so ago.  The colors are brilliant and match my daughter’s favorite beach towel.  There are millions of string bag patterns out there, but I chose Jeri’s because… Well… She’s brilliant and a friend.

Based on the recommendation of another friend who made the bag, I went down a needle size.  I’m really glad that I did.   It closes the bag up a little more, which will be good for keeping the sunglasses in. I kinda goofed up on the handles (one is attached on the inside of the bag and the other is attached on the outside), but I don’t think that’s entirely noticeable.

The knitting was easy enough, but I ended up picking up an extra stitch someplace.  If the bag is fully expanded, it looks a little wonky, but not exactly bad.  I knitted the handle 10″, which turned out to be almost exactly right, I think.  (The weight stretches out the garter stitch quite a bit, so a longer handle would have resulted in the bag dragging the ground.)

Still, I’m pleased with how it turned out.  It’s big enough for a towel, suntan lotion, swim suit, and flip flops with a little room to spare. My daughter loves it too and can’t wait to be sporting it on the beach!