Waiting for Spring

Last week was cold and dreary and I started to feel the wear of winter on my enthusiasm. But things brightened on the weekend with the animals of spring all present on Saturday - robins, bald eagles, and prairie dogs. There is hope for warmer weather!

I have picked up speed on my new found hobby - knitting. I went to the local thrift store on Friday and rummaged through four baskets of yarn, jamming my re-useable shopping bag full for only $12. And because I dug through the treasures in those baskets, I only bought actual wool from sheep and alpaca as well as cotton yarn.

Here's the project I'm currently working on...

I spent all morning (and part of the afternoon) turning the above into a beautiful handbag! It was an experiment in many ways, but turned out beautifully. The handles were also from the Thrift Store, 12 bundled together for $1.50!

I sewed the side seams together and the handles to the body of the bag with thread first so I would keep the placement where I wanted it to be.

Here is the finished bag, pre-wash for felting. I finished the handle and side seams with the remaining yarn. What looks like purple here is actually a nice brown.

The finished felted bag - notice how much less of the handle is covered by the yarn! Also, the wool is still drying, so I have stuffed it with a plastic pencil box to form the shape it will take.

I have a sense of accomplishment after finishing this project, but have not paid any attention to the house yet today - YIKES! Time to do some dishes and whip up dinner!

What do you think? What would you knit/make/want as a gift? Ideas? Thoughts?