In Sleep He Sang to Me...

It's done. Let me say that again: it's done. My Phantom of the Opera bag is done. I love it just as I knew I would, and I keep turning around to look at it, propped up in a corner of my room. It's been laying on my floor for the past two days, and now it's dry. Here, let me show it to you:

Isn't it marvelous? :) I'm very, very happy with it, though I was surprised at how fast it felted- a mere 15 minutes in the washing machine and I was a little afraid that I felted it too much. But it's good!

This is it before felting (and that purple thing next to it is a 12 inch ruler, for scale):

And this is the mask and rose after felting (one side felted better than the other. Oh well.):

And here is the bag after felting (the blue-green thing is another 12 inch ruler- I managed to misplace the other one in the two days that the bag was drying):

And now, to celebrate the completion of my Phantom of the Opera bag, I present to you the chart of the Phantom's mask!

I hope you enjoy knitting this chart as much as I did. :)

Now I'm working on the Swing Sweater from the fall 2010 issue of KnitSimple magazine using Bernat Softee Chunky yarn in Terra Cotta Mist. I finished the back of the sweater today and started the front, so it shouldn't be too long before it's done. :)

Until next time, happy knitting! :)

It's Coming Along...

My Phantom bag is coming along. The rounds can feel a bit long, but I'm nearly there! I just have to do a few more rounds, and then the straps, and then a little bit of I-cord edging, and then I have to felt it! (I realize that this doesn't sound like I'm almost there, but I am. Trust me.)

Here's a close-up of the rose:

And a close-up of the mask  (that I designed myself!):

I'm working at it diligently, and I know I'll love the bag when I'm done. I just have to finish it first. :)

Until next time, happy knitting! :)

Totoro, Totoro

I finished my second mitten! It's just as awesome and warm as the first.

I almost can't wait for it to get cold so I can wear them. Almost. :) Since I finished these, I'm going to give my Phantom Bag another try.

Until next time, happy knitting! :)

Totoro

I finished one Totoro mitten! It's really thick and warm and soft. And Totoro is so cute!

Stranded knitting is really cool (and not as complicated as I thought it would be), and I'm really excited to start the other mitten!

Happy knitting!

Startitis

Startitis is a knitting affliction where the knitter has a powerful urge to start a new project (or six) even though they already have several projects going. Most people are struck with startitis in the spring, when the snow melts and the world becomes bright and green again. Apparently, I'm not one of those people. I have startits now. I've had it since school got out six weeks ago. The bag I'm knitting with Phantom of the Opera on it? There is nothing wrong with that bag; it's soft and very pretty and I designed the chart for the mask myself, and yet I don't want to knit it anymore. I'm not saying that I never want to finish it- I just don't want to finish it now. I'd rather be knitting something else, and I feel bad. However, I have come to a conclusion: There is no knitting police that will come and get me because I didn't finish the bag (and I still haven't re-started the vampire socks- but the knitting police still aren't coming). Knitting is supposed to be fun, and if doing yet another round of 264 stitches of double-knitting makes me want to tear my hair out unhappy, then I shouldn't do it, right? At least not now.
Here's what I've been obsessed with for the past few weeks: Norwegian Totoro Mittens. In case you're asking, "What's a Totoro?" the mittens are based on a Japanese animated movie called "My Neighbor Totoro" that was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Totoros are shy forest spirits. It's a very cute movie, so if you haven't seen it, I recommend that you do.
Since the knitting police still aren't knocking at the door, I'm going to go start those mittens.

Happy knitting!