K1C2 vest/repositioned flowers on Noni pink bag

Below is a picture of a Knit 1 Crochet 2 vest using their Paintbox yarn. This yarn is very similar to Noro Kureyon. Great color variegation, while the wool itself is very scratchy. This is a quick, easy project to make, and the whole thing is made in one peace, with no seams. I completed this project while I was in Vegas for a couple of days for a friend's reunion with her girlfriends. While they got drunk, I was able to finish a vest. Being slightly perfectionistic, I tried to match the color variegation on the panels; for the most part, I was successful.

I have also repositioned the flowers on the Noni pink bag. I decided to put one flower on each side, and I think it looks better than it was before. I am really happy with this bag and it's going into the gift bag for the holidays.

Large round Noni lattice bag in variegated yarn

I decided to experiment with using variegated yarn for the round Noni lattice bag. I used Cascade 220 for the mc and bought some cheap variegated yarn off eBay from jojoland.com for the cc. I am very pleased with the results. Both yarns felted beautifully and effortlessly in the washer. I lined with duppioni silk in a gold/saffron color, also purchased rather cheaply off eBay. The lining really enlivens the bag because it picks up on the yellows in the variegated yarn. I altered the pattern slightly by adding a row of small contrast-color section towards the top before doing the last two cable sections. The handles are Crystal Palace's that I bought at our local LYS. I think this bag came out beautifully with the combination of yarn, lining and handles. This is also a holiday gift for a friend and I think she will like it very much.

Finished a Noni square lattice and projects in progess

Below are pictures of the square lattice bag from Noni patterns. A wonderful pattern to knit and great results to boot. I lined mine with orange dupioni silk that I got from fabricfreak at eBay. Gorgeous bag! Nota bene: There is a small error in the square lattice; please check Nora's website (nonipatterns.com) for the correction. Currently, I am knitting a prism bag (large pattern with orange and black yarns) and a circular lattice with variegated yarn as the contrast. We'll see how this last one will work because I chose a very muted pastel color scheme.

The finished square lattice.

The interior lining. I cut out pieces of the fabric, machine-sewed them together and hand-sewed the joined pieces to the bag using invisible thread.
Below are pictures of several projects that I am trying to finish before our annual vacation to Las Vegas in a couple weeks.

First is Annie Modesitt's wonderful circular sweater from the Fall 2005 issue of Vogue Knitting. I chose a muted Lorna's Laces shepherd's worsted in "Baltic Sea" and used Lily Chin's "Park Avenue" yarn as the contrast yarn. Almost done, with only the sleeves left to finish. I am half-way finished with one sleeve.

Larger view. I wish I could take better pictures but I am not a good photographer at all.

A closer view with details of the twisted herringbone twine in black. June Hiatt in "Principles of Knitting" offered a few cautionary words about using the herringbone twine over a large area because of all the twisting and untwisting.

This decorative twining is normally used in Scandinavian knitting for the edgings of small hats or mittens and this is the first time that I have seen it used over such a large pattern. Ms. Hiatt offered a trick for dealing with the twining over a large area; however, I was too chicken to try it!

The twining, tangling and untwisting make the knitting very unwieldy and challenging and it requires quite a bit of patience to knit this project. However, the results are stunning and definitely worth it. Plus, I love the fact that Ms. Modesitt dared to use the herringbone twine on such a large pattern (I ended up with close to 600 stitches at the end!). She is truly a knitting heretic!
Another project in progress is the Lily Chin mosaic stitch tunic from her new book "Expressions". This tunic is made using her new "Broadway" and "Central Park" yarns. The "Brodway" yarn is a variegated mohair that lends a stained glass effect to the back and front center panels. This tunic has a few "designery" touches such as the angled edging on either side of the panels and an elegant shoulder shaping technique. Again, my photography skills do not do justice to the project.