Again, it passed me by

The "blog-iversary," that is.  I've been writing this blog for six years now, off and on now, and it's been interesting to look back.  My blogging interests have changed, although my intellectual and handcraft interests have not.  For now, though, I need to stick to the knitting.  Or in this case, to the weaving.

Several years ago, I bought a back issue of Spin Off (Spring 1997?  I'll have to check on that).  One of the more intriguing articles was one on weaving a bag on a box.  This project has been sitting at the back of my mind ever since, and I've been saving good leftover yarns and yarn bits to use in making one.  On Saturday, I got out the stuff ...

and started the weaving.  For a long while I was stuck on whether the box was "the perfect one" for the project, but this weekend I just decided to use the best box on hand, warp it up, and get on with it.  If the bag turns out well and doesn't take the rest of my natural life to complete, I can always make another one.  So far, I've warped the sides and have warped some of the bottom.  It takes a while to warp the short sides because you have to stop and weave about 1/4" between warps across the bottom.  That's not so bad, but it's the passing of a bundle of warp thread under twelve threads already in place that's taking time.  I figure that if I do a little bit every day, by next weekend I might be in the way of having the bottom done and having to figure out what kind of design to put on the sides.



And then ...

Meanwhile, the next sock is on the needles, the Socks from Laramie (above) having been finished on Friday and instantly claimed by the Emperor.  I'm calling the new pair my "Riot of Spring" socks, because the colors are so spring-like and they're like a little riot -- and, it's a reference to Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring."

They're zooming right along -- that's about half a leg, there, on the needles already.  I can't keep this pace up, not because I've lost my position as the World's Slowest Knitter, but because until I get a job, I can't afford to buy self-striping sock yarn at the rate I'm knitting it up.  In case you're wondering, I've emptied my stash!  I can make a few more sweaters, and even a couple of lace projects, but there is no more sock yarn in the stash.  I never thought I'd see the day.