Dog Days of Summer

It's going to be a hot one here this weekend, up into the lower 90s, which is going to be really hot compared to how the rest of the summer has been. I'm going out of town for the weekend to the lake again. Yay! I just might have to jump in the water . . . and get my feet wet! I can't wait! Craft store, quilt shops, gift shops, a lake, good company, restaurants, campfires. I'm going with my sister and my daughter. A girls' weekend! Should be lots of fun.

I'm taking a sock to work on. I'm doing a Knit-Along in a Ravelry group. The Summer Lovin Sock. Here's what I have done so far.

I hope I can get that one finished and start the second one while I'm gone. I'm using Knit Picks Gloss. It's working up beautifully.

I've also been working on a little shawl, but put it aside for a while to work on the sock. The yarn is so soft and luscious to knit with. I'm loving it!

So far, so good. I'm not a big fan of knitting with large needles, so it has to take a break for a while. That's a wool, silk, cotton blend on size 13 needles.

I made this little purse last week with a pattern I got at a quilt shop on my last trip out of town. Such a handy little thing to take shopping or when you don't feel like lugging around a full sized purse.

That's my prototype. A few mistakes in it. But I know what I did wrong and will know what to do next time. I still love it!

Whenever I get back from shopping trips and put the craft bags down my cat Shadow just HAS to investigate. Maybe she wants to do crafts too.

Gotta keep bags away from that one. She'll eat them.

Well, I'm off to pack. Have a great weekend!

Summer begins later today

I finally got back to the sewing machine and finished my daughter's purse last night. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and she loves it! I made a few mistakes along the way and I did learn from them. Next time I'll know what not to do. Here is the finished project:

And a peek at the inside:

I just love the fabric. The lining is a really cute calico and the outside is a broadcloth. Now onto the next sewing project! Hopefully I can get to the laptop case over the weekend.

I was sitting outside knitting in the back yard last night and noticed some dark clouds to the north. Someone was getting rain, but not where I was, it was sunny. I looked back up and saw a rainbow! Then I noticed it was a double rainbow! It's had to see the second one in the picture (it's on the left, very faint), but it was there and really awesome to see.

My First Bag

I finally finished the bag I was making. I like how it turned out! Making a bag was a lot more work than I thought it would be, but it was fun, it challenged me, and I will definitely make another one some day.

Here is an overhead view:

And here is the inside. You can see the inside has a pocket also. There are four pockets on the outside too. Lots of room for stuff!

I used Butterick pattern B4532, View D. I made it with a cotton calico I bought at Joann, the lining is calico too. I also used magnetic snaps on it. I made the straps longer than the pattern called for and I sewed a button on the front instead of making a bow with ribbon. It's bigger than a purse I would normally use for everyday, but I will still use it. I can carry around a small knitting project in there if I want to. And maybe my lunch.

On the knitting needles I have a shawl that I started for my Mom for Mothers Day. I don't have much done yet. More on that next time.