Ok…so this is my second project, or should I say rendezvous with Rowan’s Magazine # 42. I would almost like to say shame on me if I wasn’t boycotting guilt altogether. I started this shrug how long ago? Oh yeah, right before Christmas gifts. After making 12 hats, 4 pair of slippers, 3 pair of striped elf socks, 10 washcloths, and a big batch of lavender soap for the holidays I finally finished the shrug….for me! It lay on my bookshelf for weeks meeting all sorts of buttons….wooden, metal, glass. She just didn’t like any of them. I couldn’t wait to wear my first shrug, but I couldn’t rush the finishing touches. On the way back from Luminous Threads I stopped off at the local thrift shop to rummage as I love to do. I found a little plastic bag filled with beautiful old hair clasps waaaay down in the bottom of a huge box of shirts. BINGO! Now, my shrug was instantly adjustable. She was very cordial to her new clasp. I wasn’t about to tell her (her…made of pumpkin-colored Rowan Big Wool) that she had just been wed to a five cent hair barrette from a second hand shop. I’ll still get to wear my Alpine Shrug quite a few chilly nights here in the Santa Cruz Mountains before she’s tucked away with much care into a cedar chest for next winter and many winters to come.

So, as you know I was working on the Formal Boot Bag from the cover of Bag Style: 20 Inspirational Handbags, Totes, and Carry-alls to Knit and Crochet (Style series). I AM FINISHED!

I took and old belt I scored at the local thrift store and cut out the woven part to use for a short handle. I extended the top sides of the bag double the stitch number it called for to make sure I had enough room to attach the belt. I drilled holes in each end of the belt (getting pretty good with power tools) and stitched it on to the sides. The bobble panel was left open at the top for easy access storage…cell phone, keys, lip smoothie. The chunky wooden buttons have been waiting ten years for this bag. It’s sturdy and beautiful ….her pattern deserves 4 stars (and the cover of the most tempting knitting book in my collection)!!!

If you read the Charmed Knits post then you already know that I l-o-v-e Ron Weasley and his ragamuffin family! When I saw this pattern in the Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter, I knew that this would easily have to be a project in the nearest future.

Of course, if Molly Weasley had made Ron’s Raglan for me, it would’ve had an “A” on it….so it does!

This was the first time I’ve worked with baby alpaca, and let me tell you it was treat for my sheep wool-familiar fingers…..my next first was buttons buttons whose got the buttons….I got the buttons….from the forest. I love to hike in this beautiful redwood forest I am so blessed to live in, and there are always down trees from the rainy season. Madrone…do you know it? Madrone is a magical tree. It’s gnarly limbs twist and turn as it reaches towards the sunlight around the towering redwoods. The reddish orange bark is smooth and rich. The sometimes red insides gleam with a little olive oil polish….buttons…ah yes. I knew I needed perfect buttons for this charmed sweater. I made them out of magical madrone limbs. Cut and drilled each one with care. They turned out beautifully.

I made it into a bit of a turtleneck so I could flop the neck down, button it to the other side, or have it snuggling my neck for ski season. I also made the ribbing around the sleeves and waiste double the length it called for, as I like my things a little longer than usual.

These are projects that I positively need….no, really….like a winter bag to replace my summer seagrass carry-all tote I scored at the local organic market. A chunky scarf for winter trips to the coast…burrr..it’s getting colder. A woolen bed for my kitty, so I can have my sweaters back! Slippers to slide around the house in. Curtains to keep the winter draft at bay! Of course, necessity knits are all subject to change, especially when the mail lady delivers my new Interweave Knits, Fall 2007 Issue

Pattern from Funky Knits: Knitting Know-How for Hip Young Things