Best new bag ever (well, maybe)

I picked up the most amazing bag at Twist. Cass, one of the shop regulars and an amazingly gifted stitcher, makes these terrific bags from recycled sweaters. She cuts the sweaters up and uses the fabric to make the best crochet/knitting bags. She lines them with a coordinating fabric (and she's great at choosing pairings because of her quilting talent), and adds all kinds of little pockets.

They have strong web handles and are incredibly roomy. Mine is a great orange wool with a funky, retro pink/orange/white lining. I so love it!
And I now have been able to add pictures as you can see! Thanks, Cass, for making a bag that feels like it was made just for me!

A hat for a friend

I have a lovely friend at work who had a birthday recently. And sadly, she also had a grandmother pass away just before her birthday and the funeral right after her birthday. Kind of stinks. So, a few of us got together and decided to help her have a happy birthday. This is my contribution:

An adaptation of the non-hair-smashing hat in my previous post. This one is also a lovely soft alpaca (Alpaca with a Twist if you are wondering). I used a smaller hook to make a denser fabric. And in a solid color, it just needed a little dressing up, hence the flower.

It fits her just right, and I love it so much that I intend to make myself one and promptly went out and bought more of the same yarn so that I can. I have to say that I really do love the little button in the center of the flower. It's such a cute hat. Happy Birthday Lynette!

Non-hair-smashing beret

This was a super fast, easy pattern for a hat that doesn't completely smash my hair. I love hats in the winter, especially because my head gets cold easily because of my really short hair and ears that are always uncovered. I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light and a size 4mm hook (Addi Turbo). You can find the pattern on Ravelry.com (Simple Beret by Suzanne M. Barrow) or you can find it on her blog here.
It does a nice job of keeping my head warm (unless the wind is blowing hard). I do think that I will make another of these, and I think I will size down the hook to get a tighter stitch.
I LOVE the colors and how they work together. And this yarn is a dream to work with and relatively inexpensive as well. I picked up my three skeins for $5 apiece and have plenty left to make a cowl or another hat.
I made one adaptation to the patter, and that was to crochet 2 together in each stitch around before beginning the green single crochet border. I needed it to hold its shape better to get the fit I needed for my slightly smaller than average head. I think that this actually helps the hat hold its shape and makes a better fit. I just learned about knitting elastic, and I may find some and weave a row or two in to keep a slightly closer fit. Overall, I love this hat!

Wavelength update

It's finished! I handed it to Shelly at the store the day before Thanksgiving.

A picture you ask? Well, I am just so lame that I completely forgot to take a picture of the completed scarf. I was so excited to have it finished and get it out of my possession and into Shelly's that I just didn't take a picture.

I will take one next time I'm in the store and get it posted here.