Friday the 13th !

I’m glad I found Wikipedia. It says:

“A superstition is the irrational belief that future events are influenced by specific behaviors, without having a causal relationship.”

Just because it’s Friday 13th, doesn’t mean something bad’s going to happen, right? I’m NOT superstitious, but still there’s always a tiny itty pitty fear in my heart, whenever this day comes around.

It was not Friday 13th, when I made these bags a few days ago, but it sure felt like it! I can’t believe I used to sew any garment you can imagine, from boxer shorts, shirts, to coats, I did it all. I was a Quilter for a while; sewing was second nature to me. I always felt like I’m in a Zen like place, when I quilted my patchwork Quilts, which for a Queen sized bed spread could take a long time. It was so much fun.

Because I'm 5, I choose these fabrics; they are so colorful and cute with the doggie prints and cats too. You can overlook easily all the amateurish mistakes I made! I had to give the new sewing machine a try. But really, I don’t like it! I want my old one back! I still have it of course, and some day I’ll find someone who can repair it.
With this new one, nothing is as it should be. Right after I bought it, I watched the CD which was included in this package. Why so complicated? There was a booklet too, but who has time and patience to read it?
So, sitting in front of the machine, plugged in and ready, I had to figure out all the basics, like how to change stitches and so on. Obviously I figured out some of it.

I also was working without a pattern. I knew it should be a “sock knitting kit bag”, and I wanted it to be round. Pattern, smattern. I cut out a paper circle. To find out the circumference I needed for the main body (some use mathematics, I don’t), I used a method I learned from the series CSI: Las Vegas (I believe), I kid you not!

In one episode they marked a car tire and rolled it over some paper, for one whole turn. Well that’s what I did as well, plus a couple of ¼ inches for sewing. Anyway, to give the bag some kind of sturdy bottom, I glued some plastic between the two layers of fabric. I know there’s some stuff you can iron on out there, but I didn’t have it on hand, believe me, I looked. It was weird going through my sewing things, abandoned ten years ago and tucked away in the spare room’s closet. I unearthed some unfinished Quilting projects, held them in my hands for a while (felt uncomfortable), then put them away again. Maybe one day I’ll finish the Quilt; I have to put together all three layers, the top is finished ……

Back to the bags; you might have noticed that one is bigger then the other(just one inch). I had something else in mind at first, messed up and had to regroup my efforts. I could have easily made the knitted strings from fabric, but I didn’t want to. Knitting the I-cords took longer then sewing both bags, set up and clean up combined, but I enjoyed it more. It seems, that right now I’d rather knit anything.

The bags will end up as gifts; maybe. I’m not sure one can give away prototypes of anything.

These two cuties come to visit from time to time. They let me take a picture from the kitchen window, guess they couldn't see me (I think I have to wash my windows).

There's also something unpleasent going around the blogging world, which makes me sad, but it does not surprise me at all, people being PEOPLE! I've read Cara's post about this issue. I'm talking about the code of conduct for commenting on blogs, since there have been some not so nice comments and even death threads against at least one blogger (not a knitting blogger I'm sure). Cara has the links, if you are interested go read it. So far I have been lucky and besides a few spam comments, I've got only nice ones. Thank you all! Even if I would get some nasty ones and would delete them, it would sting and made me feel bad about myself. I'm blogging because I like to show my knitting projects, my dogs and stuff I love and like. Enough said.