Needlework Tuesday - Still knitting, but probably not for long

Needlework Tuesday is an occasional post detailing my needlework and/or crafting projects.

We've been getting some nicer weather here in southern Manitoba, but I've still found some time to knit. It won't be long now before I'll be spending more time on yard work, though.

These past few weeks, I've been working on three projects.

This first one was one I had started a few months ago, the poncho made from alpaca yarn. Even though the pattern was really easy to follow, I wasn't happy that it was chunkier than I thought it would be and the patterning wasn't as apparent as it was in the project photo. Now that I've since finished it and have worn it a few times, it's really growing on me. Here's the finished item:

The next project I worked on was a knitted craft bag. It was the March project from the Mary Maxim's Knit Club of the Month. Here's the project photo and a few progress shots:

Bag size: 14" wide x 6" deep x 9" high.

End cables.

Side cables.  A mixture of ribbing and cables.  Two of my favourites! 

The knitting on this one was so satisfying. I adore cables and seeing them come together with this yarn was exciting. The bag is pretty much knitted as one unit.  Only 5 seams to sew: the handles, which join in the middle, and 4 side seams.  I eliminated (almost) the handle seam by doing a graft instead. It didn't turn out as smooth as it should, but it's better than a bulky seam.

Anyway, it was so much fun to do, I couldn't stop and managed to finish the project before the end of the month. The only problem I encountered was that there were four glaring errors in the pattern. Had I been less experienced with cables, I would have been totally lost and not at all pleased. Here's a shot of the finished piece:

There's an option to stiffen up the bottom so that it'll be more stable.  I just haven't found a piece of plastic/strong cardboard of suitable size yet, but that's definitely something I'm thinking of doing. I also have enough yarn leftover to put in a inner pocket for small items. Once I determine how I'm really going to use this bag, I'll have a clearer idea of what to do.

Since I was on a roll with finishing projects, I figured I'd start another one. This one was the February project from the Mary Maxim's Knit Club of the Month: Fair Isle Mittens. Here's my progress so far:

The photo shows palm pattern (stripes) on the right and the back-of-the-hand pattern (snowflake-ish) on the left.  I'll show this better in the coming weeks.  The pattern is a little confusing to follow, but I think I'm figuring it out.

That's it for this week. A new project should be coming in the mail shortly. In the meantime, I'll continue to work on my mittens.

Needlework Tuesday is hosted by Heather over at Books and Quilts.    If you'd done any crafting this week that you'd like to share with others, please head over to Heather's blog and use the Mr. Linky to link up your post, so others can enjoy your creations.