I Love Alpacas

I think I want to raise alpacas when I grow up! They are such sweet, gentle, animals. And...their fleece is the softest and warmest ever. Alpaca farms seem to be sprouting up all over Maine. I visited this one today and met the sweetest alpaca! My friend Vicki on Purple is a Fruit raises alpacas and spins their wool. Alpaca people just seem to be the nicest people, and they love their alpacas like their own children!

Mandy over on NH Knitting Mama is having a little contest She has a free pattern for her "Mandy's Candy Bag" which is really cute. Go on over and check it out. I plan to make a few of these! And you know what else? She's a Red Sox Fan!!!!! Gotta love her.
Progress on my DDs yellow tomato from Knitting Daily:

And my Patchwork bag from "Easy Knitted Accessories" - pre-felted it's 13"x20". I still have to make the handles, which are braided.


Tonight I am casting on for the Comfortable Felted Sling Purse from Knitty Chick, also for my DD.
I'm using these colors, and probably I'll add a little purple too. This is the same bag I made for my pal in the ITEIV Swap except that I made it in a solid color with needlfelted flowers. My DD loved it, but wanted it done in stripes.

Easy Knitted Accessories

This is another one of the books I got on sale from the Crafter's Choice Club (they were all under $10.00 ea. by the way). This is a great book for beginners. Each pattern teaches a new skill. At first glance through the book I didn't think there was anything in it that I didn't already have a pattern for someplace else and I would probably be gifting it. But after reading through it I have found some things I would like to make and some new skills I would like to learn! The first project I'm making is the felted patchwork bag. For beginners it teaches slip stitches and beading. I have been wanting to try beading and this was a very easy way to learn, not to mention a great way to use up yarn stash.

It's knit in strips, with different blocks of patterns on each strip. Here is my beaded heart - which was really fun and easy to do using large beads. I'm really curious to see what will happen to the beads when this is felted. I'm already planning my next project from this book, now that I've mastered beading, which is the beautiful beaded scarf on the cover.