Saturday, March 14, 2009

Of Bags and Birds

I finally finished a knitting project. At last. And I'm OK with it.

I've been using this purse for nearly three years now;



It cost me about $5 while on vacation in Europe. And I loved it. A constant reminder of that great vacation. And cheap. And cool; at least in the states. (It's very dorky and touristy over there, of course.) The size was right. I like having a purse/bag, but not a large one.

But, alas, it's three years old and falling apart. Time for a new one. And since I like to knit, and I see knitted bags all the time I thought I'd try one myself.

Here is what I ended up with.







I used a pattern from the Stitch 'n Bitch book by Debbie Stoller. Very, very easy pattern.









At the end of the pattern the designer says, "Add a charm of your choice to any spot you choose."

"A" charm? "One" charm?



OK, I had lots of stuff around the house from when I used to make jewelry, so it turned into "lots o' charms."



















I lined the inside with some crazy flame-look material I found at the fabric store. I bought the handles from the same store.





First time I added the handles I sewed them on all the way across. Looked nice. Couldn't open the bag though.

I'll use this bag for a while, see if I like it. Received one compliment on it today.




Onto other projects.
What does this look like to you?




A ball of yarn you say? Not a sock?

Well, it's been on its way to being a sock at least six times. I'm still trying to knit my first "real" sock.
I'll get there someday.






Onto the birds title of this post. Last night I heard a smack on a back window. I looked out just in time to see this guy/gal pass out on the back porch.



So of course I went to the rescue by laying him/her on a chair and watching until the blood started circulating again.

Someone else was also watching.



S/he took its time coming around. But eventually found its legs,



and then its wings as it flew to the top of the Moongarden.



While I was out there standing guard I managed to snap a couple pics of a flicker visiting one of our bird feeders.





Our back garden has had a crazy gathering of birds lately; bathing, drinking, eating, singing, flying around. Doing what birds do in spring. It's been great.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the completed purse! I like the charms plus your choice of fabric for the lining.

Also those are some great pics of the birds. I've been trying for the past week to get some decent robin pics but have not had as much luck!

Heather said...

Hi there- purse looks great! I am so glad I am not the only Idahoan that stands guard over an injured bird until it is good enough to fly again. My Idaho born and bred husband thinks that is my California roots coming out, now I can tell him that just isn't so. Thanks for helping my win that one:D
-Heather

Pat said...

Ok...let me think. Where to start..oh yes, the purse..very cool,love the trinket charms you save and used on the purse. I save suff like that also. The lining is wild! I like it.
Poor robin...never seen a picture of a stunned bird before,it's amazing you were able to take it.
Also never seen a flicker before. It looks as big as a robin but pretty. Love seeing different birds. Glad your enjoying the outdoors.

Rosemary said...

Hi Victoria
Love the purse. The charms add a cute touch but the killer lining makes it!
Would love that pattern!
How fantastic to see the robin regain it feet and fly again. Great photo of the flicker......... Spring is almost here!

Genie said...

I'd be sad to lose that way cool $5 purse, I don't care if someone thought it looked touristy. That's a cool purse! Hate when I wear out a favorite one.

I remember as a teen finding a bird that had knocked itself out. I picked it up and it sat on my finger for several minutes before it's head cleared and it flew off. Didn't carry a camera around with me back then.

The birds are going nuts here too, as are the squirrels. Our yard isn't the artistic creation that yours is, but as long as Wes keeps putting out the bird feed, they keep coming no matter the mess! I would take lots of photos of them but we have solar screen on the windows! And we need the shade more than we need clear shots of the birds. Frustrating.