Sophia bag

About a month ago I finally finished the Sophia bag that I purchased materials for last summer. This was the most challenging sewing project I've ever done, but it was totally worth it. Here it is:





I have a serious procrastination problem. I start projects, then I get to a point where I make a mistake or am not sure that the finished project will meet my expectations, and then I stall. For months. Or years.

With this project I stalled after I attached the top panel to one of the side panels. It was at that point I realized that piping + curved seam = headache. Even using an invisible zipper foot I had to sew the seam about 6 times, each time a millimeter closer to the piping than the previous time. It ended up looking fantastic on the outside, but the wrong side is a total mess. So I put it away for a few months until I forgot how much I hate piping.

I sewed for an entire Saturday in August and finished the bag. I realized how much I hate piping about 5 minutes in, but I managed to convince myself that the ends were worth the means. And I was right. This bag rocks.

If I make another one, and I think I will, I would put more interfacing in the side and top panels - after a month of use it is starting to lose it's shape a bit. I would also make the lining a bit smaller, for some reason my lining was a smidgen too big. I would also consider adding a zipper pocket on the inside, a pocket between the handles on the outside, and some sort of inside divider to keep my knitting/reading/lunch separate from my phone/ipod/wallet/notebook.

Single Skein September

I signed up for the Stash and Burn Single Skein September ravelry group, fully intending to knit up 3 hats, 2 pairs of mittens, 3 scarves and a bunch of socks. I had a 2-week trip to India lined up (for work) and I thought I would be knitting through the 24 hour flight, the 1 hour commute each way to work every day, a weekend roadtrip, plus in the evenings at the hotel.

Here is the grand total of my knitting during the trip:



The top bit of a Foliage hat.



And the start of a strangling vines scarf.

The only knitting I did was on the flight to India. Once I got to India I spent every waking moment at work, shopping or sight-seeing with coworkers, or at the hotel sick. Road and traffic conditions in Bangalore (paired with my tendency to get car sick) were not conducive to knitting while commuting. I had a fantastic trip though, despite being sick and the lack of knitting. It was really productive work-wise, I got to know my coworkers better, see some amazing temples and palaces and eat some great Indian food. And I shopped. A lot. I hope I get to go back next year.

So, my new plan is to knit up just one single skein during the month of September. I think I can manage to finish the Foliage hat by the end of the month.