Challenge to the future challenge

Hmm, slight problem.

The Auntie Yarn (TAY??) is a chunky weight yarn, meant to be knitted on 10-12 needles, but...
The Minimalist Cardigan pattern calls for a worsted weight yarn, to be knitted on 7 needles.

Tricky.

Maybe the yarn could be used for the knitted bag instead, hmm...

While I'm at it, the other Auntie yarn (hereby christened The Other Auntie Yarn, or TOAY??):

Hohenloher Wolle | Magic
60/40 merino/acrylic

US4-5 needles

I can't say I'm terribly fond of the color, but as it was a gift and I have 4 skeins of the stuff, I'll have to find an appropriate project for it. Stay tuned.

Welcome back (me)!

After mainly using this blog as a place to post and store photographs, I've finally decided it's about time to revive (or just "vive") the knitting blog. So here it is, no longer the tired, old "Stitch'n'Bitch/MsJunebug3" blog, but rather the new, (I hope) improved "Monkey Business Handcrafts" blog!

What better way to embark on a new beginning than to take stock of past accomplishments, works-in-progress, and future challenges? So, working in reverse order (aka starting with future challenges/prospective projects)...

Future challenge #1:

I need a knitting bag. A bag dedicated (almost) solely to carrying my knitting projects - and a few essentials like wallet and cell phone, of course. I have been on a perpetual search for the perfect knitting bag for a long time now. Everywhere I go, I am subconsciously on the lookout for a bag that could potentially act as the ideal knitting receptacle.

I can't say that my quest has ended (or whether it will ever truly reach a conclusion), but I can say that after the September 24th 2007 Knitting Daily landed in my email inbox with a link to a preview pattern from Pam Allen's latest book, Bag Style, I'm a step closer.

Chunky weight [#5 Bulky]
Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Chunky [75% wool, 25% alpaca]
110 yd [101 m] / 100 g, 3 balls
US 10 1/2 [bag], US 9 [handles]
17 sts & 19 rows = 4" in patt st on larger needles

All of the patterns in the book are for knitted (and possibly crocheted??) bags of varying sizes, styles, and uses. This one, the Knitting Needle Knitting Bag, incorporates a lovely berry stitch in a chunky yarn for a quick, easy knit, with a set of actual knitting needles to lend a bit of structure to the top. At just under 19" wide and 9" tall (not including the needles or straps), it's also the perfect size for a small, portable project (like a pair of socks).

Future challenge #2:

My dear Auntie brought back from Korea a nice lovely bag full of worsted-weight wool yarn produced by a manufacturer I had never seen.

Fantasia Ski Yarn | Alpaca Print

70/30 alpaca/wool | 53m/40g
15-16 sts & 19-20 rows = 4" on US 12-14 needles
10 skeins = 530m

Whilst flipping through the Fall 2007 issue of Interweave Knits, I figured out the perfect garment to match with the yarn: Ruthie Nussbaum's Minimalist Cardigan.

Lily Chin Signature Collection Park Avenue [60% merino, 40% alpaca]
109 yd [100 m] / 50 g, 8 (9, 10, 12) skeins
US 7 needles
20 sts & 28 rows = 4" in moss st, after blocking

The yarn was and still is meant for a knitted-by-me item for my mother, and though Auntie originally intended it for a vest, methinks the cardigan will be a better use for it... No?

Then again, I'm not a big fan of vests in general...

[To be continued...]