It's in the bag.

I pulled out the knitting project bags that usually sit near my computer the other day in an attempt to neaten up that space. I found lots of needles and yarn that needed to be put away. And, no surprise, I got a reality check on how many WIPs I've got going on right now.

I can't tell you what's in the blue Vera Bradley bag in the middle of that pile. Random side note: that bag was a grad school graduation gift on behalf of my grandmother - she sent a check and I decided to invest in a real knitting bag. It's one of my bigger bags, love it for all the pockets inside, and there's no zipper or velcro to catch any yarn on. Anyway, the project in there is a gift, and the recipient reads this, so it's staying put away. But I'm working on it.

The orange bag, to the right of the vera bag, also contains projects I can't share with you. I'm working on some test knitting for...."a new magazine, called Historic Needlework that will be focusing on various types of vintage needlework, of which knitting is one!. The first issue will be published sometime before the end of the year through magcloud.com, an on-line print on demand resource. The publication date will be dependent on how soon we have all the pattern samples tested and completed." Kinda nifty, right? And so far so good - I'm working on two scarves (and a third is resting - I'm not wild about the colors / yarn I started it in). I found out about this through Ravelry - great opportunities and connections! Here is a link to the Rav group if you are interested in test knitting some of the vintage patterns - some are still open!

So, if you are still reading, you might think I've got nothing to show other than a pile of bags on my couch. Not true poppets! The skull bag to the left of the vera bradley bag is my go-to knitting bag. That's the bag with my notions, my SnB stuff, the bag with my ravelry "My Name is " button. I'll probably have that bag with me at Rhinebeck (2 weeks!!) and Stitches (if I can get there). What's inside?

A sweater in progress - Trellis and Vine is actually becoming a sweater! I can barely believe it, but I tried it on yesterday:

And I divided for the sleeves / body at SnB last night -

I can see my mistakes in the cables, but they are consistent, so I'm going to live with it (this sweater is for me! I can do what I want with it.) This had been hibernating for a while because it was hard to tell the progress, but now I am looking forward to moving on with it!

There's another project in the bag as well:

My Bat Shawl - 3 bats down so far... I love this Malabrigo lace that I'm using for it - so fantastic! I need to get moving on this one - I keep hearing how big it turns out and I need to be sure I have time for all the knitting and blocking!

I've just realized that there is another bag over here at my computer that didn't make it into the group shot. And probably there will be another bag (or several) to add in the next few days - I've gotten bitten with startisis and am looking at a trip to WEBS this weekend...