I finally finished the Hausfrau bag. For such a simple project, it took me quite a while (3 weeks) to complete. I think that had something to do with my extreme dislike for mesh patterns. All of that k2tog.
The yarn is Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in stone and terracotta. The acrylic made the cotton easier to work with, though I am worried about extra-stretch … hopefully it will keep its shape and be sturdy enough for actual use.
As for size, I think it’s okay: 11″ wide and 9.5″ across (unstretched) with a 5″ handle (that is, a 10″ handle folded in the middle). The mesh certainly has a lot of give and I have a feeling that the bag can hold quite a bit of produce. More than one might imagine, in fact. As I’m trying to empty my refrigerator before heading off to Germany next week (!) I don’t have a lot on hand to test out that theory.
In other news, I resurrected girasole:
I’m now on the second repeat of chart E. It’s slow going, I won’t lie, but oddly soothing in its repetitiveness. As long as I don’t interrupt the rhythm, I’m fine. Needless to say, the rhythm is inevitably interrupted and I find myself having to turn ssk into k2tog or vice versa.
We’ll see how far I get. It took quite a few episodes of Bones, Parks & Recreation, and 30 Rock to make it through about 10 rounds. At 640 stitches per round … that’s serious business. It’s all part of my “relax and enjoy the process” project, which is the underlying theme of all my summer activities. As a committed and dedicated worrier, this is difficult.
