Eco-chic

First, happy Father's Day to all you fathers out there!

Despite (and perhaps because of) my currently busy work schedule, I have managed to complete a carry-along project. Carry-along projects are necessary to keep one's sanity by allowing a little knitting between meetings and while toing and froing across campus to even more meetings. I have become quite adept at garter or stockinette stitching while walking without running into trees or cars. By the end of this summer I may even be tackling lace while walking.

This particular project was about as eco-chic as it gets: Its yarn is made of recycled sari silk spun by a womens' coop in Nepal and sold at 'fair trade' prices, allowing the women to supplement their families' income. Beyond the feel-good aspects, the yarn is a mix of the most gorgeous colors that only silk can provide. I bought mine at a small imports store in Yachats, Oregon, while vacationing with Sharon and Ian. It has been sitting several years, waiting for just the right project. I started to knit the "unraveled" pattern from Knitty.com, but decided the resulting bag would be too shallow. I frogged it and started again. I knit two 11.5" x 9" garter stitch rectangles, then a wide band that goes around the bottom and sides, narrowing at the top of the sides then continuing as the strap. I liked the result so much that I actually dug out the sewing machine and made a lining, complete with 2 large pockets and a cell phone pocket. To continue the eco-friendly theme, I made the lining from cotton fabric scraps left over from the trailer curtains. Many thanks to Allison, who suggested I let the singles yarn unwind a bit as I went along to soften the resulting fabric.