Monkeying Around

I saw a book in Crafter's Choice recently that made me laugh. It was about repurposing old pillowcases. Ya, wha-a-at? So I ordered Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Pillowcase from the library and much to my surprise and chagrin, it is actually a really fun book.



So much so, that Friday night, I dug out some funny monkey fabric I'd picked up for some long forgotten project and made a groovy little project bag in about 45 minutes. It was fast, fun and now I have a nice sized, summery monkeyshines bag to haul around my latest WIP.



Which as it turns out, fits my latest project in the "Wrestling WIPs" challenge, My Lacy Stole. The yarn is Sundara's Basil over Buttercup, which I think is currently part of her July month of color. The hues and sparkle to this yarn is wonderful and it is lovely to knit with. And best of all, I have only 11 more pattern repeats and then I am done.



The pattern is free from Lion Brand and easy to do, if you cheat like I do--using stitch markers to remind me where every repeat is, and an excel chart of the stitch pattern that I check off on each row, so it is never an issue which row I am on.



Oddly enough, I haven't had the least urge to cast on any new projects--there has been a real delight in picking up these old, nagging WIPs and just getting them done. I think that is because I know that next month I am going to dive head first into Christmas knitting. I have three projects I want to cast on and finish over the month, and then I will be well ahead in my usual Fall panic over "what the heck to knit for Christmas???!!"

Am I jumping the gun? Are you knitting for Christmas yet?