Monday, August 25, 2008

Project Updates


Taking my cue from Bezzie (whose rant here on the so-called "green" reusable grocery bags got me thinking), I made these two cloth bags yesterday. I had bought a small stack of the green pseudo-cloth bags from my supermarket last winter, at 75 cents each. Although they stand up to more use than a paper bag, they have started to self-destruct. Rather than replace them with more of the same, I decided to put some stashed fabric to use. I bought the fabric at a thrift shop in Quincy IL over a year ago, thinking it would be nice for something. I just didn't know what. I have enough fabric to make at least 4 more bags this size, which is a bit smaller than a standard paper grocery bag. I need to buy more nylon webbing, though.

I've been working on turning a few older projects into patterns for the fall Knitcircus. We plan to have it available for purchase by Oct 1. I'm also working on a new project for that, but might not finish in time. That's ok. We can use it in Winter, and we've had great submissions, so we have enough good material for fall.

In Other News
We're counting down to the beginning of the school year. The little guy starts second grade on Tuesday, Sept 2, and Owen starts 8th grade on Wednesday the 3rd. We're having all kinds of behavioral issues with the little guy, but I have to say, Owen has suddenly crossed into a new mature, mellow version of himself. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this isn't just a phase for him. I never would have believed that there would be a time when I would call Owen "mellow".

I did send Owen's quilt out to be machine quilted at the local place. I have no idea what I'll get back, but it should be coming soon. They charge about $65 for a twin size, and have stock patterns that their machine does. I'll still need to put edging on when I get it back, I think. For local folks, this is a funny little building on Regent Street, probably a survivor of the great Greenbush Urban Renewal of the 1960s.

We're still in limbo on Mr. SABLE's job front. He had a chat with a VP at a small start-up last week. He felt very positive about that and it could lead to a job offer soon. He's also encouraged that if he has to do free-lance stuff for a while, there are a lot of people in town who can throw him some work. The downside to that plan is health insurance, but it would be income. Time will tell. Stay tuned.

I hope to see all my local buddies at Last Saturday Knitting on the 30th!

7 comments:

florencemary said...

Your grocery bags are beautiful! We use Tesco recyclable bags, but they don't look anything as good...

I feel for your son and his 'new school year'. I'm already hyperventilating about my 2-year-old g-daughter and her new nursery move about which, she's already freaking. I wish I could wave a magic gran-wand.

xxx

Bezzie said...

So those fakey "green" bags DO fall apart! Your's are much sturdier looking and don't advertise for anybody. I love them!!

Eee, yes, school starting! It seems more real this year with 1st grade and the public school.

And that damn HI. Unemployment would be so much easier to manage without worrying about HI. He'll find something soon. It's just the waiting for a result that sucks!

Kathy Kathy Kathy said...

Maybe I can help. When I win the lottery . . . let's see. When I win the . . . nevermind, no help here. Where do you get the webbing/how much is it/is it sturdy/easy to sew? I've been thinking belts from the Goodwill, but not so easy to come by unless you make *yet another* stash.
ufzsick=my verifcation word. That's Hungarian for my cat has a hairball and I am very dismayed and grossed out. Apologies to Hungarian speakers, woofers, and tweeters.

Cindy G said...

Love the bags!

Thinking about the loss of Greenbush always makes me sad, and I was nowhere near here at the time.

See you Sat (was just about to email to see if we were on.)

Molly Bee said...

Cool Bags! My P&S ones are holding up pretty well, but I'm not feeding two growing boys! I'll bet mine are more than slightly 'less used'. :-)
Good luck on the job front for Hubby!
Hope to see you on Sat too unless I get an earlier time to move into my new nest!

Anonymous said...

We have four of the green bags and after 6 months they still look like new. We keep having to tell the cashiers that we already paid for them.

What drives me nuts are the people that use cloth bags, and then buy 15 different types of produce and put each in its own plastic bag. Ahem! Not saving the planet here, are we?

Funniest cloth bag I ever saw? One that was screen printed with "Cloth Bags: The Environmentally Friendly Way To Get Bottled Water To Your Hummer." ( http://www.comedyhome.com/Shopping/index.cfm?fa=shoppingItem&webItemID=3947 )

See you Saturday!

Kitty Mommy said...

Very cool bag!

See you Saturday!