Requiem for my black cardigan - Part 2 - Long live the black cardigan

You all will (no doubt) be thrilled that I may have found a new black twin set. All cotton, machine wash and dry. The body and sleeves are a sturdy but fine knit and has a crocheted shawl collar (doesn't look as old-ladyish as it sounds). The body of the shell is also a plain knit with a crocheted mock turtle neck. I sort of expected the mock t-neck to bother me--and had the evil thought of removing the crocheted part--but I can report not noticing it after half a day.

The only thing that may require modification are the buttons. The buttons on the cardi are small, plastic and black. The buttons on the crocheted part of the t-neck are large (too large for their holes) and crochet-covered. I can do better.

Woo-hoo. An excuse to go to the craft store. Like I needed one.

I have a number projects going right now.

There is the monstrous van Gogh cross stitch of a bajillion colors that I haven't quite finished. I'm down to the last eighth, and it's by no means the most difficult eighth, but my heart's just not been in it.

There is the baby alpaca scarf I'm knitting for JE. Oooo. Baby alpaca. Possibly the software fiber on the face of the planet. It's going quite well and I should finish this week. And then I will miss the baby alpaca.

There is are a couple skeins of chenille. I bought them because I wanted to knit something and am only capable of scarves at the moment. So I started a scarf, wasn't happy with the width of it, ripped it all out, and there it sits.

All this stuff sits in a pile between the loveseat on which I typically lounge and cat tree. This invites way too many curious paws. So I decided I needed a big tote. My friend Karen has a stitching/knitting tote I particularly admire. So now the pile includes the makings for a tote.

I found a great remnant for the bulk of the body--3/4 yd of a quilted Asian-inspired brocade--about a month ago. Then I tracked down a big straight-hex-open frame--which is the niftiest thing about Karen's bag. A couple nights ago, I safety-pinned the fabric to the frame and stuffed my stuff into it. It wasn't quite wide enough that I could easily get my cross stitch scroll frame in and out of it, and wasn't quite as deep as I would like. Another trip to Jo Ann fabric and I found a remnant of heavy black canvas that would be great to use for the sides and bottom--keeping the brocade for the front and back--thus increasing the height and width. Still need to find straps. Jo Ann seemed to have had a run on the width of black strapping I wanted.

I'm also eyeing up a sweater in my chest of drawers that might want to be reknitted into a shawl. It's a gorgeous sweater whose fatal flaw is that it is way to warm to actually wear. It's mohair. My brother bought it for me ages ago in Italy. OK. Maybe one could wear it skiing in the Italian alps, but I don't do much of that. Hmmm... Another project for the pile?