With the Rose Garden Tote fully felted, but in need of more time to dry, I looked over the array of unfinished objects (UFOs) clamoring for my attention and settled on the formerly yellow carpetbag I began in November as part of my stash down challenge project.

Using futuregirl’s (aka Alice Merlino’s) Starling Handbag pattern, I had originally set out to make a wondrously yellow carpet bag from some skeins of yellow rug yarn that had come in the stash. I soon learned the stash acquisition (while munificent in its own right) did not come with quite enough yellow rug yarn to make the large bag. If I wanted the bag to be yellow, I would need to expand my color horizons.

Drawing on the palette of one of my favorite artists, Piet Mondrian, I frogged the project back to the 9th row, and when I once again began to crochet, I added in red and blue. Because of the number of strands I am using of each color and because I am not skilled at the technique I am attempting to employ, it is not going very quickly, but today, I did add at least four rows. Here is how it looks from the top:

Here is a view of one side:

and here is a view of the other:

Pleased with the progress I made, but anxious to work on a project that was a little more instant in the gratification offered, I set aside the Starling Bag, but stuck with the bobbin theme.

Given that winter is just nine days away, there are any number of charity drives going on, and one that I like to participate in each year is a coat program. But I figure a coat by itself is not enough. There should be a hat, a scarf, and some gloves as well.

This year’s coat is a red, black, and white plaid. I purchased some red gloves, but decided that I would make a scarf and hat to give the ensemble a more personal touch. Using the colors in the jacket, I decided to make a row 12 squares long using a “square within a square” motif.

To get the effect I wanted I prepared these three “yarn bobbins” in addition to the skeins I would be working from:

Then I got out my 5.0 mm hook and got to work.

Here is the front of the scarf as it appeared shortly before sunset:

and here is the back of the scarf:

While there will be a substantial number of ends to weave in, it will be well worth the effort