Wrap Pullover Finished

I used three different yarns on this sweater - one row of each, repeated endlessly. Never again! One problem was that the color is dark blue, and the 5-stitch rib pattern only showed on the right side - the wrong side showed all purls, so unless I was really counting stitches, I had to keep looking over the top of my needles to make sure I was doing the ribbing correctly (yes, I did put in a few stitch markers). And the three yarns kept tangling up, especially since two of them were boucle types. But I do like the finished product - it's not even itchy as I had feared. The front has a crossover flap that widens up as you sit down - very comfortable (although the extra fabric over my tummy is not the most flattering).

Knitting a Bead Bracelet

At the Guild meeting last week, we learned how to knit a bead bracelet. This is the one I made. It was quite easy - just knit every row. If I were to make another one, I'd do it stockinette - purl one row, knit the next - so that the beads would all come out on the same side. I liked the bright colors I used, but some of the other members made awesome bracelets using shades of coral, amethyst or blue. The bracelet uses glass beads and it's pretty heavy on my wrist, so I think it will be someone's Christmas present.

Antique Purse

I spotted this little purse several months ago at the antique shop where I work, and it fascinated me because I identify the technique. It is exactly the same on both inside and outside, and threads seemed to be carried over under the stitches so there are no floats. I finally broke down and spent some money to buy it. After puzzling over it some more, doing some research, and still not knowing what technique it is, I sent these pictures over to Piecework magazine and asked for help. I also wanted to know what country it might have come from and how old it is. I thought it might be European from the 19th century, but wasn't sure.

This is a close-up of the stitches.
Karen Brock from Piecework responded to my question, and told me it is tapestry crochet. She had no further information on its possible history, but asked permission to include it in a future issue of Piecework and maybe one of their subscribers would have more knowledge of it. So we may be seeing it in the magazine later this year. Cool!!