I finished the Ilene bag (see previous post for pattern links) and am very happy with it.  The size is perfect I think - big enough for larger items but not so big that it’s immovable when full.  I knit the handle to about 14” which works well for either hand or over-the-shoulder carrying and the whole feels sturdy and solid.

The author warns that the stitch pattern for the bag’s body biases and offers a means to counter that tendency.  I didn’t bother with it because I don’t really care.  So long as that bias doesn’t affect the bag’s ability to carry things I can’t see why that would matter.  Besides - it kinda looks cool.  The stitch pattern is very simple:

Round 1:  *YO, K2tog*
Round 2:  Knit

For the next bag, I might try this instead - just to see what happens…

Round 1 *YO, K2tog*
Round 2:  Knit
Round 3:  *YO, SSK*
Round 4:  Knit

...or on Round 3, I might try doing *SSK, YO* to see how that works.  Actually, I confess that I’ll probably try out the options before I ever start the next bag because I’m terminally curious :)

I also got a start on the third panel for the blanket.

My mindless, TV knitting :)  The yarn, as previously, is Classic Elite La Gran mohair but the solid is one I dyed some time ago.  Originally it was a pinkish color that looked dirty to me (it wasn’t, it just struck my eye that way) so I decided it was a good candidate for the dye pot.  This color, Indicolite, was the result of a great deal too much liquid, blue food coloring.  Given the gorgeous shade though, I’m not sure it really was too much after all.  As Myria is fond of saying, “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing!”

We have babies again.  We had been sure that the degus were both female but they presented us with another litter in February so that’s clearly not the case :)  There were 10 pups this time.  Honest to god, I have no idea where she was hiding them all before they were born.  She did appear to get somewhat more zaftig, but we never suspected the horde (For the Horde!) she was actually carrying!

They’re about three weeks old now and will be going to the pet store in another 5 or six weeks.  Cute little fellas…  As strongly as I feel about not breeding animals (this is an apartment for heaven’s sake - not a farm!), even I have to admit that babies - any kind of babies - have a unique charm and are lots of fun to watch.

Jade is in the coveted sunspot in the living room.  The sun shines in that window all day long and both cats like it for their afternoon naps.  Unfortunately, she vacated it shortly after this picture was taken and Goldie promptly took advantage of the vacancy.  She won’t get it back now as it would take a bulldozer and an act of God to get him out of there.

Maybe my lap will do for a while :)