Momma's got a brand new bag

After I made my frustrated post last weekend, I decided it was time to find a project that was nice, easy, and quick. Something to get my confidence back, if you will. So I got out the skein of Louet Euroflax Linen I'd picked up at the Lucky Duck Sale at Knitch last year. I'd gotten it specifically to make this nifty crocheted bag I'd seen in the Pattternworks catalog, but by the time I'd gotten the yarn, the pattern was no longer available and I stashed the yarn. Friday night I dug through about a hundred crocheted bag patterns on Ravelry until I found one that was like what I had in mind, the Crocheted Eco-Friendly Carryall from Canadian Living. The only thing I know about Canadian Living is it has some pretty darn cool crochet patterns.

Once I wound the yarn (and that was a project in itself), I got started. It was my first time working with linen, and I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed working with the Euroflax, especially considering how different it is from the yarns I usually prefer. It's rough, and very splitty. But, I don't know, there's just something about working with linen... cultural memory, maybe? I remarked to StringTheory2.0 about how I had always thought of linen as being very fine, since all the Renaissance poets wrote about "flaxen hair," and I guessed it was just because it was the only fiber they had. ST2 pointed out that making linen is really elaborate and time-consuming, so it could have been the expense that made the poets think of it.

But you don't want to hear about a couple of English majors geeking out on Renaissance poetry. You want pictures!


So there it is. So far it seems very nice and sturdy, and I plan to use it for grocery trips. See? It's green and it's green! And now I feel energized to tackle something new.

Oh! And since this was yarn that had been in my stash since last August, I've finally gotten started on Stash Knit Down 2008!