Progress Report: Weekend Getaway Satchel

Just a quick update...I had to take almost three weeks off from knitting because of the tendonitis in my right wrist, but I was able to keep working on my mom's felted bag because the motions used in embroidery didn't hurt me at all.

As a small side note: I had all this Free Time in those three weeks. The house was clean, the nails were painted, books were read! I am wondering if I need to find a little balance now that I am able to knit again. Maybe take one or two nights off a week to do something else. Maybe. Hehe.

Anyway, the bag is knit in pieces and felted separately, then sewn together; the sides, bottom, and back are all solid black, while the front is a riot of color. The color is accomplished by knitting the main blocks for the flowers and leaves in intarsia, then embroidering on the stems and detail work. Doing that embroidery took about as long, maybe even longer, than knitting the whole 30" by 34" inch intarsia panel. But when I was done, I had gone from this:



To this!





I've also felted the whole thing but haven't had a chance to take pictures yet. After this week, I should have time to sew the whole thing up and give it to my mom! I can't wait to finish.