An unexpected finished project

Today I went to the Houston event for WWKIP Day.  I had a fun time talking with lots of other knitters, I came home with a goody bag of things provided by the sponsoring LYSs, (there were some really good door prizes, but I didn't win one) and I made some good progress on the Desert Sand Socks for Socks For Soldiers.  The following picture is deceptive - it is of the first sock about a week and a half ago, and I promise that the ribbed leg will stretch to fit a person. 

That sock is now finished except for grafting the toes, and the second sock is about at the stage of the first one in the picture.  I knit the two at the same time, but waited to start the heel turn and gusset of the second sock so I could show my friend Margaret how to do a heel.  This meant that last weekend I didn't have any sock to knit, so I started looking at other projects.  I really wanted to start a scarf, but couldn't decide if I should knit this Todos Scarf Kit that I bought from Earthfaire (the color was what tempted me beyond resistance),  or if I should do a lacy scarf from this skein of Colinette Jitterbug that I got at Yarns2Ewe a week or so ago.  I had been looking at that skein for several visits to the shop, and finally broke down and bought it.   Unfortunately (or maybe not so unfortunately, since it kept my WIP from growing) I spent so much time looking at scarf patterns on Ravelry and in stitch dictionaries, that I didn't have time to start anything before it was time to show Margaret how to turn a heel.  And I don't really want to start something else until I have finished the DSS socks.  The legs seem to have gone on forever, but the feet are going much faster.

The surprise finished object is the batik purse, which had been marinating on the shelf since November 2005, when I took a class in knitting with fabric from Linda Potter at the International Quilt Festival in Houston.

After much discussion as to whether felted purses are appropriate to carry in the summer (sorry, Carmen!), Kendra convinced me to take a look at the fabric one.  I only had to complete the flap, attach the handles, and put in a lining, a total of about 6 hours as a whole.  I did add a zippered pocket and a non-zippered pocket to the lining, because I think that purses without pockets are basically useless for practical use.  The result is a little smaller than my "usual" purse, but it will carry the necessities, including a folding umbrella.   Specifics: no pattern as such, and I started with 2 1/2 or 3 yards of cotton fabric and ended up with a little over a 1/4 of a yard left, using size 13US/9 mm needles.  Clear blue handles purchased at a craft show, dealer unknown.  Size: 8 1/2" x 11" x 2".  The flap narrows to fit between the handle, and then widens a little before narrowing to a point.  A tip if you should decide to knit with fabric: use slick needles.  I usually prefer bamboo or Denise needles and don't like Addi Turbos, but for this kind of project they are much better to work with.   

I would show you the progress on other WIPs, but I've got something else that I need to do.  Please excuse me, as I have to go check out the ravelry pages for the knitters I met today.