Stalled

This purse will get done one of these days, but it's not looking like this week. It isn't because the Noro is too hard to work with or because the cables are too complicated. Those are the obstacles I expected to run into that turned out to be no problem at all.

I also picked up some muslin for the lining and chose two buttons, one of which will be a lovely closure as soon as I pick the one I like the best. (That in itself might take a while.)

The problem is that the strap is made of braided i-cord. And, dudes, knitting i-cord is boring.

I-cord: Easy. Fast. Mind-Numbingly Dull.

I'm off to look through The Joy of Sox and go diving in the sock yarn bin. Maybe if I get really frustrated over some complicated socks, knitting plain i-cord will suddenly seem really appealing.

Ta . . .

Almost done. The bulk of the knitting is finished. I still need to do the handles (I think I'm going to do two short ones instead of a long crossbody) and a button loop, and then find some fabric to sew a lining. Everything I have in the house is in pastels with little flowers on it. (One wonders how I of all people came to own a bunch of pastel fabric with little flowers. I can only speculate that it was cheap.) She's having a soothing soak now, but here she is before her bath:

My verdict on my first experience of Noro: Meh. It has its uses, a purse being a great one because it makes such a nice, stiff fabric. But it certainly won't become a go-to yarn for me, particularly not in the spring and summer when I'm having my lovely skin allergy on my hands that no doctor can be bothered to identify. Trying to knit Noro with flaky, dry skin is never fun and sometimes painful. Noro knitters may like it rough, but, folks, I am not that masochistic. I'm looking forward to getting back to dependable Cascade 220. If I want color changes, I'll get busy and learn Fair Isle. 

As for the cables, I guess they have their place. I think I'll always be a lace knitter, but I've done enough cabled projects lately that I think I can call myself competent. Frankly, I'm amazed I was able to complete the body of this purse in about two weeks. I have to grudgingly admit that it was the rough stickiness of the Noro that made that possible. I've never had such an easy time cabling without a needle, and that was thanks to the Noro's tendency to stick to itself. And the cables do look impressive, don't they?

I hope the "Da!" portion of this little saga will conclude in another week or two!