Olympic Knitting...observed

There's so much Olympic Knitting going on right now, and what with my being a procrastinator and all, I decided at the last minute to see if I could start and finish a project before the closing ceremonies tonight. After a particularly stressful afternoon trying to coerce the boys to clean their room, I decided I needed some knitting therapy. Once the boys were off to snuggleland, I pulled out some Koigu that's been languishing in the stash since Christmas, and cast on for a Booga Bag. A few hours later, here's what I've got:
I love this colorway. If I had to name it, I'd call it Carribean sunset. I think my favorite part of it is the greenish-blue hues. Makes me want a margarita and to laze on the beach. The bag is stuffed with the pieces of my ribby cardi, so when it's felted and blocked it will look much more square and not so uneven. I made one of these for my sister for Christmas and had to fight the urge not to keep it for myself!

Another project I've been working on...or not working on as it were. I got a Bond Ultimate Sweater Machine on Ebay last summer and found another one not long before Christmas. I put the two together and can use them for knitting long expanses of stockinette stitch quite quickly. I made Liam a sweater using the Bond USM, and loved how quickly I turned it out (two days!). He requested a green sweater, and I just love to do a project that someone asks for!
One of the first things I tried to do was an afghan that is "sew as you go." Basically you pick up a stitch from the edge of the first strip and knit it together with the last stitch of the new strip. I used Lion Brand kitchen cotton to work each square, and it's languished in the UFO pile for a long time. I decided to pull it out on my birthday, and finished up a third strip of squares. I didn't have enough yarn in each color to start a fourth row of strips, so I cast off and will call it a throw. I'm thinking I'd like to put a border of some kind on it, probably using the little bits of color I have left. I've never done a mitered corner before, so that might be a good thing to try.
I do like how it turned out, as the colors are so happy and bright. I already washed and dried it to see how much it would shrink up, and it is very soft. It will make a great coverup for those chilly summer days when the air is on, and the basement feels a little chilly. Actually, I think I've decided to make it a gift for someone special.
It's about the size of our kitchen table, so I guess if I'm in the mood to do another one, I'll know what size to make for a tablecloth ;).

Speaking of my birthday, I got a package on Friday from my best friend Lisa. She's so good at sending cards, packages, and things like that. I'm so not good at that. This year she really outdid herself:
I've been wanting a bag like this for a while. The girls on campus these days aren't carrying backpacks. They carry their things in these type of oversized purses. I was actually planning on knitting and felting one, but the time just hasn't presented itself lately, and I'm too tight on budget to allow myself to go buy one. This bag is great. The color is actually a silver gray with a hint of pink in it. It has pockets on 3 of the outside faces and another inside. I think it will be great for keeping me from dragging too much to campus. It's the perfect size for the days books and a little knitting. I can hide a few pens and knitting odds and ends on the inside, too. I think I'll make a changepurse to go inside it where I can hide my IDs and things.

So thanks, best buddy, for thinking of me!

Ok...only a few hours till closing ceremonies...off I go!