Brown Bag Exchange

My knitting guild, the Windy City Knitting Guild has a Brown bag Exchange every year. You put a skein of yarn (or more depending upon the predetermined project, i.e. socks, scarf...) in a bag, a number is put on the bag, and you choose a bag (not your own, of course). Then you find a pattern for the yarn and knit something lovely for your recipient. Had I thought about all of this ahead of time, I could have taken photos of the bag, but I didn't so use your imagination.

The project this year was a sock, a single sock using a free pattern. The idea was to help someone get a pair of socks - without risk of the dreaded second sock syndrome.

Here are some photos of the sock I made in progress...(yes, that is Chocho's paw, she was very helpful that day)


The completion date was in December, but there was a huge snowstorm that day, and I asked D to take the train home hoping that he might make it home on time. Did he? No. By the time he arrived home it was far too late to go the meeting, and there was a bit too much snow to get there and be able to park. The recipient would have to wait, and since I had the 2nd skein of yarn I decided to just go ahead and make the second sock. I liked the way the patterning of the yarn and knit purl pattern on the sock worked out, it didn't scream BEE STRIPE, and it wasn't too busy. The pattern is Glacier Lake from Yes! Suna Knits!, and the yarn is Lorna's laces Bee Stripe.

The best part of the brown bag exchange is getting your brown bag back with your goodies, and I got goodies!!!! I got a Queen of Cups sock, and an adorable mug (keeping with the cup theme) with an argyle border, some hot cocoa, some coffee, and chocolate. Ollie approved, and was glad to see the yarny goodness there, and he was pretty intrigued by the little bell on the bag.



Thanks C, it is so very lovely! The sock is so pretty, that it almost makes me want to say it is too pretty to wear, except that I don't believe in that sort of thing (which is why I lost one of my exquisite Estonian mittens). If I don't wear it who will? Now I've got to get going on the second sock, it's killing me!