Lots of updates!

Well I've got lots of updates: WIP, Yarn, New Totebag, and finished objects!
Currently I've got a market bag on the needles, it's a really nice relatively easy pattern, and it's working up quickly (okay, so the size 13 needles help). I'm planning on making more for Christmas presents this year in an effort to be more "green."
I celebrated my 25th birthday last week and to celebrate I bought some yarn (Audacity!) from Black Bunny Fibers, and some needles from KnitPicks. I bought some of the Harmony fixed circulars in 7, 8, and 9. I have the Options in nickel, but I don't know if I like them. I might look into getting a Harmony interchangeable set in the next year or so. I also got a size 1 needle in both the Option (nickel) and Harmony (wood) to try my luck at Magic Loop with socks (eventually).
I joined Team Obama in the Knitting Olympics on Ravelry- now I just need to pick my project!
Like the preemie hats in the primaries, the Knitters for Obama on Ravelry have started up the charity knitting for the general election. This time around it's for homeless veterans. We're making hats, scarves, wash cloths and lap blankets. I finished 4 cloths with many more planned.
I am trying to get all my yarn, needles and patterns organized for my upcoming move sometime before the end of August, it's been quite the task!
And now, for the WIP, Yarn, Totebag, and FOs!

My latest WIP is a Market Bag. I'm trying to be more "green"....and plastic bags are just awful for the environment.
I'm using the Market and Bottle Bag pattern/kit from Peaches & Creme. I'm using the Gumdrops color scheme. It is not my favorite, but it was my favorite of the colors offered. Just because I knew that I would probably want to make more (and I really do!), I got some more colors of the double worsted: Mocha Swirls, Seabreeze, Blackwatch, and Daisy Ombre. I think I'm going to make market bags for Christmas presents this year.
I started the bag at Stitch N Pitch. Right now I'm getting to be pretty close to being done with the "mesh" part of the bag. It was a pretty quick knit, and the double worsted is a great choice for a market bag. The mesh is very stretchy. This was also my first project knitted in the round. Hooray!

This is the Audacity colorway from Black Bunny Fibers. All the proceeds go to Obama.
This is a wool/nylon blend sock yarn. So now I need to learn how to make socks!! I just bought some KnitPicks needles, so I'm gonna have to learn how to do Magic Loop and learn how to make socks (I hate DPNs!). Maybe for the Knitting Olympics....I'm gonna have to figure out what I'm doing for the Olympics!

Some pictures of my new knitting bag!! In addition to being an awesome bag for Obama, it's a pretty awesome sized bag for toting around my projects and such! Yea!!

This is the Skrap Lace Rice Paddy from the Cloth of the Week group on Yahoo. I liked this pattern too, but it got kinda boring because of the sheer size of this cloth. I did the biggest size on this one. It will be a really nice size cloth, but it got pretty boring! I used the Olive color in a worsted weight cotton, but I like to refer to it as the Army Green color. :)

Close-up of the Lace Rice Paddy.

I kinda made up this pattern. Instead of using the typical worsted weight, I decided to use up some of the Peaches & Creme Double Worsted Weight yarn that I have on hand. It makes for a very thick washcloth!! This particular cloth used US size 10 needles. I think the combination of the thicker double weight yarn and texture of the seed stitch will make for an awesome cloth.

Close-up of the seed stitch. Blech to seed stitch.

I really like this pattern. I used the Southwest Fiesta Rib cloth pattern from Maile Mauch. It was a really easy pattern but seed stitch and I are not friends. The border was sheer torture. It looks cool though. I used Peaches & Creme Earthtone instead of the Fiesta color because the shelters are requesting "male" colors rather than "female" colors, which is totally fine with me. :) It gives me a chance to use up some of the yarns that I have (ie the P&C Earthtone, which is a really nice color scheme, but I don't like it that much for me).

The four cloth- just need to weave the ends in. I'm not a huge fan because I miscalculated the ends again but a cloth is a cloth. It'll work. Plus, I like the colors!

Stitch N Pitch!

Stitch N Pitch is coming up! It's on Wednesday! Hooray!
I don't know what I'm going to work on at Stitch N Pitch. I have a lot of market bags in the works but I am having a devil of a time with the long tail cast on and it's driving me crazy. Sigh.
Number one in my ravelry queue is Knitty's Everlasting Bagstopper. Seriously, it doesn't even look hard. What am I having trouble with? Oh yeah, that's right, the freaking cast on!!!! I love the long-tail cast on, but mine is starting to look like absolute garbage. I have no idea what I am doing wrong and some of the ladies in my knitting group can't figure it out either. So I have had to resort to using the cable cast on for anything that I want to have a decent edge.
I wish I had a picture of what I'm doing wrong but I get too frustrated to keep it around for long enough. Maybe tomorrow I will spend some time working on it, and post pics so hopefully one of the two or so people that read my knitting blog will be able to help out. :)