I've got your intarsia right here

So I bought the IK Holiday magazine back in November and on my way home from Barnes & Noble I was flipping through (while driving, 'cause I'm safe like that) and I just *had* to go to my LYS and purchase the yarn to make this Floral Felted Bag by Nicky Epstein. And then it sat in my stash. All $50 worth of cascade 220 (no I didn't spend $90 on the kit... I'm very clever, ask me how).

Well this weekend I decided to no longer be slave to my yarn and I cast it on. Here I am thus far...

It is pinned on the bottom so you can see the pattern clearly. This is my first Intarsia, in fact it's my first color work. Those of you who can count will note that there are in fact 10 seperate strands of yarn back there. Bobbins? I don't need no freakin' bobbins!

I'm on row 33 of 58, no two rows are alike so I have to sit with the pattern in my lap and check every ten stitches or so. On those occaisions where I have thought I knew how the rest of the row went... I didn't. Knitting back in intarsia sucks fatties, so I've decided to forgo that little annoyance and just do the damn thing right.

A close-up-

It's so pretty! Except for the dog hair on the right there... whatever, you own two Golden Retrievers and not have hair EVERYWHERE I dare you.

I have not added the french knots/stem stitch embellishments, I'll do that once I finish the chart and start on the bottom of the bag. Before I start the chart again on the second side. It actually went much faster that I thought it would, and while it is certainly labor intensive knitting (don't forget to twist, and then when you flip the work over be sure to untangle everything) I find it very rewarding.

Tomorrow, I've got some new stash to flash... including....

My Rockin Sock Club kit! hooray socks!