BITS AND PIECES of BITS AND PIECES

First I want to thank everyone for the kind comments both on and off the blog.
I thought I would add a few details about the tote. First, I used the slip stitch method and just made up the design as I went according to what color scraps I had. I started by knitting a large rectangle, then picked up all of the stitches on four sides with a 24" circular and knit in the round changing yarn colors and never working with more than two colors at a time. I knit until I ran out of yarn, then felted the whole mess. Believe me, I wasn't sure that it would turn out to be anything useful. If you haven't tried color work using the slip stitch method, it is so easy and perfect for projects that you intend to felt.
As far as the leather strap goes, we have a fabric outlet that always has a large bin of scraps of beautiful leather. There are lots of different colors and the shapes of the pieces are irregular. My daughter pieced the handle together and used a walking foot on the sewing machine to sew the thing together. As for the grommets, they are industrial strength with teeth and a deep channel to hold soft fabric tight. I found that little grommets just pulled right out.
Hope this helps explain my accidental tote.
Good source for the slip stitch and color work is the Sally Melville color book, although I'm sure you can find sources on the web if you google "slip stitch".