i have been longing to work with

classic elite yarn’s mesa again

ever since i designed larkspur last year.

i have a soft spot for semi-solid colors and mesa’s colors drew me right in.

i quickly knew that i wanted to make a small bag and name it ‘aura’.

(‘aura’ is latin for ‘daylight’ or ‘gentle breeze’.)

at first i wanted a pocket on the front

(i have a thing for pockets, too),

but because of the shaping of the bag

i struggled to find a pocket shape and size that did not look awkward.

the bag was already knit at this point

making intarsia and fair isle no longer options.

as i began to think about what design i might want on the front of a cheerful little bag,

the answer hit me right between the eyes: a slug.

ok, not your typical

or expected answer.

do let me explain.

i have a fear

of slugs

(and shell-less

snails as well).

give me the crunch of a spider or the scurry of a mouse any day.  i’m fine.

the undefined mass of a gooey slug or the squish of one under my garden boot

makes me stomach turn over and my nerves fray.

don’t know why.  it just is that way.

my thought was ‘if i can sew

the most whimsical slug onto this bag,

will that help me to reframe their whole species in my head?

to see them in a new and better light?

to overcome this ridiculous fear?’

i even left the sweet name, ‘aura’, in tact.

how could i be afraid of something connected to

daylight and gentle breezes?

by the way, the verdict is still out.

i’ve not seen a single slug since i stitched this.

perhaps they’ve been scared away by such a cutesy oversized likeness of themselves?

i can only hope.

‘daylight’ taken from 10:27 of matthew.