My Constant Companion

I have been knitting like crazy over the past week, and I have a few finished projects to share. First, I finished my Feather and Fan comfort shawl. It came out great, and I am very excited about wearing it soon. I just need to weave in the ends, and block it. That will have to wait until this weekend because we have a lot on our plates this week, but I will share photos as soon as it's blocked.

Second, I completed my version of the Constant Companion from Knitter's Stash. I have wanted to make this bag for quite a long time, but I kept putting it off because I knew I wanted to use some great yarn for the project. I finally found the perfect combo of colourways of Nature Wool. I purchased Araucania's Nature wool chunky instead of holding two strands of worsted. I also increased the size by about 20%, and then made the straps much longer. Nature wool felts nice and strong, so it worked out great. I used 2 skeins of Chunky Multi in shade 210, 3 skeins of 136 (purple), 2 skeins of 132 (light blue), and 2 skeins of 120 (dark blue). I bought these during the holiday sale at my LYS so I saved a bundle.

Since this was knit on 11's it was a fairly quick knit. I carried it with me everywhere for about a week, and it was done in no time. It was massive pre-felting. The photo below was taken with the bag on two full size sheets of poster board to highlight it's scale.

I took it to a friend's house on Wednesday last week to felt it. She has a great washer for felting, and it gives me a good excuse to hang out for the day. It felted really quick, and it took about 24 hours to dry. She also helped me cut the holes for the handles since I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was so worried about cutting them too large or crooked. Thanks for all your help Barbara...you're the best.

Here are a few shots post-felting. It was very hard to take some decent pictures because of the rainy weather over the last two days, but you can see the basic shape and color. This picture is shot on the same two pieces of poster board.


I decided not to knit the button or loop. Instead I attached a wooden button on the front, and I am going to add snaps. I like the look much better this way.

Overall, I am very happy with the end result. I wanted a large bag that I can use for daily travels to and from work. This will definitely fit the bill. It is very thick and sturdy, but it is not heavy. I love how the color variation in the yarn makes the bag look swirled.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year's Day. Catch you again in 2008!

A very doxie Christmas!

Happy Day-After-Christmas everyone! I hope everyone had a great day yesterday, and that Santa brought you lots of great presents. We had a great day, and we were able to visit lots of family across the state. We drove a grand total of 9 hours yesterday, and seeing our family members made it absolutely worth every minute in the car. Santa was very good to us (too good in some cases), and it was really fun watching our nieces and nephews open up the gifts we picked for them.

One of my favorite gifts this year came from a co-worker in our Secret Santa exchange. She knows that I am a knitter, so she had her mom knit a matching pair of dachshund sweaters for my two babies. I was blown away. I know how much time and thought went into these, and it literally brought tears to my eyes. Now, our dachshunds are a bit overweight. Not terribly, but both pups could loose a pound or two. So, the sweaters are a bit of a tight fit. We had a ball with them on Christmas eve, and the dogs were actually pretty cooperative throughout the process.

We put them up on a box so that they wouldn't run around like the nuts they are. It's a bit dark in the photo, but overall it's a great shot of the sweaters. Aren't they adorable. Mayer is on the left, and Mini is on the right. Mayer is a longhair double dapple, and Mini is a short hair chocolate dapple. They are my babies, and I love spoiling them.

I am off to a friend's house for a great day of felting, knitting and general good chat. Have a great Wednesday.

Comfort Shawl Progress

I started my Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl this week, and I absolutely love this pattern!! I am having so much fun knitting this shawl, and playing with the Noro colourways. It is very hard to put down, and I have seriously considered not sleeping in order to keep working on it.

The pattern is very easy to follow, and the Silk Garden is amazing to work with despite the zillion knots I have encountered. I am making pretty fast progress, and I hope to have it done by next week. We are going away for a few days very soon, and I would like to wear this on the trip. Here is a photo of my progress so far. It is so big already that it will not fit in my light box.

The lighting is all off in this photo, but I just couldn't wait for some decent weather to post about this project. It has been storming all day, and we may not have very much bright sunlight tomorrow. The colors are much more lively in person. Once I complete it I will take some great outdoor photos. The other thing this photo doesn't highlight is the laceyness of the pattern. It scrunches up on the needles, but here is a closeup to show the pattern a bit more.

I cannot wait to finish this and block it. I love the way feather and fan opens up, and the drape will be gorgeous.

Well, I simply cannot stand sitting next to my shawl without working on it. Have a great weekend! Godspeed to all of you still working on holiday knits!!!

Silk Garden Comfort Shawl

My LYS had a great sale this weekend, so I decided to go ahead and pick out some Noro Silk Garden t0 make the Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl. I have seen so many beautiful versions of the shawl lately. I specifically love Funky Carolina's and Sweet Sheep's. They are absolutely gorgeous.

I decided to use a few different colourways to get a handspun look. I have been admiring the creamy ivory colourway (#269) for quite a while...so I am very happy to have some now. Isn't it a great shade??


I also picked up four skeins of a mauve/pink/purple colourway (#251). Pink is one of my favorite colors so I could not resist. I think it is going to look wonderful with the ivory.


Finally, I picked up a few random skeins for variety.


I am very excited about this project. I wanted to start something that was easy and relaxing. Feather and fan is just right for me now. I have so many projects that I want to make, but they all require some concentration. So they will just have to wait until the holidays are done.

Gnome Name Update

Thanks to everyone who left lovely comments regarding my Alan Dart gnome. You all had some great name suggestions. I have decided to name him Gnorman, and it fits him perfectly.

Happy Monday!

I *Heart* Alan Dart

It took quite a while, but I finally ordered the famous holiday gnome pattern by Alan Dart. I purchased it on eBay from a very nice seller in London. He sent it right away, and in about 10 days it was here. I immediately cast on, and just a couple of days later.....


Isn't he a cutie! I had so much fun knitting this little guy that I immediately knit a second one. I have not seamed up the second gnome, but it is on my soon-to-do-list. The project is very portable, and you can use just about any yarn. The pattern is extremely well written, and I whipped this little guy out in a few hours. It actually took longer to seam him up than it did to knit him.

This was my first experience with mattress seaming that I did not felt. I am not totally happy with my mattress stitching, but by the time i stitched his hat I had it down. Too bad I started on the legs...the most visible part of the gnome. All the quality stitching is on the back!


I bought a small drawstring bag at a local craft store, filled it with lentils, and stuffed it in the main body portion. This allows the little guy to sit straight up with no problems. He is very stable, and he looks adorable sitting on a shelf. His legs dangle just right. This is definitely one of my most enjoyable knitting projects. He has renewed my love for knitting toys. I have been so focused on other projects lately that I have not been working on any toys even though I love them.

If you haven't tried any of the Alan Dart patterns I highly suggest you get your hands on one. The next toy I am going to knit is a dachshund! I bought the Alan Dart dachshund pattern from another eBay seller in England, and it looks like it is very well written. Since I have two mini doxies I am very excited about making this pattern. I will have to wait until after the holidays to start, but at least I can look forward to it!

So, anyone have a suggestion for a name for this chap? He has such personality, but I am stuck on a great name.

Secret Pal 11 Finale

My fantastic Secret Pal sent this lovely package for the finale. She has spoiled me rotten the entire time. She has sent funny e-cards, kept in contact via email, and sent some very neat packages. This package was the absolute best one. Everything was wrapped in beautiful tissue paper, and each item is just perfect. I am just in awe at how thoughtful and wonderful this person has been. Her name is Rose, and this is her blog.

I have to admit, that one of my favorite items in this package is the card. It is a super cute turkey wearing a scarf. I really like it. It's just perfect. Rose included two felt ornaments, a Santa and a Christmas tree. They are both "springy", and they are adorable. They are going on my tree. The box towards the back of the picture is a very nice set of stationary with butterflies embossed on the front. I absolutely love to purchase stationary, and I collect butterfly stuff so this set will fit in nicely. Also included in the package is a very large skein (270 yards) of Seldom Scene Alpaca blend. It's superfine alpaca and merino. It is an aquamarine color, and it is so soft. My second favorite item(s) in the package is the Noro. It is such a delicate shade of purple. It is so soft and silky. And last but not least, a jar of hand lotion by Burt's Bees. I love their products.


I already have plans for everything in the package, but the first item on the list is the incredible Noro Cash Iroha. This yarn is destined to become a Gretel hat. I have had this pattern for a month or so, and I have been dying to knit it. Now I can get started. Thanks Rose!!

**UFO Update**

I am still plugging away at the Celtic Cable scarf I started awhile back. It takes concentration, so it has been neglected. I love the pattern, but it is not a relaxing project. I am very ready for it to be done.

Have a happy Monday evening everyone.