My holiday gift to you: the pattern for my cowl design.

I’ve called the design “Victorian Neck Cozy.” The pattern, in pdf format, is here. It’s posted on my Free Patterns page as well, and I’ve put it in Ravelry here.

I made this with 2 skeins of Hand Maiden Swiss Mountain Cashmere & Silk (in the Rainforest colorway) using a U.S. size 5 (3.75mm) needle. It takes about 350 yards, and you could use anything from a heavy laceweight/light fingering weight to a sportweight yarn.

I’m now going to go and hang with Lucy, who is recovering from the holiday weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.

I’m thankful for my comfortable life.

I’m thankful for some very lucky breaks in life.

I’m thankful that my home did not get destroyed by fire last week.

And I’m very thankful for family and all my friends (both real and imaginary)!

Lucy sez:

I’ll be thankful if Momma gets off the computer and gets to roasting that turkey!

I’m making some progress on my cowl — see?

I started at the top of the cowl, and I’m knitting down to the bottom, increasing as I go to widen it to fit over the shoulders:

This yarn is just a dream to knit. So soft, so light . . .

Coraline

Some of you might have figured out that if you enlarge one of my Coraline photos in yesterday’s blog post, you’ll find the password to enter at the Coraline site and view one of the short videos there. (Yeah, I was trying to be subtle and not point it out.) Extra points to anyone who can identify the sweater being worn in that video. 🙂

And through a trackback, I found this blog entry, which links to other bloggers who have received boxes from the Coraline team. If you read these entries, you’ll find other passwords so you can view other videos.

Did I mention how extremely honored and flattered I am to have been chosen to receive the knitting box?

Helping Others

With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, I’m thinking about what I can do to help others less fortunate. Project Linus, non-profit organization that makes blankets for severely abused and ill children, can always use donations of money, materials, and blankets. If you have something to donate, check out the website — the FAQs have information on exactly what they can use and how to donate. I made a monetary donation today as my Thanksgiving gift.

Lucy Sez:

“Is it turkey time? Do we have to wait til tomorrow?”

I just love a good mystery. A couple of weeks ago I got the following email:

Dear Wendy,

I represent a group of artists, puppet-makers, animators, and knitters who, for the past three years, have been working on a new film, Coraline.

We are great admirers of your passion for knitting on especially small needles and therefore want to send you something special. Something handcrafted that only someone like you could appreciate. We only made 50 of these something specials, and we think yours will be right up your alley.

We’d love to send it to you soon, so please, email us back with your mailing address at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

The Coraline Team

Of course I emailed them back. And a couple of days ago I received a mysterious package. Inside, a box:

Check out the lock and key:

Inside, a carefully cataloged collection of artifacts from the movie production:

The movie is stop-motion animation, so I assume these tiny spats were used in production.

Also inside:

The pattern for the sweater that Coraline is wearing in the photo. How cool is that?

Thank you, Coraline Team!

The website for the movie is here and the wikipedia article about the movie is here. I’m really looking forward to seeing this one!

The New Project

My new project, which Lucy was modeling for you yesterday, is a cowl.

I’m making this up as I go along, and if I like the results, I’ll post the pattern for y’all.

The yarn is Hand Maiden Swiss Mountain Cashmere & Silk, in the Rainforect colorway. It is incredibly light and soft, so I think this is a perfect use for it. I have 2 skeins (196 yards per skein) and will likely use at least 300 yards of the yarn for this design.

Speaking of Lucy, does she look comfy to you?

I finished my Midnight Lace Stole yesterday. Did I mention I love it?

It’s so pretty!

Gwendolyn is enjoying wearing it.

Midnight Lace Stole by Sivia Harding, knit in Handmaiden Sea Silk in the “woodland” colorway. My stole took 2.75 skeins of Sea Silk — pattern calls for 3 skeins, so it’s pretty much spot-on.

Sea Silk is sort of a heavy laceweight and is perfect for this design. It adds a bit of weight to the stole, and the drape of the silk is just fabulous. I feel like a 1930s movie star wrapped in this stole. Pity I don’t look like one.

Meanwhile, Lucy would like to show you what I’m knitting now:

Details tomorrow!