Straps, gifts and a hand felted swatch

This is the Oli tank with the right strap done, being modeled by my daughter, Olivia...



I tried to get her to smile but she says that models do not smile! Children are keenly observant aren't they?

And these are gifts from my friend, Jen. She visited Oregon and brought these goodies for me. She is so great for surprising me and making me feel special. It's eerie how she knows me so well, or maybe I'm just that obvious. She told me that they weren't much, only small things. I told her that giving is always large...



I love the Bush gum. Very funny! And the wire art bookmarker will come in handy. The pin will be added to my huge collection. It says...Life, liberty and the pursuit of a good woman for president. My favorite part of her gift is this crochet hook made from ebony. It is made by Jim Langsather, a marquetry craftsman. It is very beautiful. I can't wait to use it...




One more thing I crossed off my list of knitting to-do's. I hand felted the Peace Fleece swatch for the tea cozy. Here it is pre-felting...



And with Olivia's help, it took about twenty minutes to get it felted. We did a hot water and soap bath and after kneading it for a few minutes, did a cold water dunking. It was really neat because I could actually feel the fiber pull tight when it hit the cold water. I even broke a sweat from all the kneading and rubbing. Yes, I am out of shape...you know it's time to hit the gym when your craft projects wear you out!



Here is the felted swatch, aka gift pouch, blocking. Once dry, I will add a handle and try the silk-ribbon embroidery on it.



Once again going against my very own Knitter's Creed, I did not take any notes on this swatch. So I can't give you any specifics, except that I used Peace Fleece. By the photos, it looks as if it felted down about half its original size. What an amazing process! And so much fun.

The corporate guys are in town for work the next week and a half. But hopefully the Oli tank will prevail and I will have a finished object for you this week. Wish me luck...these guys can be so intimidating!