I'm not dead yet! Really!

I've been working a lot for the abstract deadlines and such that are dominating my scientific life, and I longed for a new project which some of you may have heard of. I had some clearance Noro Kabuto in my stash, which tormented me with how I might use it, for itchy unhappiness and rashdom abounded from its wool and alpaca. No Bueno. Since I could knit with it in short bursts but might never wear it, I decided I was going to felt that Kabuto into This.

But Dharia, of Skeintily Clad, said unto me 'Lo, that Kabuto hath Cashmere and silk along with the Alpaca. Thou canst not felt that!' and I responded 'Yea, but I cannot wear it, and would use it for something.' Dharia rejoindered - 'Canst thou not make thy mother something from that lovely Kabuto?' to which I sadly had to rebut 'nay, for she cannot bear the Alpaca either, and I am at my wit's end.' And Dharia said 'I will take that Kabuto from you, and you can pick from my stash.' And it was good. But the stash was packed for moving and muchly dominated by the Evil Alpacas of Rashdom. So I quoth unto Dharia 'If thou wouldst enjoy spinning bulky merino for me, that I still might make the Felted Kitty bed for my venerable cat, I would like that immensely.' And Dharia assented, and avowed that she truly would enjoy the spinning, and yea, even volunteered to dye the yarn for me, for Dharia is a sweetheart.

With the advent of being Muchly Tired of garter stitch edging, and the In-Law Visit this week, I began the soothing circular knit kitty bed. Lo, there was much time to knit on the way to Nantucket. And it was good.






Now only to felt this large, variegated doughnut! We must all praise the Dharia of Skeintily Clad-dom, for the yarn was fun, and soft, and I must aver, knot free.

I troth, I'm in a silly mood. :)

Anyway, the gory details are that I made this from two skeins of Knit Picks Color Your Own Wool of the Andes, dyed by me, and eightish ounces of the worsted-wt-plus that Dharia gave me. I held one strand of the thick and thin wonderful handspun together with one strand of the Wool of the Andes. The eyelash is a bit of Bernat that my mother gave me in a colorway that was only distinguished by its number, which of course I don't remember. The finished product is a bit larger than the given prefelted diameter from the pattern, but that's okay, because Smokey is a Maine Coon/Persian mixed cat, and he's HHHUUUUGGGGEEE. Yeah. Before he gained a lot of weight, he weighed about seventeen pounds. And he wasn't fat then, he was just BIG.

So, does anyone have a zippered pillow case I can borrow for the felting?