This was the source of all my joy and happiness last week-end after discovering how much fun it is to use the Norwegian method of purling.  I wanted to test out my new found skill on a small project and I also wanted to explore what these Rowan yarns were all about for Fair Isle knitting, hoping for a softer wool since I live in a warm weather climate.  The Felted Tweed was a nice surprise, softer than Shetland wool, but still nice and firm for Fair Isle knitting, more limited range of colors, I know, a real drawback, but the yarn was very texturally consistent, never going from thick to thin which sometimes happens with the Shetland and some Norwegian fingering weight yarns.  These fingerless mitts (pattern by Martin Storey) are knit in flat rows so I had my Rowan yarn, flat row knitting, with Norwegian purling and this is the end result, a single mitten for my son.  There is a side seam that has to be sewn up still before I’m finished with the first one and then on to the next.  (The tea cozy in the background is from the Fall ‘07 Marie Claire Idees.)

Another highlight from the week-end was discovering teddy!  It was love at first sight!  We found him in a little antique store sitting in his little rocking chair in front of a window surrounded by all these beautiful quilts and emboidered tea towels.  I love that he is made all out of original feed sack cloth, and the colors are so precious for a little boy, tans, browns, and blue green.  He is with us in our family room every day keeping us company.  Ever since I made my first doll quilt I had hoped to find an antique teddy bear chair or a doll bed to put it on, so it was the luckiest flea market discovery I ever made but a long time coming.  I understand the thrill of discovery when people post about these things!  Its always a little sad too because I wonder what happened to the little boy and his mother or grandmother who made this for him?  My guess is that back in the day when things like this were made with feedsack cloth, no one would have ever dreamt that it would become so treasured, even when it became very faded and the seams began to fall apart.  Still, I feel sad that they gave Teddy away, and at the same time I felt very fortunate to be the next person to treasure him.