Ishbel and the dragon

Ishbel the first is done and dusted! I'm in love with this pattern. Seriously. I've already finished knitting a second one that just needs blocking. On a related note, a case of the flu has seen me camped out on the sofa with hot tea, my knitting, and the remote control for the past week. How's that for a great spring break and start to the new quarter?

Pattern: Ishbel, by Ysolda Teague, size small
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter MCN fingering, "Nicholas & Alexandra" (Plucky Favorites), 1.1 skeins
Needles: US 6 Clover bamboo 29" circs
Dimensions: 57" wingspan, 18" depth

Notes:
Wonderfully easy pattern to follow that makes perfect sense. I'm a loose knitter, so I used more yarn than recommended and ended up with a significantly larger scarf/shawl. Many thanks to raveler browncurls for sending me a little bit of yarn for me to finish binding off!

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I did a little stashbusting to whip up this little sock puppet for a certain little guy's first birthday:

draco, draconis (m.): dragon

Pattern: Elliott the Dragon, by Jil Eaton (Interweave Holiday 2007)

Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Worsted in "Dublin" & "Dark Navy," under 1 skein each

small amounts of Patons Classic Wool in "Red" and "Paprika"
Needles: US 6 bamboo straights

Notes:
The end result is pretty darn cute -- how can you go wrong with a fire-breathing dragon? The pattern itself, though, leaves a bit to be desired. I shortened the length of the body to about 7" and omitted 1 whole repeat of the crest. I added 5 or so extra garter stitch rows at the beginning of the head to make it bigger, and added 10 or 12 to the mouth. It still looks odd -- he's all gums, if you know what I mean. Next time I would join the head to knit the face in the round to eliminate the awkward seam that goes up his face. On the plus side, crest assembly was quite easy.

The flames are a little silly. Draco looks more like he just ate Raggedy Ann. See what I mean?
Or maybe he's gobbling up a big plate of spaghetti? No matter, it was a fun and quick little project.

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Did you see that craft goddess Alicia Paulson (of Posie Gets Cozy fame) has designed a new line of fabric, "Oregon April"? You can find it here. Portland's totally calling my name. It might be able to give Madison or Boulder a run for the money.

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The latest installment in our "cat yoga" series: