Happy owl day to me. Recent knitting-related birthday gifts (how do they all know I like knitting?):
This ceramic owl is from Oaxaca, Mexico. He is currently guarding my stash.

A beautiful slate-blue skein (richly variegated from being dyed over natural grey) from Sarah, acquired in person near her home in the San Juans. I met the lovely women who run Island Fibers at Madrona last winter. They have wonderful colors.


In August my friend Laurie went on a knitting cruise to the Baltic Sea. She gifted me this wonderful knitting bag from Estonia. (Front and back, above. Detail, below.) It is made with wool although woven, not knit. I am not sure if some of the stitching was done during the weaving process, or if it was applied upon the woven fabric. Either way, I love it. The bag is lined with a cotton fabric and is the perfect size for holding a pair of socks or mittens in progress.

Laurie also gifted me these booklets of Aino Praakli's:

I have two of her books, purchased through Wooly West. Some of these booklets contain the same mitten patterns as the books, but most include patterns new-to-me:

From Leigh, a sweet children's book with humorous illustrations:

I also received a gift certificate to Beaverslide Dry Goods, which I think I will save until I finish some current projects. It's always nice to think about what one might get--the gift lasts longer that way.

Laurie also brought back some knitting books which I promptly added to my collection:

A Russian book, published in 1957. It contains a variety of stitch patterns, some of which I've never seen, including this chrysanthemum-looking one which would make a wonderful summer shell or cardigan:

And this Estonian mitten book:

which is chock full of beautifully charted patterns, including some interesting cuff designs and some unusual (to me) color work. My favorite pair right now is cream and dark brown with a small blue motif at the top of the cuff.

And to help close my schizophrenic web identity, my sweetie gifted me this: go to either sunnydayknitter.com or sunnydayknits.com and you'll be redirected to rainydayknits.com. Thanks, sweetie!