AKA the Amazing Four-Day Shawl.

Cast on Thursday at knitting and finished last night.

I got a fair amount of the ruffle done Saturday night while shadowing the sound tech for Enchanted April (I’m running sound for some of the performances) and finished it off while watching “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” last night.

So, yes, although I “blamed” Aimee and Cristi for this one, you guys are right - I love it, and I’m not at all upset that they enabled me into it.  As you might have guessed from the cheesy grin.

And just for Aimee - Zombie Face!

And for further proof, the jacket he did for Kris:

Back view:

Sleeve one:

Sleeve two:

Tom was going for a manly version of the traditional comedy and tragedy masks, and I think he did a damn good job, as does Kris. He’s THRILLED with it.

You may remember my mentioning my younger brother Tom here before. He’s the one who gave me the kickass haircut and color when we went to Las Vegas (where he lives) in ‘06, and the recipient of my first “We Call Them Pirates” hat last Christmas. Tom and I weren’t all that close when we were growing up (at least, not once I hit high school), mostly because we were very, very different. Now, however, he’s truly one of my favorite people, and I am so proud of him for finding something that he is good at and that he loves, and being a success in doing it.

He has always been very artistic. He has done some amazing work through the years (Some of it can be seen on his MySpace page), and if I can ever figure out how to get one of his canvases here from Vegas, I want one.

Anyway, I got a call from him shortly before Christmas, letting me know that he had lost track of time and that he wasn’t going to be done with the gifts he was making for Kris and I in time to get them shipped to us. We talked about it, and decided it was going to be simpler for him to just wait until after New Year’s, when the shipping companies would settle down a little. He did email both Kris and I pictures of our gifts on Christmas morning, and this Saturday, the much-awaited box arrived.

He hand-tooled and painted this gorgeous leather bag for me! It’s a perfect size for all of my daily basics (plus a knitting project, of course), and I switched to it the instant I opened the box.

Check out the knitting needles on the front! Clearly, he knows me pretty well. :D

Under the flap - I need to make a “hand made original” tag for my knitting. I like that idea!

The skull and “One OV” logo also refer to the clothing business that he and an old friend of his have started - they do handpainted leather jackets, and have sold some to a clothing boutique in Las Vegas (Two of which have been sold by the store!). The next time we go visit, Kris is going to do a photo shoot of the stuff they’ve done, and finish building their website.

Just wait until tomorrow - Kris is going to get some shots of his Christmas gift tonight (a GORGEOUS painted leather jacket), plus I will have pics of my completed (and currently drying) Sursa.

Tom, thank you so much - I really, really love this bag, and I can’t WAIT to show it off to everyone!