Twice as Good

I'm sharing an older project today where you have seen the more current version already. It is rare that I will knit the same pattern twice. There are just so many different patterns and yarns that I want to try that I never seem to go back to one I've knit before. But the Sursa shawl is different. I've knit it twice now and I wouldn't be surprised if I knit it a third time.

I like the Sursa shawl particularly well because it combines a rustic style wrap with a more modern look that is achieved by the use of a constrasting ruffle trim. It is also unlike anything I have ever seen in the stores and I like to knit things that I could not otherwise buy. It also doesn't hurt that the yarn is Noro silk garden and a pleasure to knit with.


I also love the Sursa shawl because it is a quick knit and I think a superior use for the Noro silk garden yarn. You use US 15 needles with the yarn doubled so it moves along very quickly and before you can say lickety split you are done! Using the yarn doubled also gives the yarn a complexity of color and strength that shows off the fiber to it's best advantage in my opinion.

I can remember when I first saw the Sursa shawl. I was in a LYS and the knitting instructor was wearing it. I thought it was the most beautiful yarn and pattern I had ever seen. This was, of course, well before I had discovered knitting blogs and all the wonder of the infinite variety of yarns and patterns available on-line. Yet, to this day, for the reasons given above it remains a favorite combination of yarn and pattern.

Project specs: Sursa Shawl from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton's Book Number Two; US 15 Needles; 5 skeins Noro Silk Garden; 3 skeins Debbie Bliss Cashmerino; finished dimensions: 23" wide and 75" long.


We would now like to take just a minute to thank Vicki from Knitting Dragonflies for specifically awarding Mr Puffy the You Make My Day Award. Mr Puffy would like to say a few words in thanks.

I am incredibly thrilled by the honor of receiving this Award. I can't believe that my contributions to this blog should be so recognized by one of the knitting community. I would like to thank those that supported me and encouraged me throughout this process. I would also like to thank my mommy and daddy; my grandparents who live in Santa Barbara and have always encouraged me in whatever I've wanted to do and feed me lots of treats; my friends who live on my street, Mia and Ralph, who always want to play with me; and mostly I would like to thank Uno who recently won the first major Award for beagles ever and made it possible for other beagles to succeed in this highly competitive world! Now all I want to do is go to Disneyland and celebrate! Ah-Roo! Ah-Roo!

Sorry about that. He's just a little beagle and doesn't have a well developed sense of proportionality. We won't be going to Disneyland but I think we can manage a trip to our local Three Dog Bakery for a special treat. Thank you Vicki - you make our day too - along with all those other bloggers who have enriched our lives with your shared experiences, humor, and creativity!