Inspiration Saturday: Happy Joss-mas!

So yesterday I shared the knitted items that I sent as part of the Joss Whedon swap, so I thought today would be a good time to show off the neverending spoils I received.  They really did feel neverending, so it's hard to know where to start.  I think I'll just throw it all at you with this collage photo and then attempt to break it down:

What I have so artfully displayed here all came out of a single box!  And if you think packing a box full of stuff is hard, try taking a picture of it all in one frame.

I cannot believe how much knitting my spoiler did in two months of crafting time.  I barely squeaked by with the tea cosy, tape measure, and shawl, but he really went for it.  There were two Aestlight Shawls shawls, one for me and one for my mom.  It really is a lovely pattern, very interestingly constructed to create something lacy and delicate, but with no right or wrong side.

Shawls don't always come in pairs, but socks do, and I have another pair for my beloved collection.  He's called them Dead Man's Party because the Knit Picks yarn colorway reminded him of that particular 'Buffy' episode, and he aptly chose the Zombie Socks pattern.  Suitable for a gathering, shindig, or hootenanny.

Standing in the center there is my own little Joss!  And he even has a tiny Jayne hat, I love him so much.  I also really love my own Jayne hat, because he used a pattern that I have admired for so long and made it into an abstract 'Firefly' reference.  Cunning, indeed.  The original pattern is Nightshade, and again, it's fascinatingly constructed and very cute.

There were also adventures in clay, with a decorated notions tin that had 'Firefly' and 'Dollhouse' references, with 'three flowers in a vase', 'medicinal carrots', and a strawberry on top.  He also fashioned a spindle for me out of a chopstick and clay, which is going to be really fun to play with, along with the distaff he made from braided yarn and beads.  And, of course, I will have to play with my dinosaur clay stitch markers.

Just a classic scene.  He also knit me a Deep Sea Flower notion bag that will hold all of the notions perfectly.

But speaking of bags, let's talk about epic.  Let's talk about a felted tote bag with transparencies from one of my favorite 'Buffy' episodes ever.

It's appropriate that this episode is so silent, because there are no words to describe how amazing this bag is.  I highly recommend clicking the link to his project page and taking a closer look, especially if you're a Joss fan.  It's one of those items you just cannot believe that someone made.  And then that they made it for you.  And then they also knit a little anatomically correct heart to go with it.  Awesome.

Alright, I hope I haven't overwhelmed you too much, but I just felt that even after posting in the swap's Thank You thread, not enough people had been exposed to the wonderfulness of this box.  It truly is inspiring on so many levels.  And I didn't even mention the yarn he dyed.

If you can handle any more inspiration, go over to Woolen Diversions.