I guess the knob is personal preference. I use this:
http://lathewerks.com/shop/product_i...roducts_id=167
Both feel awesome. No burning your hand off when it's hot out.
As far as the shifter goes... seriously. Just do it all at once and be done with it. I couldn't go back to a stock shifter if I wanted to. The throws are so much shorter and they feel literally 100% better than stock. Best $150 that I've spent so far.