Holiday Hangover

Christmas is over, the presents are all gifted, the guests are gone and I'm left with the clean up. The holiday traditions of taking down the tree, putting away the stockings and storing all the decorations once more. I think I'll get it done - - - - tomorrow! Here are the fingerless mitts I made for Horsey Girl for Christmas. Her new favorite color is turqouise so she was quite pleased with them. Notice the fancy manicure purchased with a gift certificate she got for Christmas. These were a really quick knit - cast on 30 stitches, then I did a rib of 3 rows stockinette and 2 rows of garter stitch. Then you sew them up - leave a space for the thumb and viola! Many thanks to my wonderful SP8 pal Brooke for the idea. I hope all of you had wonderful holidays and are surviving the holiday hangovers!

I've Been Tagged - but Really - I'm not weird!

"THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the "6 weird things about you." People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Here are 6 weird things about me:

1. I have an obsession with pens. I'm looking at my desk right now and there must be over 100 pens ranging from the cheapo $2 ones to expensive nice pens.
2. If I drink too much I get a southern accent (I think because I learned to talk when I lived in Texas)
3. My Mom says it's weird that I always know where things are - even in her house!
4. I once turned my hair orange by using fresh Henna I purchased in Egypt.
5. I'm born and raised in California but I despise avocados.
6. I can fall asleep just about anywhere including in Star Wars movies or at Bruce Springsteen concerts.

OK thanks Monica and Janice for tagging me, now who to tag??? Judy, Jennifer, Lynae, Brooke , Sherri and Amber hope you don't mind and of course you don't have to play if you don't want too. That darn Bonnie beat me to the punch and tagged lots of folks already. I tried not to repeat but may have botched that! It is hard to think of 6 things that are weird, because to me they aren't weird. I had input from my parents. I was too afraid to ask my husband for input as I'm not really sure I want to know the answer from him and I DEFINITELY don't want to know the answer from my kids!

Memories of Christmas Past

Given my trip to Chicago and the hectic nature of the holidays, I don't have any new photos to post of my knitting projects. I have been knitting but nothing is at an interesting enough point to post photos. So here is a photo of the Lady Elanor shawl I made for my Mom last Christmas. Since I didn't have a blog at that time I never posted a photo so I thought I would share it with you this holiday. It is made out of Karoke soy silk and it was very fun to knit but it took me 2 months. This year nothing quite so ambitious for holiday knitting. Sorry Mom!

There's No Place Like Home

Greetings from the Windy City where I am this week on a business trip. Actually it's more like the very cold, wet, grey city this week. I tell you it's a shock to the system for this California girl. Nothing like going somewhere else to make you appreciate how nice things are at home. I'm dreaming of sunny California which actually is a bit silly since it's been pouring rain there this week! To brighten my day (and hopefully yours) here is a photo of yarn for - you guessed it - ANOTHER ballband bag.
On Sunday we held my son's 4th birthday party at The Jungle in Saratoga and I can tell you there's no better place to let a pack of wild 4 year olds run off energy. Think hamster tubes for children . . . And it just so happens to be a mere 4 miles away from Knitting Arts - a yarn store I had heard about but never visited. So after the party Mom and I took a field trip. Poor Dad got dragged along but they have thought of everything - outside the store is a pleasant bench with a basket of magazines include Sports Illustrated and other such faire for the typical visitor to that bench! Well Mom found the Daiko yarn that Monica uses in the original ballband! I was so excited - I've not been able to find it so far so of course I was forced to pick some up. I think this will be more of a spring ballband given the colors but I'll post photos soon! And not to fear - I have three knitting projects with me for the trip even though I've only had about 3 hours total to knit while I've been here! Hope you are all staying warm and dry.

P.S. I have heard from several of you who live in and around Chicago (and also every morning on the local news) that it was unseasonably warm when I was there. I do believe that and I appreciate the fact the days were in the 40's and not the 10's. After the first two days the sun did show itself. Since I was stuck in a windowless conference room all day I did appreciate the few times I got to take a break and walk around outside. Even though unseasonably warm, I can tell you after 10 minutes walking outside without a coat you were awake! Very refreshing. Sorry no visit with Lynae or trips to yarn stores as I had to work the whole time. Hope it stays warm there!

Sophie Bag

I finished the Sophie Bag for my sister for Christmas. It knits up VERY quickly and I think it turned out really cute. The Moda Dea yarn felted fairly well and was a little fuzzy. I was going to shave it but then I decided I liked the soft look it gave. I might try doubling the yarn in the future to make a somewhat thicker, sturdier bag but hopefully my sister will like this one.

Ballband Tree

I've taken the ballband craze to another level - I made a ballband Christmas tree bag! I was looking at the holiday bag I made and suddenly saw the outline of a tree in the bands. So I sketched out a pattern and viola! The ballband tree holiday bag. I added a little star button and actually used a drapery tie as a handle (can't believe I found one that matched). Happy Holidays to all!

Sophie's Choice

In my copious free time I decided to knit a bag for my sister for Christmas. I've been wanting to try the Sophie bag so that is what I am making for her. I've seen the bag on many a blog and it always looks so cute. I'm using Modea Dea Cartwheel in Bronzeberry and it is very soft, I've never used this yarn before so I'm crossing my fingers that it felts well. The sophie bag knits up really quickly so hopefully I'll have no trouble getting this done before the holidays. Of course when I finish it I can make another ballband bag!

Red Scarf Project Part Deux

Just so you don't think I spend all my days working on ballband bags - here is another scarf I am knitting for the Red Scarf Project 2007. I love the stitch pattern - it's sort of a wavy dropped stitch that I found in a stitch a day calendar. I may have a hard time parting with this one! More ballband bags soon, don' t worry.

Ballband Bag Bonaza

I've been working on the November project for the Bag Me Along KAL. It's the Ballband Bag created by Monica. It is a great, fun pattern that knits up really quickly. The color combinations are endless and it's really quite addicting! I first made one with Brown as the main color and dark blue, light blue, tan and off white as the contrasting colors. I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes. It was nice to work with and it's very inexpensive so it's no problem to buy lots of colors. However I'm not that thrilled with how it felted. I had to run it through the machine several times to get it as felted as it is. I do like how it turned out though and I found this really cute button to go on it. Since I'm now addicted I immediately had to make my next ballband bag. I decided to make on in Christmas colors. I'm just having a hard time figuring out a handle for this one. I did find a really cute button for this one as well at a new yarn store in San Mateo called Nine Rubies. It's run by an absolutely delightful woman who is ver helpful. I'm not on to my third bag, I've got an idea for this one that should be really neat if it works. I'll show you as soon as I'm done. Then Monica did one that is brown and pink that is oh so cute, I may have to do that one next, and then, and then, and then!

Fools Rush In

As they say, "Fools Rush in where Angels Fear to Tread." I started the Hypehn Boy Bag and so far I'm on the fourth tier. It really is not hard, it just takes some time. Getting started is probably the toughest part! Don't be intimidated by the lengthy directions - most of it deals with color combinations. However since I took the easy route and am using two main colors(rather than 8!) and one contrasting striping yarn I don't have to worry about any of the color directions. The tear drops as I call them basically are one pattern that's simple to memorize. I'm not sure how long it will take me to finish it but I'm happy with how it is turning out. I got a wonderful surprise this week from Bonnie. I originally met Bonnie in the ISE and then she and I became two of the hostesses of the International Tote Exchange. It has been really great getting to know Bonnie and I feel like we have known one another for years. Out of the blue I received a gorgeous birthday mailing envelope. In it were some wonderful gifts from Bonnie including some amazingly soft alpaca yarn
that she got while away for the weekend at a B&B that was also an alpaca farm. I've been admiring the yarn on her blog and never thought it would find its way to me. I just love it and now have to figure out something really special to make out of it. Thank you so much Bonnie - you are too good to me! Then if that wasn't enough I got a second package in the mail. This one was from my downstream pal from the Tote Exchange - Jennifer. She made me an absolutely gorgeous needle case. It has beautiful purple fabric on the outside with a pretty gold button. But then when you open it the real beauty jumps out. Insider there is some absolutely incredible batik fabric with dragonflies on it. I love purple and I love dragonflies. This needle case couldn't be more perfect for me. Thank you so much Jennifer - I love it! I feel like the luckiest knitter on earth!!

Yes I need another Felted Bag

I have begun yet another felted bag. Why is it that these bags are so addicting? When I first started knitting I actually thought that felted bags were ugly. They were rough and scratchy and why would anyone in their right mind spend a bunch of time knitting just to shrink all that effort? That is still a question I have no answer for but I have been sucked in to the world of felting. I am now trying the Hyphen Boy Modular Backpack based on Judy's amazing results. I think it's absolutely gorgeous and it is definitely a challenge from the usual felted bag. I have chosen the easy route of using just 3 colors rather than the 16 called for in the pattern! Instead of having 8 different combinations I'm going with alternating rows of blue and pink with a multicolored Noro Kureyon as the contrasting stripes. The funny thing is that I chose the exact same color of Noro as Judy did! Next posting will be some progress pictures!

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Knitters

Well after I made that nice list of all the projects I was taking on my trip the mailman threw a wrench in my plans. When I got home from work late Thursday night there was a package. To my surprise it was my order from Moorehouse Farms. It arrived really quickly so of course since that was the newest item I had acquired I was forced by the knitting gods to drop all else and start that. So I'm making a Gekko scarf and it is turning out so cute! I must say though that the head is HUGE!! I'm not sure what child they think wants a scarf with a head as big as their chest but I will continue because I think he'll just snuggle with it anyway rather than wear it as a scarf. I did knit on my red scarf project on the way down while Mom drove - Thanks Mom!! I also got started on the Hyphen Boy but only got 5 of the first 8 triangles done. Oh well - there's always tomorrow.

Life is Uncertain - Eat Dessert First!

I have always liked that saying - I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a chocaholic! But I think it is an important reminder that we should be sure to focus on the fun and good things in life and not always put them off because we have to do the other, more responsible things. Take for instance a trip. I am going away this weekend with my daughter and her friends in celebration of her 13th birthday. Mom is coming with me and we plan to do a lot of relaxing and knitting. I have been extremely busy at work and haven't had any time to think about what I should pack let alone start packing. I HAVE however, spent a great deal of time thinking about what knitting items I should take with me. I will be taking this scarf I am making for Red Scarf Project 2007, another scarf I am making for said project, the yarn and pattern to start a hat for the soldiers for the Ships Project and based on Judy's terrible influence - the yarn and pattern to start the Hyphen Boy Modular backpack. Now mind you we will be at our destination for a grand total of about 42 hours but I plan to do a lot of knitting and heaven forbid I should run out of projects! Priorities folks, PRIORITIES!

My Tote is Off

I finally finished my bag for the International Tote Exchange. I decided to make a backpack so my pal could get a lot of use out of it. It doesn't look so great in the photo but in real life I think it looks pretty good. Hopefully my pal will think so too! I found some wonderful, soft Malabrigo and knit and knit and knit. You can see the cool stitch pattern here. Also there are some neat diamonds at the top. This is what it looked like before felting. The alligator is there as apoint of reference. After felting the bag is the same size as the gator. I'm very happy with how this turned out with the one exception that the felting all but obliterated the stitch definition. I really loved the stitch and the inset diamonds and it's a shame they sort of went away with felting. Then when you look inside you get a surpise - a deep blue interior (sorry for the blurry photo). So now it is winging its way around the country to a hopefully happy recipient! Enjoy.

I got my Scarf Too!

It was a banner week - not only did I get my tote from the Tote Exchange but I got my scarf from the International Scarf Exchange! Christy knit me the most beautiful purple scarf - my favorite color! It's a really cool stitch and it is warm, soft and snuggly. I love it. She also included postcards of the various places my scarf went to visit before it came to me - what a cool idea? She also sent along some other goodies including some yummy chocolate drink mix and a magnet and card she made herself. She's a stamper too! Thank you, thank you Christy - I love my new scarf and I feel so spoiled this week!

Tote Received!

Thank you so much to Tabitha for my tote from the International Tote Exchange II! It arrived this week and I am so excited to finally see what it looks like. Tabitha has been knitting less than a year but she did a great job. I love the yarn and the colors - they are perfect for fall. She wrote me the sweetest note about how she tried many different patterns and yarns trying to find just the right one. I am so touched Tabitha that you spent some much effort on the tote for me. The bag has a really great pin to hold it closed. She also sent me a beautiful cotton and lace handkerchief style bag with a dragonfly on it. It's very delicate and beautiful. Also a cool notebook and some peppermint tea. I really appreciate all of her efforts.

When Yarn Finds Its Calling

It's a beautiful thing. Some yarn is clearly meant to be something basic. For instance cotton is usually a blanket, dishcloth or sweater. Cascade 220, as much as I love it, is usually a felted bag or maybe a sweater or scarf. But some yarns are just beautiful works of art waiting to break free. I hear that some sculptors will stare at a block of rock for days trying to determine the sculpture waiting to come forth from the rock. My purple yarn is one of those rocks. I bought this yarn to make my scarf for the ISE but it was definitely too thick for the Matthew scarf. I tried several other patterns but nothing was quite right. I couldn't bring myself to return the yarn as I loved it too much so I bought the Koigu for my Matthew scarf. Then one night surfing the web I found a description of the turkish lace stitch. It said it was lace for the lace impaired. That is definitely the truth. Well I tried it out and viola - mu Turkish Delight Scarf was born! I believe I have found the true calling of my purple skeins of yarn. I am so happy with this scarf which is destined to be a Christmas present. However I love it so much I'm making one for myself!

It Takes a Village (or at least Mom)

I'm done - I'm finally done! At long last my Berroco suede tote is finished! It was the August Oh Bag Me KAL project and come October it is finally finished. I finished knitting it in August but it has taken this long to do all the finishing. And I must admit that I haven't done most of the finishing - my wonderful and talented mother has done it. She sewed it up for me and put in the lining and the rest. Isn't she great? THANKS MOM - you are wonderful. Now I can use my bag with pride. I'm so excited that it's done.

The Definition of Insanity

I once read that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. I think I can be declared officially insane. I continue to think I'll just "quickly knit up a baby blanket" but of course that is NEVER the case. The very first thing I knit was a blanket for my son but despite the fact that it was just garter stitch it took me 7 months! I seem to have a passion for knitting baby blankets. Not that there's anything wrong with that - just that it takes so darn long. I think the excitement of a new baby causes me to take leave of my senses and think that I can become Super Knitter and knit up a blanket in a jiffy. Maybe if I used thicker yarn or a simpler pattern but no - I usually am using yarn on a size 6 or 8 needle and a more complex pattern. I once again have taken leave of my senses and decided to make a baby blanket for a friend who is adopting a baby girl from China later this year. Never mind I still am not even half way through the other baby blanket I'm working on and have a dozen UFOs! I think I can be declared officially insane but hey - there will be lots of time to knit at the funny farm!

Deadlines in Knitting

Most of us have taken up knitting as a way of relaxing and taking a break from our high pressured lives. It is rythmic and takes your mind off a multitude of problems. So why is it that we find ourselves taking on knitting projects with deadlines? A baby hat or blanket for a baby on the way? A holiday present we decide to make 2 weeks before the holiday arrives? A scarf exchange? Well I'm no exception and constantly find myself with at least one item of deadline knitting in my bag. Currently it is both my tote exchange bag and my International Scarf Exchange Scarf - both of which are due this month! Pictured here is my scarf on the way to completion. It is the Matthew scarf and I have really enjoyed making it. I'm using two strands of Koigu Painter's Palette held together. I've finished the 8 repeats up one side, the ribbing that goes round the neck and now I've come down the other side and have only 2 repeats and the edging to do. My goal is to finish and mail it off this weekend. I'll actually be ahead of schedule - imagine that!

Manos del eBay

Why is it that if something is for sale in an auction we automatically think it must be a good deal? We start bidding low and then keep going as we get out bid and decide that if someone else wants it then we must have it! I think that is the secret of eBay's success. They concept behind eBay is that it is an on-line auction where you can get good deals or find hard to find items but there are lots of things for sale that are no cheaper than if you bought them in the store. Some of them are even more expensive! But I fell for it and bought some Manos del Uruguay yarn. It seemed like a good price - $4.50 for a skein. But then of course there is $6.00 of shipping! But that $6 stays the same if you buy 2 items so I bought 2 skeins . . . Now all in all I think I did get a good deal because for $15 I got two skeins of Manos delivered to me but unfortunatley the color is not at all the same as it was in the photo. On eBay this yarn is a very deep dark purple. However in real life it is this light motled purple. It's still pretty but not what I thought I was buying. So is it still a bargain? I suppose that depends on what I decide to make out of it. Any suggestions?

My Epic Novel

Have you ever noticed how knitting is like an epic novel? At first, you meet the players - the yarn, the pattern, the new stitch on the block. Then we do a little character development - how does the yarn look off the skein, knit in the pattern? What's the gauge? Do you understand the pattern's motivation? Then the story begins and goes along swimmingly at first, you're turning pages like there's no tomorrow and then IT HAPPENS. There has to be a plot twist. A heart wrenching turn of events. If there isn't then you don't really have a good story do you? You need an epic battle or an evil villan to make it more interesting. We must slay the dragons to come out victorious. Then of course we have to finish up with a happy ending or else you won't recommend the book to your friends now would you? Well I believe I am approaching my epic battle in figuring out the next section of my tote for the International Tote Exchange but I am hoping that I will emerge the heroine and it will all have a happy ending. Stay tuned for future installments.

I Love Surprises!

I came home from work the other day to a great surprise. My friend Bonnie had sent me a package. In it was a Knit It! magazine she thought I'd like and some Lions Brand Cotton Ease and some Cotton Fleece. She'd been telling me about these yarns and how much she likes them. I've never knit with them before and so I'm really looking forward to trying them out. What is even more special is that she sent me a purple skein of each. Both Bonnie and I love purple and apparently they don't make these yarns anymore. So for her to part with the purple skeins was extra special. Many thanks to Bonnie - this was so sweet. I can't wait to make lots of purple things!!

Why is it so hard to knit for someone else?

I don't think I've ever gone to a yarn store and left without some yarn. Even when I've gone for a specific purpose like handles or a pattern - there is always something that calls to me - some yarn just begging to be knit. Now maybe I've just publicly admitted that I have absolutely no self restraint (fine - I'll admit that) but my point is that when I go to the LYS looking for yarn for someone else I find that nothing is "quite right." Why is that? I have joined the International Scarf Exchange again and have been assigned my pal. I've read her likes 3 or 4 times and set off to the yarn store. I walked around and around. Nothing seemed to work. Too thick, too thin, not soft enough, not the right colors and finally I settled on some nice yarn and bought 3 skeins (I'm always afraid I will run out). Then I kept looking at the yarn, showing it to my SP8 pal Brooke and worrying that one of the colors that ran through it might not appeal to my pal. So I returned the yarn and got some yummy soft yarn that seemed perfect. I knit a swatch and quickly realized it was way too think for the pattern I had chosen. Even if I cut back some stitches each side was going to be about 10 inches wide! So then I had to decide - a different pattern or different yarn. I had my heart set on the Matthew scarf so off I went to a different yarn store. I walked around for about 45 minutes (it's not that big!) once again finding nothing that was quite right. I found LOTS of yarn I wanted, but for some reason nothing seemed quite right for my pal. Finally I found some Koigu that seemed like the perfect color. I'd heard that people love Koigu and that to knit thicker things you just put 2 strands together. So I got it. Now I'm making the scarf with the Koigu Painters Palette and I do love the colors - they remind me of a Monet painting. But I'm worried that it is not a soft and snuggly yarn! It's funny because at the Yarn Harlot event I was talking to a nice woman in line behind me and she asked what I liked to knit. I told her I was doing some exchanges and she said, "Really? Don't people just knit up crappy stuff and send it?" I had to laugh - if only she knew the stress and trauma we all go through in these exchanges! Maybe I should just go knit something for myself - I know I have some yarn . . . .

The Day the Harlot Came to Town

Tonight the Yarn Harlot came and spoke at my LYS. I have been so excited to see and hear her and she did not disappoint. She spoke for an entire hour and was hilarious the whole time. I know from reading her blog that she is nervous speaking in front of large crowds but she sure doesn't show it. There were over 300 people there and she seemed as calm as could be. Afterwards I got some books autographed and she even held my Tote Exchange tote (together with the infamous sock!) for a photo op. Hopefully my downstream pal will think it's a cool as I do that her bag has been fondled and photo'd with the Harlot. She knew instantly that it was Malabrigo yarn. That really surprised me because there are so many yarns in the world but she recognized it right away. I told her it was my "first time" with Malabrigo and she said, "beware - it won't be your last!" Another really great part of the evening was that I got to meet my SP8 Upstream pal in person. Brooke drove over 4 hours to see the Harlot and it was so fun to meet her. Since I don't know how she feels about photos of her on blogs I took one from the back. She is very nice and I really enjoyed getting to meet her and spend some time with her. All in all a fabulous evening!

Crossing the Finish Line

They say that finishing the last 10% of any project is the hardest part. Anyone who has remodeled a house or tried to lose those last 10 pounds knows what I am talking about. Well the same holds true for knitting. We are actually all yarn harlots at heart - we are so excited to purchase the yarn, find the pattern, cast-on the project. Then we knit away, loving the yarn, loving the pattern, loving the fill-in-the-blank. But then something happens. We become fickle. We put down that project before finishing it and pick up a new love. We'll get back to the other project - truly we will. I once read that if you can count how many projects you have on the needles you don't have enough! I definitely don't have any issues there. But then ultimately we remember our earlier love, pick it back up and "finish" it. But do we really? Yes we finish knitting it, we cast off and say "it's done". But did we bury the ends? Sew on the buttons? Attach the handles? Well I have several projects in the "finished but not done" state so this weekend I devoted myself to finishing them. First was my runabout purse for the Bag KAL. I finished knitting and felting it in July but it still needed something. The yarn was very pretty by itself and flecked with multiple colors before felting but afterwards it was just sort of solid purple and needed "something". So this weekend I sewed on two cute dragonfly buttons (they are more colorful than the photo shows) and put in the snap. Now it is truly done and ready for use. Then I finished knitting the bag I started in Oregon and I felted it. I'm very happy with how it turned out. It still needs the snap but what can I say. I figure that now that those two are basically done it's time to start a new project. So the yarn above is to begin the bag for my International Tote Exchange II partner. It's wonderful, soft Malabrigo which I've never used before. Now if only I can finish it . . . . .

What's Growin' On

Awhile ago I posted about planting my vegetable garden in Transcendental Vegitation. I cleared the weeds, tilled the ground, planted the veggies and watered and fertilized them. Now you can see some fruits of that labor. This bowl of tomatoes represents a mere fraction of my harvest but I had to show it off along with my wonderful new Schaefer yarn called Marjaana . Wouldn't it be totally cool if I could plant a yarn bush? I guess that is sort of what a sheep, llama or alpaca is but they are a lot harder to care for than a tomatoes! I bought it in a color called Toni Morrison. Apparently all their Marjaana yarn is named after famous women. Pretty neat actually. Also, just to make sure I was not alone, I talked my friend Bonnie in to buying a skein as well. We have now decided to both make the faux cable scarf from the recent scarf insert in the Fall 2006 Interweave Knits magazine. I now realize that this is very similar to planting my vegetables. I planted the seed of the yarn, sent my money to the till, picked the pattern plant and now all I need to do is water and fertilize it and next thing you know I'll have a scarf crop. Hopefully it will be just as yummy as the tomatoes. I wish you all a healthy crop of knitting this holiday weekend!

No Impulse Buy Goes Unpunished

When we last left our heroine she had gone in to the yarn store merely to look for handles and had left with not one but TWO sets of Touch Me yarn and Mohair to make scarfs she neither had the time nor need for. Alas the poor lass was sucked in to the beauty of the scarf. So soft, so compelling. So putting aside all other projects that she had started she began knitting the first scarf. It was coming along well, it was soft, it was beautiful and then - tradgedy stuck! She ran out of yarn when the scarf was only half way done! What to do, what to do. Gathering all her strength and bravery she returned to the yarn store with the second set of gorgeous, deep red Touch Me and Mohair and - now you may want to look away - this is not for the faint of heart - she RETURNED IT! Yes, she had decided that was the only thing she could do. Return the luxurious red Touch Me,M the soft strains of red mohair for more of the pink and green mohair so that she could at least finish one scarf. She could not justify two scarfs with those needy yarn requirements. She would have to live with just one. Through these courageous efforts our heroine will live to knit another day and maybe even have a few pennies left for a Starbucks.

Thank You's and a Shout Out to Lynae

First of all a big thank you to Joanna who sent me this fabulous bag for the Tote Exchange. It came all the way from POLAND!!!! How cool is that??? I just love it and I have since she first posted a photo of it on the Exchange. At that point I didn't know it was for me and I was just drewling over it. I even went to her blog to get the pattern (yes - she designed it herself!) and hoped to make it one day. Luckily I am so far behind on my "to do" list of knitting that there was little chance I would ever get to it before it arrived. It is a beautiful red with yellow and orange and this really cool flower and twisty cords that she made. I think she is so amazingly talented. It came with some wonderful treats as well including a beautiful candle, some yummy tea and this great polish milk candy that it is oh so sweet. Many thanks to you Joanna for my wonderful bag and all the goodies.

Next a big thank you to my Secret Pal 8 pal Brooke. Brooke has done a wonderful job of stringing me along with little hints here and there as to her true identity. This package was the big reveal and it is so fun to learn more about her. She sent me this wonderful big jean bag that is so fun, some amazingly soft Baby Alpaca yarn and these really great lighted knitting needles. Now there is no excuse not to knit! Brooke you are the greatest secret pal and you have sent me such wonderful things. It has really been fun being spoiled by you. Also the really exciting part - Brooke is coming to my town to see the Yarn Harlot in about 2 weeks so we are going to get to meet in person. Isn't that great? I'm very excited to meet her.

Last but certainly not least a big WELCOME to my SP 8 spoilee Lynae. I have had such fun spoiling her as part of this exchange and now she knows my true identity. I hope she will visit often and that we'll stay in touch.

So all in all - a big THANK YOU to Joanna, Brooke and Lynae and thanks for making my knitting world fun.