SITMT package!

I got a wonderful treat package in the mail on Saturday! My Sock it to Me Twice pal sent some great things. I wish I had my camera to take a picture, but my husband is in Europe for a couple of days and took the camera with him. As if ancient cities are more important to depict than knitting bounty! Ha!

Anyway, back to the package. My pal did her homework, that is for sure! She sent me a skein of OnLine sock yarn in Orange with blue and bright green running through it... all of my favorite colors! Also included were pretty glass stitch markers in a Chinese silk pouch! And yummy maple candies from Canada. I got to eat one of those before my children proclaimed them the "best candies ever" and scarfed them down. :-) I am going to have to come to some sort of trade agreement with you, Pal, after the swap is over because I need to buy a lot of those for the kids!! Thank you so much for the awesome package! I love everything.

I had a lot of fun yesterday celebrating the wonderful Purl's birthday. I gave her some yarny goodness and we knitted and ate and drank wine... Purl was a great sport sharing her special day with me and my crazy kids. My daughter proclaimed Purl her best friend after Purl put forth so much effort going along with the kids!

Happy Monday all.

You Make My Day Award

My amazing upstream pal from SP11 named me as one of the blogs that makes her day. I was very touched by her award! Now I must, in turn, tag the people who do the same for me. These are the bloggers/friends that I have to check in on every day. They keep me sane, they make me smile, and they make my day!

Purl- My dear friend. She is incredibly smart and well read and has great shares great insight on her blog. Besides, we like the same things. Of course she makes my day!!

Becky- A long time friend of mine from college. We have shared a ton over the years, including many interests and family similarities. She is responsible for me knitting, and I love to check in on her and see what she is up to. Becky does beautiful work and I learn a lot from her.


Woolgirl and The Adventures of Woolgirl and Abby- Woolgirl is the most dangerous yarn pusher out there! I lust after the gajillions of skeins of gorgeous yarns that she stocks. Just peeking at the offerings puts a smile on my face without fail. And Woolgirl's blog is full of great contests, info and fun. Woolgirl makes my day, my week, my month...

Lynne- Lynne is such a kind, sweet person. And her F.O.'s are works of art. She inspires me.

Twisted Knitter- A fellow Houstonian who happens to work in a LYS near me. She shares some great yarn finds , free patterns, and lots of gorgeous work, all of which make me smile!

So, now for the rules:

Give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel so happy about Blogland! Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so that they can pass it on. Beware! You may get the award several times!

First post of 2008

It's been a fairly quiet beginning to the new year. No complaints here! In knitting news, I finished my Dad's mistake-rib scarf and gave it to him on New Years Eve. He loved it. So did my hubby. Hmm. I think I see another one in my future!

I'm working furiously to finish my 2007 Block-of-the-Month afghan. It's through my LYS, the Hen House. I did such a good job of keeping up with it until our trip in October. Then I began focusing on Christmas gifts and the afghan took a back seat. The result is that I had the final 4 blocks to do to finish the thing. I signed up for the 2008 afghan as well, and the first square will be ready to work in a week. So I better get the 2007 one finished! I have completed 2 of the squares and did one repeat on the 3rd last night, so I think I should get it done in time. I am excited about the 2008 afghan (I am doing the "pastels" version) because it seems to use more pronounced and exciting stitches/patterns.

Otherwise, I've got some socks in the works. I am working on the foot of sock number 1 for my hubby. His are a sport weight yarn by Mountain Colors, but I don't know the colorway. It's predominantly dark green with brown and blue. Very handsome. I'm enjoying working on them.

I've succumbed to yarn and club mania. Aside from the occasional splurge at Woolgirl , I have joined the 2008 Socks that Rock club, the Yarn Pirate Booty club, the second installment of the Woolgirl sock club (I did the first one and loved it more than words can say!), and the Seven Deadly Spins club that is a Woolgirl/ Liisu collaboration. I think I will be busy. And I will definitely have some beautiful yarn in my stash!

While I am not doing such a good job of yarn-dieting, I am off to a good start of really dieting. I have been very unhappy with my weight for a couple of years, and that misery has led to even MORE weight. It's a vicious cycle with me. I'm emotional so I eat, I eat because I'm emotional. You know-- Wow, what a great day-- I should eat to celebrate! Aye-- what a bad day-- I should eat to drown my sorrows. I'm stressed... eat! My friend Purl and I decided over the holidays that we would dedicate ourselves to addressing our respective desires to lose weight by joining Weight Watchers. I like the program, but have had a difficult time making it to meetings in the past. Purl and I joined the Weight Watchers online program, and it eliminates that issue. Instead of going to meetings, Purl and I will support each other (like we wouldn't anyway?!) through the program. Today is the one week mark, and I haven't blown it yet, and haven't fallen off the program at all. If you have any interest in watching the progress or lending support, you can visit our blog Weighsting Away, where Purl and I are confessing our ups and downs on the program. Hopefully there will be more downs than ups!