Hi! I would like to say this is a post from your foreign correspondent - which is technically true since I am on vacation. However, I didn't get quite far enough away, so when the choice was to come home for a day or so and keep the dentist appointment or to reschedule it, I decided to come home. My two older children joined me - to help get some house cleaning done or to see their friends - who can say for sure? and it is sort of nice to have the level of chaos cut in half for a day or two. So pretend I am writing this next to a lake in New Hampshire. If I had not left the digital camera there I could even provide a photo, but you will have to use your imagination.

Hope that imagination is up to the task, because the projects I have for show and tell are many rows past the photos I happen to have available (that digital camera thing again). FIrst we have my first pair of Monkey socks ( a Cookie A pattern found on knitty. com - I would make this a link but I have not yet learned how).

Since this photo was taken I have finished the cuffs and turned one of the heels. For this part of the operation the socks are each getting their own Magic Loop, since I couldn't figure out how to make it happen any other way (there's always something new to learn ,eh?).

The other item I have to show is my fledgling MS#3. There are a number of mystery shawl series floating around out there. This one is the (once a year, I think?) design work of Melanie of "pinklemontwist.com" (once again, it would be a link...) I have actually made it to row 103 since this was taken. Still hopelessly behind those who have time and knit fast and finish each Friday's clue by Saturday morning, but I am making some progress. I am learning something as well - that I would rather knit pattern stitches (meaning things that occasionally repeat) than something that reminds me of filet crochet - knitting a picture using solid fabric and space. I guess the hard part for me is keeping my place across the row as I read the chart (I don't really mind reading the chart at all). I am sure that when all is said and knitted I will love the fact that I have something lacy and beautiful with little bright beads in it (could be the coolest thing of all, those beads!). I just might not try it again for a while.

Hi! As usual it has been ages since I posted. Life happens - the end of the school year was so crowded with concerts, two promotions (what I would call graduation but when it is only 5th grade and 8th grade they call it promotion around here), assemblies, teacher visits, etc. Then almost right away two of my kids went to camp - lots of shopping and writing names in clothes and then driving them there. One of the end of the year activities included this teacher gift - just a little shawl/scarf made with a skein of Fiesta La Boheme in the colorway Australia (along with some other lavender wool to make it just a tad larger). My youngest daughter's class had spent the last part of the year studying Australia, so when I found this skein on sale at my LYS I knew it had to be something for her teacher.


So the main reason I am finally getting to this post is to talk about my swap buddy and the amazing parcel she sent from Norway as my gift in the Super Sox Box Swap. I am constantly amazed to be part of this world community of knitters who can learn about each other and treat each other with such care and kindness. Us knitters could definitely show the world a thing or two!





As you can see, my swap partner sent me some wonderful things: a hand crocheted bag adorned with cute flowered ties that is almost too pretty to use, some wonderful soft sock yarn in what I call "sunset colors", a range of treats, both chocolate and drinks. She sent not one pattern but a whole book - the mini Vogue books are such fun for their range and creativity (I have some of the others but not this one). Also a set of DPNs (I was just thinking of getting back to my sock knitting roots - my Magic Loop socks always have such ladders at the ends!), some scented candles (not too strong but just right) and lastly some lovely beaded stitch markers. I almost missed those in the box but luckily they jumped out when I went to take the photo. Here they are:



Maybe I will save the madness that is MS#3 for another post. It is always good to quit while you still have something to say!