"I've never knit a..."

BYOB (Bring your own Bag) from Knitty!

Here's my great swag from this swap on Rav, brought to you by the lovely CountryElvis4!

The yarn:The needles and pattern:The goodies:Cacao nibs. Never had 'em... can't WAIT to try 'em!:
Close up on the cloth. :) Feels so nice!

Happy Birthday to me!

Lucy's present arrived today, and MAN ALIVE was this thing great! :) Check it out!

The obligatory box shot:

Inside the box: TWO types of sock yarn! The first is Princess Multi, the second is Bordeaux kettle-dyed.

Can you read that? "New Pathways for Sock Knitters" by Cat Bordhi. Yeah baby! :)
The girls, ever so excited about Mommy getting mail (Laura on the left, Maddy on the right):

Not pictured is an awesome set of SOCK BLOCKERS! (For those non-knitters among those reading, they're foot shaped pieces of hard plastic, to put your socks onto once you finish knitting them to take pictures, and make sure they're shaped properly. :)

Thanks Lucy, for the AMAZING birthday present! It was completely worth the wait, and I had no idea what any of it was, so good job keeping the surprise! :)

Guilty Pleasures Swap Swag

I came home to this, this afternoon:Are you as excited as I am to see what's inside? It's heavy!

When I opened it, I saw this gorgeous bag:

You can't see it in these pictures, but it's got sequins. I love it!!!

Inside the pretty purse was this:

And THIS knitting bag (pink and green are my favorite colors!!!)

It's from her LYS.

She made me this scarf, which I'm COMPLETELY in love with, and have worn all afternoon:

The photo doesn't do the colors justice.

2-at-a-time Socks!!!

I'm SOOOOOO Excited!!!

This card described the yarn she sent me. It's from the yarn shop her Grandmother owned when she was little. Denise's grandmother passed on 25 years ago, and some of the store's stock was still in the family. Denise saw fit to share some of her family's yarn with me (it's in the next photo). It's fingering weight, and she doesn't knit socks, so decided to pass it on to me so it will be used. :) I'm so very touched. There are no words to explain it.

And here's the yarn of which I spoke. It'll make some really pretty socks!

And look at my yummy hot cocoa and cookies!

Denise, neicy12345, thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart. I am so touched that you would see fit to share some of your grandmother's yarn with me, and the story of how it came to be in your possession. I loved getting to know you through this swap, and am hoping to keep in great touch with you! :)

This Week

I have a sinus infection, which is VERY stinky... I want to rip my whole face off, it's such horrid pain. It hurt less to recover from my c-sections than it is hurting to get rid of this. I have two more days of antibiotics. I just want to feel better...

An upside? My birthday is this week, woo hoo! Friday, I'll be 25. I still feel like a baby, and sometimes can't believe that I have two babies of my own!

The Twilight Knitters group on Ravelry is putting together a proposal for a book! They're taking pattern submissions right now, and while I can't design to save my life, I've put in my 2 cents on a couple of things, and will be helping out by test knitting some things. Sarah specifically said she'd shoot me her patterns when she's ready for a test knit. I am VERY excited about that!

Lucy-I know you're reading... How're the travel plans coming? Were you able to buy your tickets yet? And how much did you scream when Phelps got number 8?

Random Points of Interest:

• Friday starts the Olympic games, and with it comes the Ravelympics. I've got a few things coming up for that: A neckwarmer, a sweater, a felted tote, and mini socks for christmas ornaments on our tree. I just finished a great bucket hat made with the world's softest wool. VERY happy with how it came out!

• Friday is also the entries into the local fair. Said hat, my hufflepuff knit-a-long headband, my mother-in-law's monkey socks, Michael's baby blanket, and I'm going to try to see if I can figure out if I can fit my calorimetry into a category for judging! :) Woohoo!

• We'll also be going to visit Jake's parents that day, as Jake's working overtime on Thursday.

• Saturday, Mom wants to take the girls to the zoo. They'll love that, and I'll love the day off to knit ALL DAY LONG!!! :)

• Sunday, we're going to go to our old ward, to visit and fellowship with old friends. After that, there's an annual parade and cook-out at my uncle's house which we'll be going to.

Busy weekend ahead!

• Also, my friend from Vegas is pretty sure that she'll be able to make it out for a visit in October, which is REALLY exciting! :) I'm thrilled with the idea that she'll be able to make it out!