Happy Post Election Day!

Hey Robin!
I meant to post this yesterday and just can't be bothered to change the title...lol. Needless to say I am pleased with MOST results but lemme tell you something...

Today I am blocking the second of four wedding-blankets that I am seaming on behalf of my fabulous group of knitter-friends in Ravelry for some of our beloved just-married women. The first one was well-received by our "Chair person" a.k.a. Swap Momma. Todays is... well... today's is for one of the sweetest most gracious and generous people in the group. We all love her and she recently wed the love of her life, who just happens to also be a woman. They have been together for more than a decade and were so thrilled to be able to be official in the eyes of the law. We were all so happy for her and then the last ballot happened. How can people be so cruel? Why does government HAVE to do this? Why is it anyone's business?? I just can't believe it.

Right now the blanket is soaking in a bath and I am hoping it will dry quickly (for it has been rahter wet locally) so that I may send her the warm-wool-hug that we have all labored to create for her.

On the lighter-side of things. I have gotten my swap package from the latest Malabrigo Swap! I swear these packages just keep getting better and the longer one has to wait the better things seem to get. My swapper had to wait a little while because she was in the midst of a move from Alaska to Texas! Wow!! The best thing about that is she picked up little items for me on her travels from North to South! PLUS she made some items for me and I love them. I wanted to share with the blog-world what she sent, so here goes:

This is what greeted me upon opening the package. Oh the possibilities that lie therein!
Don't be fooled. That case apparently can hold a LOT of loot!!

Viola! Description first and close-up pictures to follow.... So when I open the shipping box I see first a fuzzy foot. I knew instantly that I had received another stuffed otter. Can you see how cute he is?? Right now he's sitting on my desk cheering me up. Otter was cuddling up with a skein of Dream In Color Smooshy (a very descriptive name for a sock yarn, australian merino wool, washable, in the Dusky Aurora colorway) that Jen (my swapper) said she needed to de-stash from her collection. WOW! Can you say 'generous'!? It's a beautiful colorway and I can't decide whether it will be something lacy or some smooshy-socks. The dilemma!

Next I notice the wonderful case with the map-decoration (OK I noticed it way-sooner but work with me here, I am trying to tell a story here) and pull it out of the box to discover it is so full of STUFF that it can't be closed!! Inside this box-o-wonder (or treasure chest as it were) were SIX, count 'em SIX skeins of our beloved malabrigo. Oh. My. Gawd. Three skeins of worsted in the Verdes colorway (swoon!) and three skeins of sillky in Celeste (the light blue). Amazing. I already think I am going to make a Shetland Triangle (seen in this post) in the silky, but with three whole skeins of worsted I have SO MANY choices that it's driving me nutso! :D

Among the wool-loveliness were many well-assembled items that prove how well I was stalked during the required-stalking-period. They are: a tape measure (mine just broke, I have been using it sans-case and I really should have more than one anyway), a delicate pair of scissors with a hand cross-stitched scissor-keeper (which is just something big that makes it harder to lose your scissors in a massive pile of material... unless you are me) hopefully you can see the lovely picture in the stitching, some lovely stitch markers (tee-tiny ones that won't get in my way), some lovely mulling spices (love!), some SOAK for washing my creations, a pair of gorgeous ceramic buttons that I can't wait to use, THREE patterns from my Ravelry queue that I cannot wait to cast-on, a hat which might be an Odessa (without beads) that she made for ME which I have worn almost constantly since receipt. Last but not least, there were two keychain critters from Alaska. A moose and a bear... that poop.

That's right folks, I have pooper-keychains. *lol*. They are delightfully gross and I love them. Can't explain why... I just do.

The whole package is enough to make me cry! It's so nice to have someone think about you so much that they end up sending you something that's just perfect for YOU. I have thanked Jen many times but I must do it again: THANK YOU JEN!! You are a sweetheart!

In other news, I finished a test-knit for another Mal-Junkie and am geared up to start another for her. This one is her Kettering Hat (Ravelry link), it's not a style I would have picked for myself initially, but that just shows you how fashion-dumb I am. This knit up quickly and was LOTS of fun AND... I love it. It looks great and feels wonderful on my head. (Mine is knit up in Tuareg colorway). Don't I look happy?

Next up are some mittens using her Faberge-stitch pattern (remember the neckwarmer?)

Anyway, I hope you are faring well and that Emme continues to keep you on your toes!
Later!