Living Vicariously

Am I the only one out there who spends more time on the 'net immersed in knitters' blogs, researching yarn, or hunting for new patterns than they do actually knitting? If I spent as many hours knitting as I do in deciding what to knit next, I might actually finish a project once in a while...why does this feel dangerously close to addiction?

Turtles, Turtles, Everywhere

For the last couple of months, I have been incredibly spoiled by my Knitty Secret Pal. I received my last package this week, and as usual it was full of wonderful goodies!! My Pal sent two skeins of pastel variegated yarn, point protectors, holders for DPNs, notecards, and candy.

In addition, she did what no secret pal has ever done for me.....she knitted me a gift!! As a hint to her identity, my pal made this turtle washcloth for me, and filled it with the most wonderful smelling soap! I've been trying for some time now to figure out her identity, and despite her repeated attempts at giving me clues even a two year old could probably figure out, I was unsuccesful in guessing who she was. It took this literal turtle to clue me in to my pal's Knitty moniker:

turtlegirl76

I'm so glad I finally know her true identity so I properly and publicly thank her for being such a terrific pal. What a wonderful experience Knitty's SP6 has been!!

A New Swap in Town

I've never done it but I'm "dyeing" to try it (ok, bad pun, but please continue reading). Swap mammas Cookie, Monica, Noelle and ScoutJ have teamed up to hostess a new hand dyed yarn swap. Signups only last until 6 p.m. tomorrow (4/22), so head on over to http://www.dyeorama.scoutj.com/ and check it out!

Yarn Porn

I received my final package from the Secret Pal 7 gift exchange yesterday, beautifully wrapped in purple and teal tulle. Inside was a little piece of my pal, embedded in the twist of three gorgeous hanks of handspun yarn!! My pictures don't convey how pretty the colors of this yarn are, or how absolutely touchable it is. This is the second time she has made something especially for me - how spoiled I feel!! Also included in the box were some yummy bath products and fun magnets. Lastly - a very special card finally revealed who my pal actually was....Stacey, of www.madebyewe.blogspot.com, did such a wonderful job pampering me during SP7 - I hope she knows how appreciated she is!!

punkrawker86

Last week, a friend in my online knitting community passed away suddenly. There were no warning signs, no indicators, no flashing lights to let me know that our last email exchange would be the last we'd ever have. I didn't find out until a few days after she died. Her mother requested that condolences be sent via email rather than snail mail as a kind of tribute to and from all the knitting friends who's lives she had touched across the web.

It was difficult to put words to what I was feeling in an email. What do you say to a mother that has just lost her child at a very young age? What mere words would adequately convey to her that her daughter had worth in this life, that she was loved? In the end, I penned a few heartfelt phrases expressing gratitude and loss and hit the Send button. Does it really matter what you say if you can't bring her back?

Wonders Never Cease

Sometimes beacons of hope shine through in the most unlikely of places... These are pictures of a bearded iris blooming in our backyard. This is notable for two reasons:

1. We live in the desert - iris aren't exactly native vegetation;
2. The plant has been nothing but a bunch of scraggly leaves for FOUR years. It has never bloomed since we put it in the ground. Not once.

At last, a sign that our tide is finally turning....