Sheepish Grin...I'm Back! Anybody Miss Me?

Gosh...Can it be? I haven't blogged here in 26 days? It's true. Boy, I never thought I'd be blogging so infrequently. I always think "Oh, I've got to blog this and that, link some wonderful sites, books, yarns, events, etc...but never seem to actually do it. Life has truly been hectic (who's isn't, right?) but thankfully, the Lord has blessed my family so far with good health (besides the little common bugs and germs that run rampant this time of year), my hubby and kids are fine (although incorrigible at times!...the kids, that is...wait, the middle son, that is...the 15...soon to be 16...year old), so I'm NOT complaining, and now I'm back on track. No apologies or excuses! :) Wait, I am TRULY sorry for not keeping up with things, though!
Quick backtrack:
See the photo above? It's my beach knitting project...knitting a secret pal's lace weight scarf with Zephyr, in a Crest O' The Wave pattern (not blocked yet, of course). We had a glorious week at my parent's Florida condo, which is right across the street from a beautiful beach on Anna Maria Island, Florida. Lots of beach time and eating out. Great time with my mom at 6 am breakfasts at Peaches (great grits!), a wonderful time with Hubby (celebrated our 21st anniversary and his 50th birthday), and I had a lot of time to knit while the kids and hubby fished and swam. Stone crab was enjoyed, and then it was back to real life, a trip to CT for a week, teen challenges (normal, huh?) and now it's November!
Big Thank You'Ahead:..To Joyce for revealing herself as my SP9 Pal...and she sent me some lovely hand-dyed Cashmere. Be sure to visit her at her Etsy shop or at elliebelly.com!




Then, I received a delightful Coffee Mitt that Dorothy knit me for a Pay It Forward Swap, and the pattern is from One Skein Wonders. It fits snuggly on my large Dunkin Donuts cup.

Thanks Dorothy!


Next, it was a box from my SP11 Pal... Kaffe Fassett sock yarn, Knit Picks in the Hummingbird colorway, a great color wheel, a Lantern Moon sweater keyring, a cute handcrafted tiny notebook, a purse mirrow with awesome fabric on the backing, AND two pairs of beautiful dpns!!!! Wow! Thanks, whomever you are. :)



During the past crazy week, I also received this! Take a look:



and, some cute stitch markers, handcrafted with some sort of beautiful glass beads:



Michelle is my Fall Felted Bag Exchange Pal. The bag is the Wintergarden Bag, knit with Noro Kureyon and a Lion Brand wool for the base (substituted for the Australian yarn called Jumbuk Wools). It's a beautifulbag, soft yet sturdy, and lined with a gorgeous coordinating fabric...she even made and stained the wooden dowel handles herself. It's a lovely bag, and I'm honored to be the recipient. Many beautiful goodies were included: Zephyr Wool/Silk 2/18 lace weight yarn in a sage green colorway, Addi needles AND a needle case, a notepad, pumpkin spice tea and a orange hot cocoa mix, Yankee candles in fall scents, Pumpkin Spice potpourri, chocolate covered Altoid mints (yummy!), a lovely body creme in Autumn Fest, and a pattern book for bags. Thanks again! Be sure to stop by and leave a comment of condolences on Michelle's blog, as her 13 yr old pup, Chewy, had to be put down, and it's been a rough week for her. I know she'd appreciate knowing that other dog loving knitters care and are thinking of her. :)

On My Needles:
Zephyr Silk Scarf (Crest O' The Wave pattern): done, not blocked
Christmas Moose stocking for son... 1/3 of the way done...involves colorwork (not my specialty)
Big Love right now...
my Manos Four Seasons Throw (see some FO's on Ravelry!) in various Manos colors that I have on hand. I love, love, love this yarn. A lot.
Second sock for my mom (second sock syndrome hit, I'm at the heel)
Socks for Dad (birthday present (Nove 1st) turned into Christmas present)
Mr. Greenjeans...frogged by accident, sort of. On hold right now, till after the holidays.
Forest Canopy Shawl - just needs the border rows knit, then blocked.

Um...my brain is fried, catching up on knitting and thank you's, and family will be here soon...time to get dinner going! Before I forget, here's the Noni bag that I made for my FFBE pal in beige and brown tones, with leather straps, and knit with Manos del Uruguay, of course. :)



Last word: A few new to me podcasts, besides the usuals:

Knit Naturally

and...
The Big Boo Cast

Two Southern mama-bloggers, Big Mama (http://bigmama1.com) and BooMama (http://boomama.net) talk about all the important stuff: faith, family, friends, fashion and food. Plus, of course, our hair.