HEY! Still out there? Anyone?????

Lots of catching up to do - I have been more than remiss, I'm afraid...

First, can you say generous? Kind-hearted? Thoughtful beyond words? Oh, then you must be talking about Natalie, my newly-revealed Secret Pal!

Honestly, it's overwhelming - yarn, a hand-knitted face cloth, Australian coasters, cake-shaped soap, a tote bag, sweets (and the cookies are totally addictive!), candles - wow! And as if that's not enough, Natalie also made me a counting bracelet, and a beaded stitch marker/row counter (which I am still trying to figure out) - it's beautiful, and orange, and all of it is just lovely - thank you so much!

In the three weeks since my last post, we have had snow, lost snow, had more, gotten warm, gotten VERY cold, and the screwiness continues - today's high is -10 C, but we are expecting +7 and rain by Saturday - truly the most bizarre winter I recall...

but my knitting has continued unabated... I finished my Jaywalkers - yarn is from Spunky Eclectic, but I don't want to name the colour because if she's watching, it'll be a dead giveaway - suffice it to say that photographing them in sub-zero temperatures was perfect... any guesses?

Also finished another sweater for Artisan Knitworks, 'Bemidji', which I love - love the yarn, love the pattern! Huge yarn, 10mm needles, and I think the cables really pop, more so than with the mohair and silk...

but maybe that's just me...

I also finished off a sweater for a friend, whose sister had started it but been bogged down by the sleeves - so I reknit those and sewed it up, and in the process decided that, although I don't like sewing sweaters in general, I really like sewing raglans - if the decreases are done well, you get the nicest diagonals framing the seam, and I love to watch it develop...

so, with all this "free time "on my hands, I cast on a birthday gift for someone which will be seen later - I know, I know, the suspense is killing you, isn't it? And, as always, a pair of socks, thinking maybe for me, using Indigo Fire yarn from Yarn Ahoy!, (I just noticed that Maya of Yarn Ahoy is taking a 2-month sabbatical - keep your eyes open upon her return - her yarn and colours are beautiful!)and the toe-up Feather and Fan pattern by Wendy of Wendy Knits!
I really, really like the short row toe-up part of this sock, but find the heel a little, well, little for me, so for the next pair I will work in a heel flap - just feels a little snugger on the foot -

I am also not so excited about the feather and fan part - just me - but I had been thinking it was time for me to design my own damn socks, and I had in my mind something like this pattern, so when I found it, I thought I'd save on brain cells... but in my mind, the pattern was not lacy, more solid, with a similar wave action - so I will continue to scour my pattern dictionaries for the stitch pattern in my head, and will work my own design around it - pics of the sock to follow...

so there we are, all caught up - so what better place for a gratuitous kid picture?

Wait! What is that? Could it be... knitting???