HAPPY NEW YEAR KNITTING!

Hope your holidays were happy and healthy, but if they were
anything like mine they were also hectic and full of "shoulds" as in "I should be: baking, cleaning, shopping, wrapping, mailing, visiting, driving, making, knitting....

Yes, I'm sure you get the picture.
Well, now that they are all over, we can all offer up a collective sigh of relief, and get back to doing the things we love best (knitting) for those we love the best! I am happy to report that I have completed the back of the husband's sweater and am making progress on the left front panel. Pictures to follow at a later date. I am also knitting 10 inch squares for baby blanket using baby themed dishcloth patterns from the Monthly Dishcloth Yahoo Group. Completely mindless joy! Just what I need as a take along project for those sweater breaks. Using my favorite Bernat Cottontots in colors.

I am woefully behind in posting the photos of the beautiful things I received from some very talented knitters through the Exchanges I participated in this past year.

Enid, my secret Monthly Dishcloth exchange pal, knit this lovely cloth for me in the fall. Very pretty stitch pattern, and I think you can locate on it
www.smariek.blogspot.com, a terrific blog featuring several very lovely free patterns. Another great site for free dishcloth patterns is www.knittingpatterncentral.com. The pattttern index lists many catagories of free patterns so go see!
Both Enid and S. Marie are very talented ladies!

Yes, I am still captivated by the Mason-Dixon knitting book and continue to knit Ballbands, baby kimonos, and this cute, easy, and quick baby bib. The urge to knit from this book continues to be intense. It's like the Manchurian Candidate of knitting books! I check in once a week on Ann and Kay at www.masondixonknitting.com

I had been jilted by my original One Skein Secret Pal several months ago, and I had communicated my bitter feelings to the Exchange Moderator. Since there were several others in the same boat, she established an Angel Program for us orphans! I wrote a pattern for fingerless mittens for my pal Marilynn, who lives in Canada, where there is actually cold weather( another 50 degree day in Pa. today!) and posted it earlier today.
It was fun being her Angel!

My Angel, Chrissie, lives in Singapore, and she sent me this:

• The yarn is fingering weight mohair and I love the color! It beckons to be knit into lacey leaves, I think. Note the cute stitch markers displayed on the knitted pouch she included. I am obsessed with stitch markers and am planning to run some ribbon through the pouch to turn it into a little tool carry all for my knitting bag.
• And the gal is still thinking of me because she posted today that she is sending me a skein of seductive fiber content left over from her gift sweater knitting.

WHAT A SWEETHEART!

Anyway, more photos to be posted once I conquer the chaos of after Christmas clutter in my home.