Notice to the Gift Elves

Hi Folks, this is Andy, not Sermom-Barbara, but please note that she has posted on KR that she might be out of touch for a bit. See:
http://knittersreview.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=47338
Keep her in your prayers, wrapped in love, okay?

Gift received - wow!

Twiggyann rocks!

Yeah, that's what I received, plus some maple/peanut candy which was left out of the picture cos I have eaten half of it!
I am so excited cos I want to knit everthing in Scarf Style!

Thanks, Twiggyann.

It is so nice, I'm going to cry....

(Sorry for the quality of the pictures, I'll try to take better ones later)

I just received Kristin's package today and what she made is so beautiful that I want to cry right now...

She designed and knitted the most beautiful lace shawl -- the color is a variegated purple, exactly a color I would have picked for myself. I'm just in awe of her skills and talent! She included the yarn used and a skein of coordinated Rowan Kidsilk spray (I love the Rowan kidsilk collection!), as well as stitch markers and a beautiful shawl pin.

This is the *best* gift I have ever received (DH is next to me and nodding in approval) and I am just overwhelmed by Kristin's attention. I can't imagine the time and effort that went into all of this. Kristin, you are a wonderful artist and person :)

A very grateful and happy Minh

PS: I promise to become a better knitter and to learn to knit lace so that I can try Kristin's patterns with the yarn she sent.

Package sent and received!

Kristin and I exchanged mailing addresses last week. I sent my package on Saturday and she received it today -- USPS, you rock!

The package I sent my gift elf contained a pair of socks (Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in Birches), a narrow multidirectional scarf and some homemade beaded stitch markers. Since all of this was in my stash, I decided to spend the budget on yarn. Kristin said she liked silk so she got a skein of Fiesta La Luz (a very good deal on ebay) to create what she wants.

Thanks so much to Barbara for organizing this exchange. I got to know Kristin and her designs and I'm looking forward to meeting her next time I visit my inlaws in Michigan :)

Will post more when I get my package!

I'm sort of stalled

I've found that a few ppl have had problems getting/staying in touch with their partners. I heard from one person who let her partner know she's sent off the package, and has heard nothing back in over 2 wks.

I was thinking that that is so tacky, to let someone send you a gift, then drop off the face of the earth. Then I realized that some ppl have great difficulty facing up to problems, and prefer to bury their heads. It's an embarassment issue, I think.

I, for instance, am having a lot of trouble getting my project done. I got about half way, then stalled. My depression came back with a vengeance, and I was unhappy with what I was creating, but everyone else told me it was beautiful, and I'd put so much work into it already, I just didn't know what to do.

I now had a couple of choices. I could keep my mouth shut, pretend everything was hunky dory, let my partner continue on, etc.. Or, I could write Andy, let her know what was happening, that her gift probably, despite the early start, wouldn't be ready for official holiday gift time.

I'm proud to say that I chose the second course, but I can understand how someone might be too embarassed to do so. Unfortunately, it catches up with you, eventually - the avoidance, I mean.

So, I wrote to Andy, and she responded as I'd suspected she would - that the timing wasn't important, that it was the thought that counted, etc. She even went on to say that if I was totally paralyzed, the item she was making for me would suit her daughter.

Well, of course I told her no way, that gifty was mine, all mine! I was stalled, not stopped, and, if getting it before the end of Dec. wasn't an issue, I should be OK. Eventually, Andy and I will exchange our gifts, and I'm really looking forward to it. In the meanwhile, I've eased up the pressure on myself and am feeling much less stressed by the whole thing. Although, I do recognice the irony of the organizer being one of the ppl having trouble following through!

My little package is going to be posted soon

I have completed the scarf,a nd packed it together with a couple of other things. It is on its way to the postoffice tomorrow!

Hi Folks, anybody here??

Are we all thinking we have to be Emily Dickinson to write here???
Just jot a note, guys, how are you doing? Is your knitting happening, or stalled, or are you changing the pattern in the middle, etc?

My gift elf project got changed several times in the middle and I consider it refinement and progress. *smile* I am liking what I'm seeing. If you want to check my blog it is:

http://spinavardo.blogspot.com/
or
http://www.livejournal.com/users/shuvani11/

Sometimes I write in one, sometimes the other, no plan or reason or rhyme about it! Say Hi!