Birthday Knitting Goodies

By being "consumed", "addicted", "obsessed" with knitting, I think I am doing my family and friends a service. Now they don't have to think too hard about what gifts to get me! I even have a wishlist!! My little brother Pablo caught on quick, giving me my super cool and useful knitting bag.

And now, others are catching on too! My friend Michi surprised me with this great book. I was not even done thanking her for her thoughtfulness when she ripped the book out of my hands, (Yes, ripped ) and said "Here's what I think that you should make for us for Christmas!". She already has her Christmas gift picked out!

So, here is a preview into what my two best friends will be getting for Christmas (Reese, do not keep reading if you want to be surprised):

Aren't the cute leather cuffs? I have not even looked at the pattern yet, but the seem pretty easy to make. I have never knitted with leather (can you imagine a knitted leather cami? - hahahahah - sorry - amusing myself) so this will be fun.

The book is filled with other amusing and interesting projects to knit (some a little too interesting) but I love seeing knits taken taken to a different level.


Here are a few more projects I might try from this book:

I know what you are thinking: "Shawl?! Paloma, are you sure you want to make another SHAWL?!" and no, I do not want to make another shawl right now, since the r.r.s. has driven me insane. But I must admit, this little number sure caught my attention. Give me a few months, and a little de-stashing, I think we will be revisiting this one.

Talk about de-stashing! How cute is that? Of course, I will do all of my grocery and flower shopping with that bag, so I NEED IT!. Thanks Michi for this great gift!

The other reason that I love knitting is the internets knitting world. Man, have I made so many great friends! My SP from SP7 even sent me a birthday e-card. (And I forgot to thank her, so here it is - Thanks Fawn! ). The greatest surprise has of course been making a friend with a neighbor. Wendy found me on Crazy Aunt Purl's Froogle Map, and we have been emailing and meeting up for coffee and exchanging books for a couple of months.

Last friday I met her and her adorable daughter for lunch, and she surprised me with some great birthday gifts. I was so happy that I was annoying all the other lunchers by clapping like a seal non-stop. Amelia was amused!

That is right kiddies, that is NORO! I have never owned any and let me tell you, it smells delish! I cannot wait to knit with it.

You know what those are? Needles that light up! Now Tony won't fuss about having a light on while we watch a movie, because the light will be on my needles! I am so excited. They are size 8, so I need to buy more yarn to make a project that requires a size 8 needle :). (By the way, Tony stumbled onto my hiding place the other day and was not too enthused with the amount of yarn I am hiding in our little ottoman... ooppps!) I love the purse handles too, I think they might work with the Peace Fleece pattern my secret pal sent me. If not, I am sure I can find something else.

The person that has caught on the fastest, has of course, been - me. I bought myself a couple of new knitting books.

First:

Greetings from Knit Cafe. What a cute book! The pictures are colorful and bright, and the idea of going to have coffee every day (cause I would be there every day) at a place with yummie smelling yarn is too much!

Wendy thought it would be great if they opened up one in our area. But imagine the amount of money I would spend on coffee and yarn!

There are a few projects I might do from this book:

The polo shirt is just classic, I don't have a horse, but I think it would be a great anytime blanket, and yes, I have an obsession with making shawls that will bore me to death - but does't it look so warm and great for a cup of chocolate? (I am so easily persuaded - just by looking at the model with the cup, I want a cup of chocolate.

The next book:

Vintage Knits. There are a lot of timeless, classic patterns in this book. Pieces that you know will never go out of style.

There are even some sweaters that I think my mom might like... maybe I should start on next year's mothers day gift now..

If I did not have like 5-8 projects screaming for me already, I might consider it.

Here are some of the ones that grabbed me the most:

They all have sort of the same basic shape but are very different. The one that scares me the most is the one on the right, since the beading will probably be such a pain. But I think it is so cute!

That is all for now. I did finish the shawl this weekend, and cannot wait to show it to you guys. But I promised myself I would not show any pictures until my mom came over and we had a photoshoot. I am making her come over next weekend.