Blogger question?

Has anyone else who uses Blogger noticed that the comments people are leaving are no longer being e-mailed to them? I've noticed it since Friday, but don't know if it's just my blog or Blogger-wide. Thanks!!

Today's post is brought to you by the letter . . .

F

F is for Friday.

F is for my First try at socks.

F is for Finished (better know as F.

F is for Fits . . . and it actually does!!!

And most importantly,
F is for Friends. Thank you all so much for your encouraging comments and also your helpful tips. Tomorrow's post will be brought to you by S

As in Saturday, and also Sockling Part II, which I'm off to cast on now. Wouldn't want tomorrow to bring Second Sock Syndrome!!

Sockling Returns!!!

I hadn't touched it in over a month. It sat there at the bottom of my knitting basket. There were times when I thought about frogging the whole thing. But somehow, after my holiday knitting was (mostly) done, Sockling started to call again.

So, I picked it up, turned the heel (again), and took another try at the gusset. It's not the prettiest, but it's not terrible either. I think I'm in the home stretch.

All that's left is a few straight inches down the foot, and then the working of the toe. Please tell me the toe isn't hard!! And what's this "second sock syndrome" I keep hearing about??

The secret is out!!!

I'm very excited to be able to introduce you to the Secret Pal who was spoiling me: Peanut!!! She was the best secret pal I could ever have wished for. She was fun to e-mail back and forth with, and I look forward to continuing our friendship and inspiring each other to tackle new knitting projects. Each package she sent was filled with such generous and thoughtful gifties, I felt so truly spoiled. Thank you, Peanut, for making my first Secret Pal foray so much fun.

I didn't get as much knitting done today as I had hoped. My morning and most of my afternoon was sidelined by what was either a bad sinus headache or a migraine. I never thought I got migraines, until I was describing a particularly bad headache to my best friend (who gets them often), and she told me all my symptoms were that of a migraine. I'm feeling better now and Pea and I are watching the silly and mindless movie Airplane!, so surely I can get some progress done on Sockling. (I can get some progress done, and don't call me Shirley.)

Tomorrow is the official end to my holiday season, as Pea's vacation is over and he's back to work. Which means I'm back to cleaning, sorting and de-cluttering the house, and figuring out what I want to be "when I grow up". We've had so much fun watching movies together over the past couple of days, I'll really miss him tomorrow when he's at work. But I think we'll try to have movie days more often - especially through out the winter when it's so nice to stay home - warm and cozy!!

Happy New Year!

In an attempt to start the year off on the right foot, I am going to post ALL the pictures I've been promising for the last two weeks!! My apologies if this entry takes forever to load on your computer.

I'd like to start with some of the great gifts sent by my Secret Santa!! I can't wait to master socks and tackle some patterns in Knitting on the Road! And isn't the Lorna's Laces just gorgeous?? It will certainly make the prettiest pair. Can you make out the Palm Tree Knitting Needles - they've already got a WIP on them. These needles are great - the wood is so smooth and silky and the points are super sharp. They are a joy to knit with.

And take a look at the cute ornament she sent for my tree. I love putting ornaments on the tree that remind me of a special time - and this one will bring happy memories of my Secret Santa and all the wonderful friendships I have formed this year.

Next up are some of the other knitting gifts I blogged about in my last post. The two Harlot books are from Pea, the calendar is from my parents, and the Knitting Dictionary and Knit Lit (Too) is from my Bestus Buddy. The spindle box is peeking out next to the Yarn Harlot book on the right!!

And . . . drumroll please . . . the knitting bag!!!

It's all filled up and comes with me everywhere! (Can you see the Palm Tree Needles again??)

And now for some FO's. Here are both completed "ghetto scarves" that I knit for my cousin's daughters.

I also finished one for myself this afternoon.

And the BIG slippers for my size 12 foot brother . . . all done and fit perfectly on his feet!

And the crazy hat my friend Dave requested. Here it is!!

It's based on this pattern, but I modified it to knit in the round. For the full effect, you have to see it on. So Pea was happy to model for me!!

So, did everyone have a wonderful New Year's Day? Pete and I started the morning with the yummy French Toast Bake recipe from Cathy. I will be making this time and time again - you do all the prep work the day before, and in the morning just pop it in the oven to bake. I cut the recipe down to serve two of us, and used Pepperidge Farms Cinnamon Swirl bread - so yummy!!! Then Pea and I watched Mystic River, which has been out for a while but I hadn't seen it. It was a bit more violent than I like, but had a great story. We then went to my parents for lasagna, and came back home for another movie. This time it was Almost Famous, which I'd been wanted to watch again. A relaxing day of movies and knitting is my perfect idea of how to start the year off. I was even inspired to work on my Sockling Sock - which hadn't been touched since I messed up the gusset in November. With the help of the tutorial, my second attempt at the heel turn and gusset seems to have worked. I think I'm back on track with it and hope to finish it up in the next couple of days.

I hope you all had a safe New Year's Eve, a fun New Year's Day, and a wonderful year filled with love and happiness ahead!