SP13 QotW #2

Part A: Are you doing any holiday knitting?
If you look to the right of this post (you may also have to scoll down a little), you will see a list of my holiday knitting. Some of them are "hope to get done", while others are "have to get done". For example, it would have been nice to do a pair of slippers for my friend Christina, but I didn't HAVE to do them. However, my mom's fetchings HAVE to get done.

Part B: Have you finished?
Well, as you can also see from the list, a lot HAS been completed. The one "have to get done" item left is the second fetching for my mom. The other things will be a "if I can" kind of thing. I'm actually really proud of how much I DID get done. Having that many FO is a new thing for me. I am notorious for having too many unfinished projects. Don't get me wrong, I still DO have too many unfinished projects, but the number of FINISHED projects is starting to get as big. If that makes any sense.

Have a Merry Christmas! :)

For a Good Cause

So, I'm sure many of you have already seen this, but just in case you haven't.... Here is by far one of the COOLEST lunchboxes I've EVER seen!

The lunchbox was designed by David Rockwell, the CEO and founder of The Rockwell Group, an architecture firm. The box is one of many designed by celebrities as part of The Lunchbox Auction to benefit the Food Bank for New York City and The Lunchbox Fund. The current bid on this fantastic cable knit lunchbox is at $100. The auction ends tomorrow though -- so bid now!

Bright Spot

Yesterday it rained cats and dogs here. On top of that, it was cold.... and I forgot my umbrella. So, since I now take the bus to the metro, I walked home in the cold rain. This makes me very grumpy. But, when I got into the house, waiting for me on the living room table was my package from my Starbucks & Yarn swap partner! This was indeed a VERY bright spot in an otherwise dreary day.

Well, I couldn't dive in right away because Wendy had dinner all ready and was handing me a bowl full of tasty spaghetti while I was trying to get into the box. Oh well, a home cooked meal on a dreary day is also a bright spot AND it added to the anticipation. So, after my VERY tasty dinner, I tore open the box which revealed many sunny yellow wrapped packages -- another bright spot.

Ok, I was REALLY excited to have Shelby as my spoiler because I knew she dyed her own yarn and I was hoping to be on the receiving end of this talent of hers. And all I can say is I did indeed get some yummy yarn. I got two different skeins. One, a sock weight yarn which included some sparkly silver yarn, was made especially for me. It included all of my favorite colors and is just SO pretty and sparkly. You can KIND of see the sparkles in the picture, but I couldn't do it justice. The other skein is a worsted weight that is a BEAUTIFUL combination of blues and browns (another fav of mine!) and is SUPER soft.

The next few gifts were a homemade bookmark and some stitch markers. As you can see, they too were GORGEOUS. Shelby is definitely one crafty lady! I also got a travel mug that had pictures of things that I like -- including a Starbucks beverage, my Hogwarts House flag and a map of the Northern VA area (where I call home).


Finally, I got an absolutely beautiful clutch bag. It is in my current favorite shade of blue and had a really pretty button that I believe is a Celtic knot. She left it unfelted so I could make it as loose or as tight as I liked, which is VERY considerate of her. I think I will felt it a bit to give it more structure, but it is still an absolutely GORGEOUS bag.

Thank you again, Shelby! You are such a thoughtful and generous person and I really do love everything. I hope we can meet soon!

One more quick thing. After a trip to Target, my first SP13 package is ready to be sent. I really hope my pal likes it!

Playing Catch Up

Hello! Long time no write, I know. Have you noticed that everyone who drops off on blog writing for a while, always seems to start a new post this way? Oh well, can't always be original I guess! :)

For those of you in the US, I hope you had a rockin' good Thanksgiving. I spent mine in Indianapolis with a bunch of people from my dad's side of the family. The majority of whom I either hadn't seen in YEARS or had never met. It was a BLAST! Instead of the traditional turkey dinner, we instead served the Cavell Family red sauce. I know, to look at me, you would NEVER know that I am part Italian, but my great grandfather immigrated from Italy when he was about 12 I believe. Below are a few shots of the festivities.

First, we have the "kiddie" table. However, none of the attendees were under the age of 21, so there really weren't any KIDS, per se.

Next, we have a gaggle of Cavells hanging outside in the "balmy" 45 degree weather. Shooting the breeze (and sneaking a smoke!)

Here we have a little self-portrait action.

First, is my cousin Jonathan and myself.

And here I am with my cousin Clayton!

So, that was Thanksgiving. When I returned to VA on Black Friday I had to get back into packing mode. All of the little things and the clothes that I never wear had to be packed up before my move the next day. Let me tell you, the ENTIRE time all I kept saying was "I have too much JUNK!" It's so true. But of course, pack rat that I am, I couldn't bring myself to pitch any of it. I know, it's ridiculous!

Well, I wish I had pictures from the day of the move or at least some of the boxes, but I was too busy moving to take any. The day of the move was GORGEOUS! Really sunny and not that cold, I'd say it was about 50 degrees. My mom, step dad and little brother came to help, which I LOVE them for. This is the fourth time they've helped me move and so we have it down to a science. Everything went smoothly and nothing was broken. Now I just have to finish unpacking!

So, I know that my mail is successfully being forwarded because I got my first SP13 package! Look at my goodies! Thank you SO much, Secret Pal. I can't wait to work on my first pair of Noro socks. Well, my first pair of socks PERIOD if we're being honest! And the book IS a perfect swap gift! It's so cute. It's not as intriguing as my current read, Labyrinth by Kate Mosse, but it's perfect for some tips and knowledge. Oh and one more thing, SP, (and yes, I know this isn't very subtle) anything by Madeleine L'Engle, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet are worthy of some reading time!

Well, that's it folks! I know this was a long one, so I thank you for reading it through. Talk to you again soon!