Sometimes it's just one of those lives.......

Believe it or not, I used to be a really optimistic person. I KNEW I'd be able to figure out a solution to any problem that had the nerve to cross my path, that I'd soon have life running smoothly again. I had bumps along the way, just like anyone else, but the bumps didn't really shake my faith in my ability to fix whatever came my way. But, following the divorce, the ex trying to get custody of my boys, and most of all my disability that left me unable to work, and effectively took away a large part of my identity, and I'd be the first to admit that my outlook on life just isn't as cheerful as it used to be.

But every now and then, out of the blue, someone reaches past this newly formed pessimistic shield of mine and makes me feel genuinely happy. Brings a real smile when one is needed the most. And usually it probably seems like a small thing to the giver, but believe me when I say it's huge from where I sit.

A friend of mine from Rav, a swap partner, sent me a package that has made my day and probably the best smile I'll find for several weeks. Part of the swap was to be a "softie" , a small stuffed item, either bought or made. And I don't know what hand of divine providence put the wheels in motion, but she made for me the very softie I would have chosen if given a choice, and out of yarn that I really love! Meet my alpaca. There were lots of other goodies included in the package (which made it's way to me from Belgium!). There was a skein of lovely robin's egg blue yarn, some super cool pens, several nifty notepads and cards and candy. Yeah for candy! The candy didn't make it into the pix, but then, it seldom does, lol! I'll be sending my package to my very thoughtful partner this weekend, and can only hope she likes it half as much as I love mine. If she does, it will be a great success.

Lion Brand Organic Cotton Swap- My part

I spent quite a long time on my part of the Lion Organic Swap. I wanted it to be very special as Jan is a very special person. I ordered organic soap from Mountain Mama at http://www.etsy.com/shop/mountainmamachic and some of the coolest pottery I've seen from The Muddy Muse at http://www.etsy.com/shop/muddymuse For the knitted part of my swap package I chose to make a shawl/scarf called Saroyan. It's such a cool pattern, and my first that included lace on such a large scale. The pictures of the package I'm including are the ones taken by Jan, her's are much better than mine! The lovely girl modeling the scarf is Jan's daughter. I also included a skein of the organic cotton, and a scarf pin that was my own. I wanted to give Jan something of my own. Here are the pics, enjoy!

Lion Brand Organic Cotton Swap

Wow and super wow! I'm a little late getting this posted as I received my package some time ago, but it's so wonderful, it still gets a wow! It really couldn't have been more on target if my partner and I had been friends for years instead of just having met on-line for a few weeks. The gauntlets/fingerless mitts are exactly what I've been wanting for ages and have never taken time to make for myself. Even the style is right on target and they fit perfectly! The lacy cowl/collar is so lovely, I've already thought of several things I will wear it with. The earrings (made of rose quartz and sterling silver), are in my ears even as I type. I'm using the stitch markers in one of my current projects. I've placed the sachets in my dresser drawers and the smell when I open the drawers is so wonderful. The dish cloth looks wonderful in my kitchen and the soap and facecloth are terrific in my bathroom. All in all the best swap I've been in, it will be hard to find a better partner in future swaps I'm in, and I really hope that my partner and I can keep in touch!

April Swap for Group Eddy

Wow! Talk about busy! I was invited to join a Ravelry group that was doing a year long swap of 12"x12" squares, either knitted or crocheted. Eddy is the first group I joined. There are 13 of us in the group and every month we all send a square to the member of the month (MoM) based on her preferences of yarn wt, color, etc. So far it's been a lot of fun. One of the reasons I joined is that I think it will encourage me to learn some new stitches, and to practice and improve my knitting skills. I think it's working! The hardest part is picking the yarn and pattern. I'm trying to use yarn from my stash (thought this would be a good stash reducer, also!). These are pictures of the square I made and sent to the May MoM.

New projects galore!

Well, I've gone from doing nothing, to doing quite a lot! Too much? I guess we will find out. I've mentioned before the square swaps which are really great. I've been meeting some very nice people and I'm having a chance to both try new stitches and even use some yarn from my stash (yeah!). I'm also doing a Lion Brand Yarn swap that I'm really excited about, it's one on one and that part is nice. It gives you a chance to get to know someone a little better. I've got a great project in mind for my partner, just waiting for the needles I'll need to arrive in the mail. I'm also working on a special gift (this swap is a recycled theme), I really hope she likes it! But I didn't stop there in my new activities. I've also adopted a soldier! This is something that's pretty important to me as my youngest son Mike is planning to join the Army Airborne after graduating next year and the soldier I've adopted is in an Airborne division. I'm hoping I can really send this soldier a little bit of home while he's over there and maybe raise his spirits once in a while. The group I've joined is called The Strength Behind the Strong, it really is a great honor to support these brave men and women who are risking their lives for America. May they stay safe.