The Libby Sweater

Dear Mom,
Here is the Diva's sweater from my new friend to knit with, Leslie!  The pattern is called Libby and Leslie designed and knit it for a special little girl.  When I saw the pattern almost a year ago, I thought of my special little girl, too and knew it would be perfect.  I used Ultra Alpaca from Berroco yarns.  The yarn is pilling but I'm strangely okay with that because the Diva is wearing the heck out of this sweater!  I mentioned before that this is a FAB sweater pattern!  Very easy-to-read-and-understand directions.  This is a good pattern whether you are a beginner or a more advanced knitter.  I am in love with the swing coat look.  I love the decreases.  I love the simple beauty of the garter rib.
This is my year of the finished project and I'm soooooo happy that this is the first finished sweater of 2010!!!

Very very happy happy!
Love,
Wendy

Her name is Patsy

Dear Mom,
The vet's diagnosis?
It's a dog. A good old mix of everything good, no particular breed. Which is a relief because I was sure I saw some Great Dane in there and pictured myself driving my little Matrix around with Patsy's head sticking out of the sunroof. She will be a Large Dog, but not a Giant.
I had forgotten how wiggly puppies can be, and the only good photos I can get of her are while she sleeps.

yes, that is a handknit blanket she is sleeping on

As the shock and awe wear off, and I adjust to my new reality, I have decided that Patsy is a very bright little girl. Bumper, however, like all older siblings, just wants her to go away.

This New Reality has put a cramp in my sock-a-week resolution. I may not git-r-done this week. We'll see. In my rattled state, I've done very little knitting since Friday. Not good.

But....

Amidst the chaos, I received a package from Wendy. It was filled with a variety of spinning fibers.

In a random fashion, I spun and plied a good bunch of it with the hope of creating an interesting novelty yarn, and ended up with this!

This distracted spinning and plying was the perfect respite and a fulfilling bit of intermittent creativity this weekend. Thanks, Wendy!
Love,
Kim