Glad you're not incognito, Robin

So, due to circumstances beyond somebody's control, my Secret Pal was not able to play. But lucky me! I get to be spoiled by the wonderful SP Hostess with the Mostess (?) Robin! I came home from work the other day tired and a bit cranky. There were two packages awaiting me from amazon.com, or so I thought. I opened the first one and "Huh? I didn't order this! What is this book?" Well, that book is Custom Knits, and I had never seen it. And I thought I had seen just about every knitting book out there that was worth seeing. So I looked at the cover. Hmm, I'm not crazy about that sweater and I don't surf. I leafed through the pages. Hmm, some nice sweaters, but nothing is knocking my hand-knitted socks off. I checked the mailing label to see who was supposed to get this book that had been delivered to me by mistake. Well, no mistake, and not from amazon, either! It was from Robin! Wow! A gift! I don't get too many gifts, being a single parent of two teenagers. Well, I decided to look at the book a bit more. I have no idea who reads this blog, but FYI, I have ADD. So when I looked at the Custom Knits, I did just that, I looked. Then, oh, then I sat down and READ the thing. It is simply AMAZING! This is the book I have needed since forever, and THANKs to Robin, who obviously carefully read the answer to question number 12, I now have this incredible tool at my disposal. You see, this is not a book about finding pretty sweaters or even more, pretty pictures to knit. This is a book about knitting garments that you love to wear; that fit. I am absolutely in love with this book. If, like me, you have knit one too many sweaters that look good on anyone but YOU, run and get this book. Well, just go to your computer and order this book. It is a treasure trove of information and wisdom. Not only does this amazing woman Wendy Bernard show you how to knit with nary a seam to sew up, she gets down to the knitty gritty (pun intended) of figureing out what the heck you SHOULD knit that you will actually wear. Also included here are instructions for making your very own, custom dress form with a t-shirt and duct tape. I remember years ago seeing this technique in Stitches magazine and I always wanted to do it. Now I am inspired to actually make the thing. I know it will be a shock to see my actual, real shape hanging next to me, but a dress form is a marvelous thing -- trust me, I went to F.I.T. way back when. Robin, this was the absolute most perfect surprise. Thank you so very much.

Now, if that wasn't enough to make my week, the next day this little package appears, and inside were the loveliest stitch markers ever. They are fimo and in my favorite colors. Again, Miss Robin is an astute reader. I know this is true. Look, aren't they cute? Thanks again, my not-so-secret pal. You rock!

I have much more to blog and blather about, but right now, pizza calls. I've made some from scratch for my son's last dinner at home before leaving for college. Yikes! How did this happen? Seems like he was just a baby yesterday. Well, he's a magnificent, sweet and smart young man now.

Pizza time. Back later.

Do the Puyallup!

I'm not the biggest fan of the Puyallup Fair. Usually I go and end up spending too much time looking at things that simply don't interest me. Or, I get sucked into someone's sales pitch and buy some widget or other that I neither need nor want, and it ends up not working as promised anyway. But this year was different! I made a day of it with my friend Robin, and saw and did exactly what we wanted to see and do. Of course, the fiber-bearing animals were at the top of my list. Here are some of my favorites. Aren't their faces just heart-melting? I asked someone last week what really distinguished sheep from goats. He ridiculed me, but from the sign below, I'm obviously not the only (city girl) one to be confused! Oh, and yes, I know none of these is a sheep! Sheep photos and a special thanks to Robin Martin SP Angel in my next post.