... and received

While I'll agree that giving gifts is fabulous, we all know that it is way better to receive than to give. In that vein, let me share with you some of the wonderful gifts I received this holiday season:

It looks like people around here think I enjoy knitting. I wonder where they got that idea.

(Clockwise from left: "Knit for a Cure" scarf-making set from my godfather, two new knitting books Beautiful Knitting from my grandmother and Not Tonight Darling, I'm Knitting from Jen, a gorgeous skein of hand-spun, hand-dyed merino also from Jen and a nifty box-o-knitting-notions from Jen's mom. Her name's Stephanie, so she put "Stephanie Pearl-McPhee" on the tag. Ubergeeky, but I loved it.)



After such a good haul, Jen and I decided to take a trip to the mecca that is Webs. (I tried to incorporate the acronym SEX in there somewhere, you know for Stash Enhancing eXpedition, but it sounded wrong. Very very wrong.) Here's the thing about Webs: It. Is. Amazing. We were there for more than two hours, and we were noticing new things on the way out. The store was incredible; totally worth the drive. (As an aside, before I got pregnant with Magic Baby, I started a Masters program which I had to put on hold because, well I got pregnant. Why am I mentioning this now? The program was at Smith College, which is in Northampton. This means I was going to school in the same town as Webs. And I wasn't a knitter, so I didn't care. Do you know how much it hurt when we drove all the way there and I realized the biggest yarn store in the country is within walking distance of where I lived for a month. And I didn't even know it was there. Excuse me while I wipe the tears from my keyboard.) I had a gift certificate to the store, which I promptly spent on this:enough Gedifra Cotton Merino for a sweater (por moi). I also got some cute 100% bamboo sock yarn (which is red pink and white and incredibly unphotogenic. Sorry.)

And then I was evil and splurged on some of this (also for me).

Yes, that says CashSilk as in 25% cashmere, 25% silk, 50% wool. It is so soft! I bought what I hope is enough to make a light, summery top of some sort. I still have to find the perfect pattern, but that's what Ravelry is for, right?

So that was the stash garnered from Webs. Add that to my Christmas gifts, and I'd say I did pretty well this year. Oh, and there is one more knitting-related gift.

Okay, so it doesn't look like much but that's only because it's not done yet. It's going to be a scarf, but not just any scarf. This is an extra-special, love-filled scarf knitted by...

my husband! Unbeknownst to me, he had Jen teach him how to knit! While he was in the hospital with gall stones! And he's been working on my scarf on coffee breaks at work and even during football games! How amazing is this guy?! This was by far the best gift I receive this year, and it's not even done yet. (Can you see where he inadvertently increased from 20 stitches to 42? He decided that rather than go back and fix it, he'll just do the same thing on the other end. I told him this is what we knitters call a "design element" and that it's a perfectly acceptable knitting technique.) I can't wait for him to finish, so I can proudly wear it and show it off! I've been watching him knit, and I can tell it's not really his thing (although he says he "appreciates the craft"). To me, that makes the gift even more special, because he keeps working on it for me, even though he's not a knitting fanatic. Yeah, he's great. And I know what you're thinking: Where can I get me a man like that? All I can tell you is: Sorry ladies. This one's taken!