And then the mail came....

There I was, a virtual prisoner in my own home yesterday. Sun shining, breeze blowing a bazillion pieces of pollen up my nose if I dared venture outside. Of course I had to give Tink a little walk and the only other thing I did outside the house was a quick run to the store to get some elastic for the skirt portion of the flower outfit. So I was in a nasty mood .... but then the mail came! My Secret Pal strikes again!!!

What a clever creative woman she is! She told me to look out for a "bug splattered" package. Isn't that cute! And I love dragon flies too. Ah, but inside ... the theme of this one is "Cozy". Inside I found all sorts of cozy things. The pattern from Knitty for the Cozy Shawl, size 8 circular needles [she's right, you never can have enough of size 8s], Elann Sonata to make the shawl, chocolate, cute little tissues and a handmade card, plus what you can't see .... a candle, some soap and a cute little tea bag dish. Just a lovely package and it brightened my day a lot. THANKS SECRET PAL!!!

I am also very proud of myself because I finally finally did the finishing on the Flower Skirt & Top. It is very cute. The picture doesn't show the pretty little flower buttons at the shoulder of the top but I think you can get the idea. I do not like sewing garter stitched pieces together. It is impossible to get the mattress stitch right. I think if I ever (and it's highly unlikely, mind you) make another totally garter stitched thing I will be certain to put a stockinette selvedge on it so that it can be seamed correctly. So, that's one huge weight off my shoulders. I also finished up the shrug I was making for my friend. I didn't take a picture -- it's only a shrug, albeit a very nice one. I have decided that I'm going to take a break from making things for other people and just make a few things for myself for a change. In that vein I cast on for the X-back top again last night a got a few rows done. I really hope I can finish that up for my trip.