Merry Christmas Swap to Me!

My friend Julie and I did a Christmas Swap last Christmas based on our love of books and knitting. Julie's gift put mine to shame although I did like my idea of using Little Women. She based hers on A Christmas Carol and included lots of goodies besides yarn to knit a beautiful shawl. I promised myself that this year I would show her up, planning way ahead and thoughtfully buying little items to supplement my book and yarn choices months beforehand....so what did I end up sending two days AFTER Christmas??--My swap box for Julie. I did plan ahead and bought some items in November, but I couldn't mange to send the box on time. Shame on me again.

She, on the other hand, was punctual and once again left me practically breathless! She chose the book The Mitten, which happens to be one of my favorites. I'll admit to having an old, worn copy with chew marks on the spine from when Gidget was a puppy, and besides, that book was Paige or Kai's, not mine. Her yarn-related item was something I've been coveting since I saw it last year, a "mitten" advent calendar pattern and cushy Knit Picks yarn in rich, Christmas colors. Love, love, love it! As further evidence that Julie is the best giver ever, she also sent a beautiful Polish pottery coffee cup. I am a coffee snob. I don't drink "fu-fu" pretend coffee; I drink bold coffee specially ground and brewed for me by my husband every morning and usually every afternoon.

I savor those two cups each day. I used to have a pottery cup that somehow made my coffee taste even better, but it got broken. My Starbucks coffee cup, which I've used ever since, just hasn't ever measured up. It feels "cold." Now, I once again have a coffee cup to truly enjoy. This morning, I spent a relaxing (like I haven't been relaxing most of the last week and a half) hour drinking coffee, eating treats from Julie, and looking at a cheerful Baba ornament that she also included in our swap.

In other news...I'm kind of finished whining about Lyric Tree. I still think the pattern is confusing and over-priced, but the tree is pretty cool, and Paige loves it so far. I have to re-knit the sleeves because they're too long, but I'm feeling optimistic that I will actually finish it, and that Paige will actually wear it...that is, if it gets cold enough. She's outside "laying out" right now. It's probably only sixty degrees outside, but that better than being stuck in a blizzard!