Recent gifties & yarn porn

I have been participating in a LiveJournal Secret Pal swap since November. My pal went MIA, so I ended up getting two replacement pals at the last minute. One of my replacement pals sent me a package last week and I just got around to posting the pictures of all the yumminess! It was such an amazing package, I HAD to post pictures so you all could see the fabulousness :D

First the yarn, which I am in LOVE with :D



This is a scrumptious skein of alpaca and silk in a rich dark brown color. I just sit and pet it and rub it against my cheek, lol. It's sports weight, so I don't know yet what I'll make out of it, but I'm quite content to keep it as a pet for the time being :D My pal said she loves alpaca as well, so it's just one big alpaca love-fest, it seems :D



This is a very scrumptious skein of mohair and wool. Now, I was SHOCKED when I pulled the label out of the center-pull ball, because as a general rule, I don't care for mohair...it's always itchy to me...but this! This is divine! I can rub it all over my arms, face, legs, and it just feels like softness and deliciousness :) I also love the natural creamy color of the skein! It's an all-around HUGE win, in my opinion!

And finally, the whole enchillada :D


As you can see, besides the yarn, she sent me oodles of goodies :D I got a HUGE bad of red swedish fish (my ALL TIME favorite candy!!!), the new Knitscene, which I had been eyeing, but hadn't purchased yet, an adorable brown soft, fuzzy flower, a really cute round card, a litle toy that I think is supposed to be for my son, but I'm gonna keep it (the green mushroom looking thing. It's one of those bug-eye things where you look into it and you see everything a gagillion times repeated!), some toy cars for my son that run on balloon/air power!, and a funny/funky orange and green plastic glass with a silly straw inside it :) I can't wait till warmer weather, I'll so be drinking on my patio out of the cup :D

All in all, an amazing, fun, exciting, thoughtful, interesting, delicious for all the senses, wonderful package! It's even more special to me because she was a last-minute replacement for my original pal who went MIA and dtale77 was SO on the mark with everything in my package :) I love and adore it all and I thank you, dtale77, from the bottom of my mushy little fraggle heart for such a great gift!

Then, I never posted a picture of the cotton yarn I received in my dishcloth swap package :)



The electric blue skein isn't a color I would normally go for, but when I saw it and felt it, it just screamed out in my hands to be a lace dishcloth...so that is what it shall become :) Then, I can give it away in a swap or something :D I really like the multi-colored cotton on the right! It's also something I would never buy, but I think it looks cute and fun and I bet it will knit up really interestingly....

And finally, just because I can...a picture from my mini vacation to Lake Tahoe this weekend :D


Sunrise on the mountains - view from our hotel room!