It’s been holey moley hectic lately - we’re madly prepping and packing for a Kenya/London trip (more details on that soon) - so this is going to be short.

First of all, I’m finally on Ravelry! I first heard about Ravelry 3 months ago, but didn’t sign up because I tend to be cautious like that… don’t want to jump on the bandwagon until I know it’s worth my time. And then when I realize how cool this site is, I finally signed up in early June. I’m still uploading my projects and pictures very VERY slowly (in between packing)… but if you’re on, find me there under my usual screen name: roofth. =)

Second, I was tagged by the lovely Ayelet with a Rockin Girl Blogger badge! She’s a sweet gal from the other side of the world, and if I could, I would tag her right back with this little award. Instead, I’m supposed to award this badge to 5 other rockin girl bloggers… and I realize it’s so hard to do so… I have so many friends out there it’s so hard to choose!! If it were up to me, I’d be giving out 20 of these badges, seriously.

Here you go!

To the following:

1. Kaity - she’s my younger sister’s age, and makes a ton of very cool stuff. She’s also down-to-earth and a very cool chicka.

2. Caitlyn - I know her as Chor, but she’s been an old friend who by chance happened to discover and love knitting the same time I did! A very talented friend. Her hubby is very talented too (musically and video game inclined, as well as other things, I’m sure). =)

3. Jen - we bumped into each other online and discovered not only how similar we are in background/personality/interests, but we have a handful of friends in common! I can’t go without a week without saying hi to her online. Oh, and she’s a speed demon knitter. If you don’t believe me, I have a YouTube video to prove it to you.

4. Laura - This girl I met up with when I was in KL on vacation a couple years back. Her life is so incredibly full, I wonder if she has time for crafting! She’s also super talented, and super sweet! And engaged!! Too bad she’s across the Pacific Ocean or then I would totally want to hang out with her. =)

5. Agnes - This gal makes the coolest stuff, seriously. Garments, socks, intricate lace… all her stuff is gorgeous! Check it out here. Plus, she’s in the south bay area, my old stomping grounds!

I’d say 70% of my knitting is done in solitude. 10% is done with nonknitter friends, and the remaining 20% is done with knitting friends. I’d say that last 20% is probably the most fun out of all. It’s nice to be among like-minded crafters, with the freedom to ask and give advice, tips, and admire each other’s work and laugh over common mistakes. I’ve grown to really enjoy social knitting.

This past weekend, Cyndi, Lynette, Caitlyn, and myself got together for a fun brunch and some knitting! It was so fun - the last time we got together was maybe 6 months ago?

We all brought something homemade - Caitlyn made yummy chocolate chip biscotti and fruit salad, Cyndi made cinnamon buns, Lynette made cupcakes and scones, and I brought my homemade quiche. With mimosas in hand, it was YUM!

The spread:

Our knitting:

A group photo:

Thank you to Caitlyn who hosted, and thank you to Cyndi who provided these pictures. =) We were lame enough to completely forget about taking any pictures of our outing, until the very last minute. That’s how terrible we are as bloggers (evidence: me having to borrow pictures from Cyndi just so I can post about it here). =)

And just to show how lame of a blogger I am, there’s another knitting outing I completely forgot to document here - Stitch ‘n Pitch! It happened a little over a month ago (I know I’m late) and it was alot of fun. I’ve never brought knitting to a sports event - too self-conscious to do it. But it was so much fun when there are whole entire stands of knitters knitting/crocheting/stitching away while watching/yelling/cheering the game! (I’m quite sure there were +50 of us, with friends and family in tow who had joined in.) Marin from SnB threw the first pitch too! I’m sorry I don’t have a shot of that, as we completely missed it. =(

The free tote bag provided for us:

Raley Field sign:

Knitters in the stands - people from our local SnB group, the Guild, and everyone in between!

Lacy and myself:

Here’s to more fun outings with knitterly friends! =)

Sorry to say, this post won’t talk about any of my current knitting (I’ve cast-on for 2 new projects in the past 5 days). Today’s post is purely on gifts alone - starting with a new friend that came in my mailbox!

It’s Karen’s cat!! Thank you!! What a cutie, huh? And friendships are already being forged in my household (e.g. Blobby):

And this gift was quite a while back, but I was thrilled to receive little stitch markers from Toni. Aren’t they pretty?

Lastly, I’m finally presenting pictures of some baby blanket collaborations I participated in. The blankets were put together by groups of friends in secret, and in the past couple weeks, have finally been received by their intended recipients (and their newborns). It was a whole lot of fun, and a special way for knitting friends to knit together something special for a new mother!

This is Regina’s blanket - squares made by various local SnB members. (P.S. See the heart in the middle? That was one of my squares) =)

Another blanket collaboration was for Lynette. This project was especially unique as it involved a group of long-distance friends. We all took a color and did our squares, and it was seamed by Caitlyn, Cyndi, and eventually, Stephanie (photo courtesy of Stephanie, more details here).

If I had received a blanket such as these, I would have felt so honored and blessed by the work done by my friends. A blanket of blessings, indeed! (And such fun to help in the giving process as well!) But alas, no babies here (yet). In the meantime, I’ll be here, cuddling with my new cat. =)