Do I look gorgeous?

First of all, thank you all very much for the compliments on Lace Leaf. You've all made me a very proud wearer of the sweater. :)

Then, please take a look at this:

I mean, seriously, do I look gorgeous in this shawlette? In case you wonder, no this is not my FO. This is the first knitted gift I've ever received in my life! Yesterday morning, an unsuspecting me went to the post office, thinking I was going to pick up some yarns I ordered. So, it was just natural reaction to have my jaws dropped for 30 seconds when I opened the package that contained this beautifully made shawlette by Debi, aka Pumpkin's mom. :) It is no ordinary shawl ... but a beaded one (2000 pieces, I tell ya!)! She has a close up shot of the stitches and beads here. I absolutely love ths shawl and I feel so elegant wearing it ... thank you thank you thank you, Debi!

You know, the feeling of receiving a knitted gift is just wonderful. Being aware of this, I started my preparation for Sockapaloooza - yarns, checked; needles, checked; pattern, checked:


I had every intention of finishing the grey socks for Husband first. However, I've been having quite some frustration in trying to get them done right. So, I thought it a good idea to take a break from them and started working on the socks for my sock pal. And for the welfare of my sock pal, I also thought it a good idea for me to follow a pattern instead of trying to work out one of my own ... hahaha ... As I browsed through Nancy Bush's latest sock book, I just felt that this is the perfect pattern for the red yarn. Before dinner, I finished knitting the cuff:

Mmm ... well, it's lace, so you have to wait until it is finished and blocked for the beauty to show.

I think I should express my gratitude to Alison and all the sock sisters for their thoughfulness in the organization of Sockapaloooza. At least in my case, they paired me up with a sock pal who has similar foot measurements as my own ... and this is going to make the knitting a lot easier. Thanks for the wonderful work!