I get by

with a little help from my friends.

One fun thing about blogging is that you instantly become part of a world-wide community of fellow bloggers and readers. When a blog is about a topic as specific as knitting, it's common to find lots of fun, kind-hearted people who share the same passions you do. Often these friendships stay as casual as leaving an occasional comment on a blog and having that person eventually return the favor. Other blogging friendships, one way or another, lead to increased correspondence and an actual friendship (gasp!). That was the case with Michael.

Now, I have no idea how I was lucky enough to become friends with this person, but let me tell you--he is one heck of a guy. Now, not only is he a great person in general, but he's also an outstanding knitter & blogger. We have become good friends over the past few months and sometimes I forget that he's someone I've only known for such a short length. We've talked about lord knows what during that time, but through our discussions, a problem he was having surfaced: he loves knitting beautiful lace shawls, but he needs somebody to bestow them on after they're finished.

*ahem*

Fast forward to this afternoon. I came home from work to find an internationally shipped package waiting for me. Inside? A gorgeous hand knit shawl, a flawless pair of socks addressed to my mom, and yummy looking regional chocolates for us to munch on. What a guy. So without further ado, I introduce you to the pinnacle of inter-blogging generosity. No, scratch that- just generosity in general. Meet Laminaria

as well as the Hedgerow Socks

I still can't really handle the fact that I have these gorgeous items in my possession, but now that they're here, I couldn't love them more. I think it's true that a fellow knitter appreciates a gifted item more because we know how much time, care, and diligence went into each piece. I can't stress enough how thoughtful this is, and despite him not being crazy about gifts, I plan to pay him back royally somehow.

Thank you, friend!