Kara & Mike Rock!

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KARA! Thanks for a great, fun party last night. And Mike is such an incredible cook, we truly appreciated the mega-tasty mostly vegetarian spread he laid out for us -- check it out! I really need to get the baba ganoush recipe.

Kara hosted a knitted gift exchange to celebrate her birthday -- everyone had to bring a knitted or knitting-related gift, and then we all got to take something fun home. Claudine, the Capricorn MC, is the only one who actually chose to steal someone else's gift, but she really wanted that Colinette yarn and let's face it, pink is her color. Although she'd better watch her back, because Susi didn't look too happy about being robbed.

I was lucky enough to choose (and not be robbed of) Kara's knitting contribution to the gift exchange -- chenille flower washcloths and some yummy-smelling soap (displayed by Red and Rachel)! Red got a knitted clutch made of super-soft Blizzard from Ruth (sorry I don't have a pic!) And I thought this shot of Heather in her hat gift (made by Johanna) was really cute.

Red proved to be more than just a knitting guru, as we checked out a Basics Class at Om Yoga this morning and I watched her twist her body into miraculously complicated poses (re-enactment done bya professional -- don't try this at home, kids). Dave was supposed to come along, but coming home at 4am after hanging out with Gregor at Eight Mile Creek didn't make him very inclined to get out of bed at 10AM. I really liked the class, because Danny, the instructor, explained everything we practiced, and I had always felt lost at the other classes I'd been to. I'm going to get Dave to go back with me before we move.

Lastly, here's a shot of the really cool original purse creation Red came up with herself -- for me -- with a blue whale! I think I'm going to felt it once the strap is finished. I love my guru! Here she is again, doing something smart -- fixing my lacey scarf (I was just going to "knit through it," but my creative "k2tog" solutions to getting rid of those pesky extra stitches were making that a really messy option).