My mom and stepdad came to visit this last weekend. While I could easily go on and on about what a great time we had, and indeed it was a very nice visit, this is a knitting blog and what I really want to go on and on about is my mom - the wacky, wonderful wild woman of all things crafty - and all the great goodies she brought from Pennsylvania. My mom has been cleaning out her knitting room and did she ever have some huge surprises for me. Omigoodness gracious! She spoiled me rotten and that’s saying alot because my mom has always spoiled me rotten! She could have easily been considered the World’s Greatest Contributor to my yarn stash prior to her visit but, with all of these additional goodies, she’s made sure no one can ever take away her title - including me! It was like Christmas in May.

Books, books, books. Yes, it’s a whole box of books and magazines. There’s so many awesome titles in this box. There’s Modular Knits: New Techniques for Today’s Knitters and Exquisite Little Knits: Knitting with Luxurious Specialty Yarns. There’s also Knitting for Dummies, The Right Way to Knit: A Manual for Basic Knitting, Pursenality Plus: 20 New Felted Bags and Knitting Vintage Socks: New Twists on Classic Patterns. There’s so much to look at, I can’t possibly list everything here.

Another box held notebooks full of freebie patterns my mom found on the internet (dishcloths and socks galore) and baggies full of circular needles - sizes zero and up. There’s Inox, Addi, Hiya Hiya and Boye needles. There’s both metal and plastic needles. There’s long cables and short cables. I think I’m set for circular needles!

Remember my fascination with yarn dyeing? Well, mom’s now provided me with a whole bunch of Rit dyes and sponge brushes. Too much fun!

Did I mention the giant bins of yarn she brought along with her? Here’s a peek inside one of the bins. That white bag is full of yarn from Peace Fleece. The colors are delicious! There’s also a small ton of wool from Briggs and Little and even some skeins of wool that belonged to my grandmother. How cool is that?

Check out what was in the second bin - more yarn! Look at all of that Dye Your Own yarn from KnitPicks. Let me tell you, I saw that yarn and started squirming in my seat. I probably looked like I was doing the pee pee dance! I was trying so hard to contain my excitement (I didn’t want to look like the greedy, gluttonous little wench I can be) that all I could do is wiggle. I don’t know if I managed to hide my true colors or not, but I gave it my best shot!

I couldn’t not show you what was underneath all of that fantabulous Dye Your Own yarn. More yarn! Lorna’s Laces, Socks That Rock, Opal, Wool of the Andes, Cascade Fixation, and Fortissima. Whew! It’s like looking at a box full of candy and sweets. The colors are absolutely stunning - delectible, even!

You know, my mom is more than a super-shopper/bargain-hunter. She is also an uber-talented crocheter! Seriously! Check out these beautiful bags that she made for Hollie and me. They’re her take of the Fat-Bottom Bag from Stitch ‘N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker.

This is the bag that my mom made for Hollie’s birthday. She turned 11 on May 7th and she was absolutely thrilled with what her Nonnie crocheted for her! Mom not only included the big pink flower you currently see pinned to the bag, but also a fluffy purple flower that can be used when dear granddaughter is in the mood for a little bit of lavender. This purse is absolutely beautiful and, while I didn’t take a picture of the lining, that’s fab as well. My mom is so damn talented.

Can you believe this gorgeous cotton purse that mom made for me? Here it is hanging off of Mortimer (our moose). The colors are so summery and absolutely perfect for the season! The lining is the same blue and green that you see in the purse and, while it’s hard to see in this picture, there’s a bit of the blue and green woven into the purse straps as well. I’m telling you, these purses make me want to get out my crochet hooks to make a couple of Fat-Bottom Bags.

Speaking of crochet hooks, my mom made one more gift for me. What could it be?

It’s a hook holder - filled with hooks, stitch markers and even a small pair of embroidery scissors. Obviously mom wants to do more than contribute to the delinquency of a knitter by offering me an overpowering yarn stash fix, she also wants to encourage me to sneak on over to the dark side (*) and do some crocheting too! Can you believe that?

I had to share a close-up of the cute little embellishments my mom included on the crochet hook holder she made. Aren’t they adorable? I love bumblebees and that little ladybug is absolutely precious! I’m really a lucky lady to have such an awesome mom. I love you Mom!

(*) Note: I don’t really believe those folks who crochet are on the dark side. Really! No Darth Crocheter vs. Luke Skyknitter battles happening here. I was just trying to be a wee bit comical. Forgive me, please. I won’t do it again… not today, anyhow.