And The Winner Is...

...Andrea, of At Home Mommy Knits! Congratulations, Andrea--you win the draw from my "Small Victories" contest. If you'll email me (suzanneATvetalawDOTcom) your snail mail address, I'll get your sock yarn prize right out to you. And thank you to everyone who shared a recent small victory. It's uplifting to read through all those little (and some not so little) successes. If you need a boost today, go check out the comments.

And, so that I can spread a little more good cheer, this seems a good time to share this, as well:

Eileen very kindly gave me this wonderful award. Thanks, Eileen!

The best part is I now get to pass it on to eight other bloggers. This is my favorite part of awards, but also really difficult, since I read and love so many blogs and I have a tough time picking and choosing among them.

This time around, I'm naming:

FibraArtysta, who (in addition to knitting) does amazing art quilts and has an ongoing photo essay called "Where I Stand Sunday", which I really enjoy;

The Fairy Godknitter, who not only knits unbelievably beautiful lace, but knits lace shawls faster than I could do a chunky washcloth;

The A.D.D. Knitter, whose stash is a work of art in itself, and whose dry sense of humor cracks me up on a regular basis;

Beckyknitstoo, who instituted "Crack Me Up Saturday" and who recently posted a picture of herself wearing an orange slice tea cozy on her head, which is so deliciously wrong on so many levels that I think it may be an act of knitterly genius;

Rosemary-Go-Round, lace knitter and jewelry designer extraordinaire, who has managed to magically combine both passions to create a new and gorgeous art form;

Sheepish Annie, whose zombie-attack preparedness should be a lesson to us all, and whose writing about the kids she teaches makes me laugh every day;

Green Apples, who regulary takes patterns I didn't look at twice and turns out sweaters so beautiful it defies logic, and whose careful swatching and excellent yarn and book reviews have saved me much time and trouble many times over;

And Knitman, even though I don't think he's into the whole blogging awards thing, because he knits beautiful socks and sweaters and always makes me think about bigger issues (and because he breeds and shows the most gorgeous dogs).

The rules:

1. Copy the award to your site.
2. Link to the person from whom you received the award.
3. Nominate 8 other bloggers.
4. Link to those on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominated.

Go forth and spread the love!

The Envelope, Please...

Maureen over at 5 and a Beagle gave me this award!

I am always so touched when someone tells me they like my blog. I think most of us blog as much for ourselves as for our readers (maybe more), but really, if no one reads it, what's the point? It's like a tree falling in the forest with no one to hear it.

My favorite part of getting an award is getting to pass it on to other people whose blogs I love. There are a lot of you. My blog roll has reached a size that makes it impossible for me to check every blog every day. I'd love to give this award to dozens of blogs that make my day on a regular basis. But in thinking about it a little, I realize most of you have lots of readers who also love you. So this time around, I'm going to pass the award on to some lesser-known bloggers who also have great blogs, in the hopes that you might enjoy them as much as I do, and maybe make some new imaginary friends.

The rules for award acceptance are as follows: 1. The winner can put the logo on their website/blog. 2. Add a link to the person who gave you this award. 3. Nominate at least 5 other websites/blogs. 4. Provide links of the nominated websites/blogs. 5. Leave a message at each website owner that you've nominated.

I am nominating:

Lynn of Fibra Artysta, who is a fiber artist in Michigan. She makes gorgeous art quilts, plays with fiber, and knits.

Patty of Fibreholic, who is a new-ish mom and, as she puts it, a "homesick Newfoundland and Labradorian with a passion for historical 'women's work' - now called 'crafts' - which generally use fibre."

Janet of On The House, who is a new knitter and knit blogger (and my friend and neighbor).

Sarah of Nibbling Along, who used to blog at Bella Knitting, but now has her own blog about knitting and cooking. She is an awesome cook and often posts absolutely terrific recipes that tempt even me into the kitchen.

Andrea of At Home Mommy Knits, who knits, sews, cooks, and does some really cool craft projects.

And crochetgurl, whose real name, I am chagrined to admit, I don't know. Despite the blog name, she is a knitter (a relatively new knitter, I believe) and a fellow San Diegan, although I met her on Ravelry. She has some great projects, including some really cute little critters.

Thank you to all of you for keeping me entertained and inspired. Now go spread the love!