On November 1st my Secret Pal sent me a little note:

Happy November! And prepare to be spoiled.
A little something-something will be headed your way tomorrow morning... ...Is there anything special from here that you have trouble getting there that you'd like me to send along in a future package?
Until next time,Your Secret Pal

Since she asked me for special requests, I mentioned the curvy cabled cardigan pattern I wrote about in my blog a couple of weeks ago is still making me weak at the knees. I could reinvent one on similar principles, but it's not a no-brainer, and at present I don’t have the powers of concentration to reverse engineer it from the pictures (I am too busy cramming a full length opera into my brain in less than two weeks!) I am still drooling over this pattern, and the more I look over the other pictures, the more intriguing a few of the others become as well, so the whole booklet would be put to good use. So I said that if it’s not exorbitant I would love to receive it in a future package.

Meanwhile I've been eagerly and ignorantly awaiting the mailman every morning and guess what arrived yesterday: My very first package from my Secret Pal. I'll just break it down for you: A gorgeous cardboard suitcase exquisitely covered with beautiful pictures of decorated clay pottery. I just love boxes and containers and tins and pretty package things - I will find a very special use for this! Inside that were more amazing goodies: a huge skein (560 yards!) of Schaefer Yarn Anne handpainted merino-mohair (sock/fingering weight) - this one's too pretty for socks, it will have to be a shawl or something elegant when it grows up. A very heavy overstuffed box of Evelyn's hand-dipped chocolate truffles (and they're boozy too...so all the important food groups are covered). And - come on, I know you guessed it - this Classic Elite book: 9075 Luxe, which contains... (fanfare please, maestro - heavy on the horns) the coveted curvy cabled cardigan!

Note that I asked for this AFTER the package had been sent. How my Pal must have chuckled when she read my email. All I can say is - I have the best Secret Pal - you ROCK!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!!!!!

And thanks for the hints update last time. I need something fun to do in the middle of the night when I come home from rehearsals too wired to go to bed, so I’ll be stalking you. When I figure out who you are, you'll be getting a very special personal thank you.

Me so happy!