The family you get

I'm a very lucky girl. I've been blessed with great family - the one that I was born into and the ones that I've been given along the way. As with every family, I have my share of fruitcakes and redneck cousins but to make up for it, I have much more than my fair share of really stellar related and inherited family. My mom is my best friend in the world - always has been (except for maybe a few minutes when I was 16 when I'm sure she didn't like me as much as I didn't like her). I have two gorgeous, sweet, wonderful brothers of whom I'm so proud and wouldn't trade for all the world. My father is a kind, quiet man who loves me. I have (hopefully someday soon) in-laws that couldn't be better if I'd handpicked them - Scott's family feels like mine. I have another family here in South Carolina who adopted me 5 years ago when I needed it desperately and who have taken care of me in so many ways. For their love and kindness I will be eternally grateful. And then I have the whole, loony California contingent. Which leads me to one person in particular. . .

My cousin Jon is 5 months older than me. He grew up in California and I was in Georgia. It's probably a good thing that he lives on the opposite coast because boy, would we be trouble if we lived any closer. Somehow, Mr. Straightlaced found this fabulous, crazy woman who agreed to marry him. I ADORE this woman. If she weren't my cousin, she be my friend anyway. Over the last few years, and particularly in the last year, we've gotten to be pretty close. They hound me to move to the west coast. I hound them to move east. Ros and I both started sewing about the same time. We've been trading pictures and advice back and forth through email (and one very late night, drunken video chat. . .) I saw this pattern a while back for a knitted headband and I wanted desperately to make it but it required a head with long hair. That ruled me out, but it just screamed Ros to me. After the scarf I made a few posts back, I had the skillz to finally bust this one out. Her fee for this gift was that she had to take a picture. I couldn't have asked for more. . .

She was even sweet enough to wear a scarf and long sleeves just to pretend that it was actually cold enough to be wearing a wool headband in the middle of July. I love her. You can read her blog here - http://algaegirl.blogspot.com/.

And if anyone is interested, the pattern can be found here -

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTcalorimetry.html.