A Grand Finish to SP9!

My final SP9 package has arrived! Thanks Aimee! I have lots of cool stuff - candles/candle holders (purple, of course!), some dark chocolate (yum!!!!), some mints in a really cool tin that says, "Crafty Girl", a Starbucks gift card (Aimee has picked up on the fact that sometimes we meet to knit and chill in Starbucks....so now, I can have some coffee "on her"), and the final surprise was some really unique yarn.

The yarn is very intriquing - it's mostly black and grey, but also has purple, magenta, and pink - all wrapped in a shimmery metallic green - I'm not sure if the picture really does it justice - it's quite stunning. The yarn is Noro Aurora and is a wool, mohair, silk blend with just a touch of polyester. (You can "double click" on the picture for a closer look.)

And now for an update on the "Swallowtail Shawl" - I've now completed 5 repetitions of "Budding Lace 2" of the pattern. I have a total of 87 stitches on the needle right now. I need to get up to 195 stitches in this pattern before moving on to the "Lily of the Valley Border 1".