My SP Is The Best

I got my reveal package yesterday. If I wasn't so tired I would have posted about it yesterday. It's been a busy week and I am very sorry that I didn't post. My pal (Amy) sent me A knit cotton Discloth with a 4 leaf clover knit into it, 2 skiens of Yarn Treehouse Lace weight Merino Yarn (So soft and pretty), Treats and toys for Cliona (Many purrs from Cliona I must add), CHOCOLATE (Cadburys Irish Cream filled bar), A Knitting with fabric Kit (can't wait to get to it), An Irish Angel pin, A Yankee Candle Car Jar (Lavender), an Angel ornament, And A Stitch Counter Bracelet (with celtic knot beads). Amy You are the best!!!

Pals are Happy

Well both my ISE4 and SP10 pals have received their packages and are happy with what I've sent them. Great news to get today. I had a wool crisis on my hands. Still a bit jumpy over it so I'll post about it tomorrow along with a picture. Don't worry though no winged creatures are involved.

SP10 & ISE 4

Both have packages going in the mail Thursday June 7th, 2007.

Let's see...how are things going!

Socks....6-7 more rounds and the gussets are done and on the the heels. Yay. It seems like the gussets have taken forever.

Afghan....plugging away on it. It's my mindless project. Definitley being a glutton for punishment with all the blocks to sew on. By the way it's 6 1/2 feet wide and it will be 8 feet long.

Sweater...we won't go there.

International Tote Exchange ... yarn and pattern picked, will be casting on this week.

International Scarf Exchange... will be going in the mail by friday.

SP 10... final package will be getting mailed by friday also.

Various Pics Starting w/ SP10

-- My SP 10 Package

-- A close-up of the tin. Stitchmarkers are inside.
-- The Nailpolish in My Package -- Yarn I dyed with food coloring.

-- The Afghan In Progress

My SP Pal Rocks

I got my latest package from my SP pal today. She's awesome. Thank you so much. I loved the theme idea and I did guess the theme.

She sent me: a skein of Plymouth Yarn Sockotta, Plymouth Yarn's Sockotta Ribbed Socks and Fingerless Mitts pattern, Earth Therapeutics Tea Tree Oil Foot Repair Balm, Nail Poilsh, Toe Separators, Bamboo US2 DPNs, a set of sock shaped point protectors, beaded stitch markers, a paddle shaped callous thingie (the word escapes me right now like a file) with a brush on the other end.

Thank you so much. I've aready broken the lotion, nail polish, file, and toe separators in. Great timing with the arrival of those as I have a bg dinner to attend Wednesday and I'm wearing sandals.

Photos will follow once my comp stops being a pain in the butt.

Pics from my SP Package

I finally found the cord to upload the pics from my camera. Here's pics of the packace my Wonderful Secret Pal sent.

She sent me (Top to Bottom, Left to Right): Raspberry Chocolate Pretzel Dip (Very delicious), Grandmas Spot Remover, KnitPicks Gossamer, Ghirardelli Chocolate, A Tapemeadure that Looks Like a Sheep, Cable Needle, Notepad with a kitty on the pop and the word "Meow", A Bungee Buddy Doorknob Hanger for Cliona, the One Skein Book, a set of 5 size US8 bamboo DPN's, a Neckwarmer that she knit (pattern in the book), and a note that she wrote.

These 2 pics are of a little set that was in a beautiful basket. They aren't in the first pic. I already had them hanging up. I had to take the pics at an angle because they are hanging on a mirror and I as avoiding the flash.

Here's Cliona playing with her new toy. She loves it so much. I have to put it away at night if I want a chance at sleeping.

I quick little story. My mail comes in with my landlord and lady's. I have access to their part of the house. The day the packace arrived I went down to see if the mail had arrived and it had. My landlady was somewhere in the house. She knew I was expecting something, but didn't know what. She didn't know the mail had arrived yet as I was on the mailman's heels. Well I go down to check to see if it's arrived and it has. I let out a "Yippee!" when I see that it had arrived. She knew it had arrived whatever it was. THen when I opened it and saw everything and let out another "Yippee" she knew it was really good whatever it was.

I saw her that afternoon and told her my package arrived and she said "I know I heard you saying "'Yippee' a couple times." I had to laugh. I didn't realize i was that loud. Especially the second time when I was in my place.

My Secret Pal Rocks!

She's the best I tell you. I got my package today. It had great timing as it cheered me up between the rain and news of last week. I'll post a pic tomorrow as the camera batteries are charging right now. She sent a toy for Cliona. Cliona's having a blast with it by the way. Plus she sent me the One Skien book, yarn, a neck warmer, and tons more of stuff. COme back tomorrow to see the rest of the list and a pic.

Favorite and Least Favorite Yarns (SP10)

Favorite Yarn

My favorite yarn is The Irish Ewe's Irish Aran yarn. Part of my love for this yarn is because it comes from County Kerry Ireland. My ancestors are from Country Kerry and I have been there. I absolutely love Ireland too.

More about this yarn though. It's 100% wool from organically grown sheep grown in County Kerry, Ireland. It hasn't been processed much so there's still a lot of lanolin in it. Sometimes I've even come across organic bits in the yarn. It's even got the sheep smell too. It's all things I love. I think it's also handspun, don't quote me on that though. The yarn is extremely even in width. You get 200 grams or 350 yards in a hank.

I've only had the luxury of making an Irish hiking scarf with it yet it was one of my favorite experiences. I wish I could work with it more.

Least Favorite Yarn

Looking back over the yarns I have used I'd have to say my least favorite yarn that I used would be Lion Suede. I had one heck of a time trying to get guage never succeeding. I decided to use another yarn on that project and make something else out of that yarn. It was to no avail. No matter what I try the yarn and I do not mix well and it keeps breaking. Other people have no problem with the skien. I've tried just to see if it was the skien others skiens and the yarn and I just don't mix. It's the one yarn that I had to give up trying to use and it still sits in my stash to remind me why I don't buy it again. I thankfully bought only one skien.

SP10 & ISE 4

Secret Pal 10
Contact with SP Spoiler ... has been made.
Contact with SP Spoilee ... had been made.
Package for SP Spoilee .... in progress of being put together.

ISE 4
Contact with the person I'm knitting for ... has been made.
Contact with the person knitting for me ... has been made.
Pattern for the scarf I'm making ... narrowed down to a couple.
Yarn for scarf I'm making ... purchased.

BY the looks of it my SP spoilee and I are going to get along. I just read her questionairre and we have quite a bit in common. I can start shopping for her. Wohoo.

SP10 Questionairre

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I haven't found a fiber I don't like yet. I cannot use yarns with banana silk in it though. I can risk anapalytic shock with that fiber. I have been having fun with Kogiu KPPPM and have fallen in love with noro even thouh I haven't had the opportunity to work with Noro yet.
2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? My circulars are in a needle case. Straights in a clear vase. Knitpicks Options in the black case they sent.
3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I've been knitting since October 2006. I'd say I'm between intermediate and advanced. My mom and aunt taught me how to knit.
4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes, I have a wist.
5. What's your favorite scent? I like fruit scents. Melon and berries especially. Basically anything that does not contain tropical fruits (banana, papaya, mango, kiwi, coconut, pineapple, passion fruit, etc.) Actually I like them, but I have a severe allergy and avoid products that have the scent in case they have any natural part of the plant to decrease the risk of a reaction. You can feel free to ask for any clarification.
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? I definitley have a sweet tooth. I love chocolate. The guy who runs the candy shop downtown pays me in white chocolate when I sell earrings. Also I love coffee.
7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I spin with a drop spindle, make satined glass, make fused glass jewlery (even with dichroic glass), paint pottery, bead, draw, paint.
8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) My computer can play CDs and MP3s. I like a wide variety of music: from broadway soundtracks to country; big band to country; classical to classic rock. I just don't go for heavy metal, rap, and jazz.
9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I love pinks and purples. I tend to like most any colors. It's the artist in me. I just don't go for flourescent colors.
10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have 1 cat named Cliona. I talk to and still see my dad and step-mom (reffered to as mom) and her family. The Maternal side of the family has been disowned comin up on 4 years now. My landlord and lady's family treat me like one of their own. I see them daily. Where i live I rent 1 floor and have free access to the rest of the house. That part of the house has 1 soon to be 2 dogs and another cat. Incouding that tidbit since those animals I interact with tons too.
11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Scarves ... check Hats...check Mittens...check Ponchos...make it a shawl and then it'll be a check. I have very bad memories of ponchos.
12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Right now, as I'm wanting simple, a scarf. It's been the aran sweater though.
13. What are you knitting right now? A hat and scarf to be raffled off on the 1st at a fair, an Aran Sweater for me, a random cable baby sweater for a cousin to be, and an Irish Hiking Scarf for next christmas.
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Most definitley. Isn't that what hands were created for!
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I like bamboo, but my favorites are the KnitPicks Options ones. I got the kit for christmas.
16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Not yet.
17. How old is your oldest UFO? A baby sweater that's 7 months old. THankfully the baby isn't born yet. It's due in april.
18. What is your favorite holiday? I'd have to say it's a tie with Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love them all though. What makes a holiday a holiday in the winter though is having my dad home and not stuck at work plowing the streets.
19. Is there anything that you collect? Starting to collect antique knitting needles & patterns. I also collect things having to do with my heritage (Southwest Ireland), dolphins, and Phantom Of The Opera.
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? No magazine subscriptions yet. My wist has books I want.
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? Fair Isle, Two Socks on Two Circulars, Entrelac, Intarsia
22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I'm not a sock knitter yet. Hope to learn this year. Measurements: Ankle Circumference: 26.5 cm Toe to heel: 26 cm Width: 4 cm
23. When is your birthday? December 13