Tag: Swaps

KnitSteph Plurked about Dish Rag Tag sign ups and after reading about it, I couldn’t help but sign up for it! For some reason I’ve been wanting to make dishcloths lately, but I don’t have any cotton yarn! I sold it a while back when I suddenly found myself not wanting to knit a dishcloth ever again. I can’t remember what brought that about in the first place, but I find myself wanting to make them again. I think that this will be a lot of fun to do and I’m looking forward to knitting dishcloths again!

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The first issue of Knotions is up! There are some great patterns and I really like the layout of the website. I’m considering the Terra hoodie or the Autumn Leaves cardigan for the sweaters worth of yarn I have. Both look like something I could wear a lot. I love how they have Ravelry links on each pattern page so you can see how many people are working on that pattern and it takes you to the Ravelry page for that pattern. It makes it easy to cast-on, queue, or add it to your favorites.

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I need some ideas for what to make with this yarn!

I have four skeins of this Kikki yarn that I bought on sale way back when I was still new to knitting. No idea what I thought I’d make with it, but the time has come to knit it up! I don’t knit for kids (don’t know many folks with kids that aren’t knitters, don’t have any myself), but I’m open to just about anything else! I’d consider myself an advanced knitter, so anything is fair game aside from kids knits. Here’s a photo of the yarn and some details:

Weight: Worsted
Yardage: 82 yards/50 grams
Gauge: 19.0 = 4 inches (according to yarn specs)
Needle size: US 7 – 9 or 4.5 – 5.5mm
Fibers: Cotton, Acrylic, Rayon, Linen
Texture: Plied (splits easily)

Ideas anyone?

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One last thing. A friend of mine on Plurk (Robin) is doing a fantastic yarn raffle for Breast Cancer on her blog. She’s supporting her friend who is doing the 2 day 40 mile Walk for Breast Cancer in Charlotte, NC. For every $10 you donate, she’ll put your name in for one chance on the yarn drawing and anyone who donates $40 ($1 for each mile), will get an extra chance in the drawing. Even aside from the great drawing being held, this is a cause I really like to support, so please consider donating for this great cause and help Helen get to her goal of $2,200!

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it here or not, but I’m going to be stepping away from swapping after this last swap I’m a part of. While I have had some fun participating in swaps, it’s honestly too much for me to continue to do. I get really stressed over sending something that’s really great and some of the swaps I’ve done have just left me feeling… well, like I put in way more effort than the person I swapped with. At times people have not paid attention to my preferences, sent very late, and not communicated at all. I’m a very understanding person and if you tell me that life got in the way and you’re going to be late, I will totally understand and it will be fine with me. But if you don’t tell me, then I worry and agonize over not knowing what’s going on.

Don’t get me wrong, here. I have had some really great swap partners! Sockapalooza, Sock-ret Pal, Tea Swap, and Lace Swap ring bells here (there are probably more I’m forgetting here – sorry if I am!). Those have been great experiences for me. However, the ones I’m waiting to finish up right now haven’t been the best experience for me on the receiving end. I’ve done my part, sent my package and yet people have not communicated with me letting me know WTF is going on from their end (or even letting me know they’ve received). I am just really bummed by this recent turn of things, when I had been enjoying myself. I don’t think that I could be involved in another swap that turns out like that, which means I don’t want to take a chance that it will. I’m tired of being disappointed and it also drains a lot of my energy which is already limited. I just wanted to "vent" about it because it’s been bugging me lately. I’m sure I will participate in swaps again, but I need a big break from the whole thing first and then I will be a little more selective of the ones I do decide to join.

Aside from that (and to leave this post on a positive note), I have been knitting a lot this week. I’ve turned the heel of sock number two of the ankle socks I’m working on. They will no doubt be done today. The top-down raglan has seen progress and I’ve split off the arms and am working on the body. It’s going a lot faster now that there aren’t a zillion stitches per row! The sister scarf is about half way done and I think I may be able to be done with it by her birthday. There are other things on the needles, of course, but these are the projects that have been sitting by my knitting chair and are getting the most work. I’ll post pictures soon (probably tonight).

I’m looking forward to A Wool Gathering this weekend and most especially to trying out some spinning wheels! I’m sure there will be lots of fibery goodness to report back on :o)

Have a good day everyone!

I got the final package from the Sock-ret Pal Swap on Friday, but I was in New York. I drove back Saturday and was so thrilled to have such a wonderful package to come back to since the drive was not so fun. Lise (go check out her blog!) was the person who spoiled me for the last few months with all sorts of wonderful sock knitting and crafting goodies! I was totally surprised (and thrilled!) with the package and all the goodies it held for me:

Look at that really neat Tote-ally Cool craft tote! I’ve never seen one of those before and I’m already dying to use it :o)

Ooooo…. wonder what’s inside??

Socks!! Chocolate!! And what’s that?? Sock blockers!!!! I totally LOVE the sock blockers! I’ve been wanting a pair for a long time now :o)

Here’s a better photo of the socks:

And a close up of the lacy stitch pattern:

The socks are wonderfully soft and fit like a dream! Thanks for everything Lise!! You’re an awesome pal :o)

For those that were curious… the Mighty Leaf Tea my KTS 2 pal sent me (Chocolate Orange Truffle), is absolutely yummy!! It reminds me of those chocolate oranges that you have to whack to get them to “slice” that are out around Christmas time each year. In fact it tastes just like it and it has to be the best tea I’ve ever had!

Not much knitting progress, but I have decided on the details of my Sock-ret Pal’s first package, it’s just a matter of it arriving in the mail and me sending it to my pal. I got a portion of what I’ll be sending already, just waiting on the yarn. I think I’ve also decided on the pattern I’ll be using for the socks, just need to get the yarn.

I’ve started a scarf for myself to replace my itchy wool one I made last year (which I love and don’t want to part with, but my neck is just too sensitive to wool!). I’m using the Irish Hiking Scarf pattern and *gasp* acrylic yarn – Red Heart Soft Yarn in Teal. It is soft, I don’t know if I really like knitting with it, and its a little difficult to cable without a cable needle (so I’m using a cable needle), but I’m liking the results and I think I’ll like the finished product and will get a lot of use out of it this winter. I suppose I was just too impatient to wait to get to the LYS on one of my Monday’s off, so when I saw it on sale for $2/each at Michael’s and I fell in love with the color… well I caved.

Some sad news is that my touch pad on my laptop stopped working yesterday. I had to go out and get a mouse today so that I can actually have use of my computer. I hope we can figure out what’s wrong with it so that I don’t have to use a corded mouse for the rest of the time I have it, but as of right now we have no idea what’s wrong with it.

I got the package to the post office for the person I crafted for in the October 2006 Birthday Month Swap on Crafster, so it’s now on it’s way to Finland and should arrive next week. Soon as she gets it, I’ll be posting photos of the bag I made, which I am quite proud of. Soon as I can get back to JoAnn’s, I’ll be making one similar for myself.

I finished the book I was reading – Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It was good and I enjoyed reading it. Everything comes together at the end and I nearly cried when I finished the last page. I just started Through A Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen. So much to read, so little time ;o)

I had this great idea the other day to make something that would remind me of fall in Connecticut so I can take a little bit of fall with me once we move. What I want to do is gather some leaves in different stages of color, get a wood box and paint it, then glue the leaves to it and seal it all. Doesn’t that sound neat? AC Moore has all their wood stuff on sale this week at 50% off, so I’m going to go down there and get a few things to make a really cool looking fall box to take with me when we move. I think it’ll be really neat to do and I’ll post photos once I’m done.

No photos today, but soon! Happy crafting everyone!

I got a package from the October 2006 Birthday Month Swap over on Craftster in the mail today!

She (ashestoashes) sent me tea, a lovely sheep tape measure, a mixed CD (artists I haven’t heard before – yay!! and I’m listening to it as I post this), playdough (it’s funny because the other day at AC Moore I was going to buy a bag!), and a card with some cute stickers in it:

The tea made the package smell really good and I can’t wait to try them all :o)

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I know ya’ll are probably starting to think that all I get are packages and don’t do any crafting lately! I assure you that I have, in fact, been knitting AND sewing, I just haven’t gotten around to post photos (I’m slacking, I know). I haven’t had that much progress on the knitting front, to be honest. I’ve been trying to figure out what kind of scarf I’m going to make for winter. I think I finally figured something out after a bit of “test knitting,” but it’s not anything to show off at the moment. The sock is coming along, slowly.

I’m trying to get things together for my Sock-ret Pal, but I’ve been busy with the late hours I’ve been working and on the days I have off, I just want to sit around and not do much. To add to that, I’m having some money issues still since I was out of work for well over a month when I moved back here to Connecticut and I’m trying to get everything straight and paid up, but it’s taking time. Hopefully this coming week things will come together with a refund we’ve been waiting on and I’ll be able to get my pals package out.

Alright, I’m outta here for now! Keep crafting everyone :o)

Oh, Sock-ret Pal! How you spoil me!!

Today I got the first package from my Sock-ret Pal! I had an idea that something was on it’s way to me, since my pal had emailed me hinting that something might be headed my way, but I’m forgetful, so today I was surprised that there was a package in my mailbox today from my Sock-ret Pal!

Check it out:

Here’s the notebook, candles (vanilla and cinnamon, which made the whole package smell yummy!), candle holder, card, Burt’s Bee’s hand cream, chocolate (that may not be See’s, but was still delicious!! – yeah… I already ate it….), “Emergency Yarn” and a little pumpkin that was sent:

I also got a really cool polka-dot bag which will now become my “take to work bag” which holds whatever portable project I’m working on and whatever book I’m reading:

Not only did I get one bag – I got two!!! This one folds up all small:

Then opens to reveal a BIG bag that has WHEELS on it! How cool is that?!

I showed it to Nick and told him that this will be the bag I take with us on our trip to Florida in December for all the yarn that I’m going to buy on the trip! He laughed for a second, then told me I’m crazy and I told him I’m not joking! Last week I told him that I’d plan our route and make sure we stop at every yarn shop along the way. He laughed at that, but I wasn’t joking then, either!! :oP

Okay…. maybe I am…. a little… hehehe

Back to what my pal sent! I got a beautiful skien of sock yarn: Trekking XXL, which I’ve never used and has colors that remind me of the fall we’re having here in Connecticut.

Sock-ret Pal, you rock! I love everything :o)

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On a side note, since I keep forgetting to mention it, I traded the “repeat books” I got for my birthday for Knitting on the Road and Folk Socks, both by Nancy Bush. Both books are great and I’ve already got a mental list of all the sock I want to make ;o)

Today I received my package from Hoi-Yan!!

I must say that she did a wonderful job and I love everything!!

Up top is the card she sent me along with a bear ornament that her daughter made (I love it!).

For treats:
Crunchie bars – my favorite candy ever that I can’t get ANYWHERE around here!!
Picnic bars – never had before but look yummy
Maltesers
some Kinder candies – I haven’t had anything from Kinder that I didn’t like
See’s lollypops (and of course I love See’s Candies!)

The yarn is sock yarn called Ste from Austermann. The colors are very “me” and I can’t wait to cast on for a pair very soon :o)

And least we forget what the swap is all about – the tea!! The tea she sent me is from Mighty Leaf – Chocolate Orange Truffle. It sounds delicious and smells wonderful. I haven’t made a cup yet, but I’m sure it will be delicious!

Thank you so much Hoi-Yan! I love everything you’ve sent me :o)