these are a few of my...

i love being a member of the ravelry swap on a budget group. i have been a member for awhile now and it has been a great experience. i have gotten some great yarn and have cyber met some wonderful knitters from around the world via this swap.

my last swap buddy was beckyzoole from st. louis who sent me this lovely package...

which included the fall 09 issue of vogue knitting which has some great hat patterns; some lovely milk chocolate bars, a pound of st. louis' finest coffee, which was quite tasty, pocketbook slippers and the most glorious malabrigo sock yarn ever.

the first thing i did after opening the package was put on the slippers. when i first saw them, i was pretty skeptical about their ability to fit me, but lo and behold, they did! which was absolute magic to me. they are warm and comfy and have the cutest cow buttons on them.

then i made a pot of coffee and sat down with the chocolate and magazine...and then more chocolate and more coffee and then...

proceeded to drool over the malabrigo sock yarn. it is truly lovely; and it has a very high squish factor. the name of the colorway is impressionists sky, which i thought was pretty appropriate. if i didn't already have a pair of socks for me on the needles i would have started a pair with this right away it is that delicious.

on the flip side, i love putting together a box for the person i am supposed to spoil. i read their blog, if they have one, to find out more about what they knit and knit with or maybe what they would like to try so i can incorporate something of that nature in their box. part of the swap is making something for your person. since i sew faster than i knit, i sew them something. and since i have a serious bag jones, i usually sew a project bag of some sort. during the last swap i made this tote out of the vinyl picnic tablecloths are made of. i got the pattern from the purl soho yarn store blog. the person i made it for had young kids and since it was summer and the possibility for water play is high during the summer i thought the tote could double as a damp clothes/towel carrier. apparently the daughter of the recipient loved it and wanted it for herself. hopefully the bag is being used or helpful in one way or the other!

yeah, i got to gamble...

i love swaps. truly, i do. they are the closest i get to gambling. really. i toss my name in, not knowing where it will land or what i may get. i just trust the yarn gods that it will all come out ok. and it always does. i mean, how can you go wrong? make a new friend and have them buy you yarn! the ultimate relationship!

this spring i once again participated with the ravelry, swap on a budget group, this time as part of the international swap and it was real fun. i "met" some wonderful knitters from around the world, hong kong, italy, germany, india, norway and various parts of the u.s. which was so fun! i even found myself posting on our group board on a regular basis which is unheard of for me! but it was that type of group.

and the coolest thing was i was got yarn from a different country! since i wasn't home when the post person came by to deliver the package i had to wait until i could pick it up the next day. by then i knew it was from india so as soon as i got it, i ripped it open and inside i found all of this...

jaishree hails from india and crochet's the most amazing doilies as well as being a knitter. she crocheted the doilies pictured here. i happen to have this thing about doilies. i love them. it is a thing from my childhood, doilies were everywhere in our house and both of my grandmothers houses, so to get some handmade ones is a bit of heaven! she also sent this lovely necklace and earring set which look quite nice on. the silver yarn is shiny and cord sized but not cord stiff. i am thinking of doing a dressy cowl or shawl/wrap thing, something shiny around the neck or head. the blue yarn is an acrylic which will be great for something baby and the multicolored yarn is truly amazing. the picture does not do it justice but it is rainbow colored and breathtaking in fingering weight cotton, which is probably great for crocheting doilies except i don't crochet. the owner of the LYS suggested a lace shawl, since it is quite a large hank of yarn, which works because i love shawls.

next up is this great bag. again, the picture does not do this justice. it is so lovely, if i weren't such a tote hag it could be used as a lovely handbag, but i am using it as a sock project bag since it can fit a huge ball of yarn as well as having a zippered pocket for measuring tapes, crochet hooks and the like. it is currently being used as the project bag for my sweet friend's socks and it is perfect. pictured with it are three balls of burgundy wool, also fingering weight. i am thinking these will make great fingerless gloves, nice color that would hold a pattern well. but i am still deciding.

then jaishree did something daring and included an article of clothing. it is this very simple, beautifully embroidered shirt. and it fits! it is a bit sheer, which i usually avoid, but with a pretty cami or tank top underneath i am willing to give it a try. especially during summer. it is such a delight to receive a piece of traditional clothing. jaishree explained these shirts are made in the province of india she lives in. and i thought it very brave for her to include it, i think both of us were thankful it fit!

and if all the above were not enough, also included was this heart scarf in the same blue of the yarn pictured above which will come in handy in the winter when i do my long walks and crave a warm neck as well as a copy of the lace ribbon scarf pattern.

whew! quite the haul! so though i am not a traditional "gambler", when it comes to yarn, i'm so in!

(please forgive the lack of breath inbetween pics and words. for some reason the formatting is not cooperating.)

catch up take 2

i joined the swap on a budget group on ravelry. i love swaps. they are fun, i meet different people, i get to put together a package and i get a package. all in all, it is pretty fun.

the last swap was this past december and though my package was late, it was well worth the wait because in it was...

...a hank of mango moon tye dyed viscose, two home made knitting utensil bags, gobs of home made stitch markers in two sizes, a coffee cup holder, a dishcloth and a home made needle holder, which i really appreciated and put to immediate use. these wonderful treats were sent to me by absolute treasure from georgia.

the yarn is really pretty. both the cute husband and my sweet friend commented on how lovely it was, which says alot. not sure what i will make out of it though. it is 150 yards and i would like to make some thing that will reflect the beautiful colors. so i will have to do some sleuthing for the proper pattern.

thanks absolute treasure for a great soab package.

what a delight

so i joined the ravelry "swap on a budget" group where the spending limit was $20. it is always such fun to put together a package to send some one, but it is real fun to get a package. on my doorstep on saturday was this box:

and inside this box was all of this...

who knew so much stuff could fit into a converse shoe box! there was a scarf; a hank of this great kraemer sterling silk and silver yarn that is screaming to become a stole or shawl; a citrus candle, a bottle of wool of the lamb wool shampoo; a cow figurine and udderly smooth hand lotion (yes i love cows!) and two packets of button chocolates, milk and dark! absolutely lovely! i was very excited and grateful. many, many thanks to my secret spoiler. you are the best!

i just got back!

from toronto! boy was it nice!

came home friday evening to find i had received my vvs package from secret swap buddy, andrea! what a treat. the first thing i spied was the box of maple leaf maple sugar candies which are my absolute favorite. and which i can only find during the holidays! then there is the sweet little canadian moose and toronto postcards. and then two absolutely beautiful hanks of canadian yarn!

one is a hank of fleece artist, basic merino sock yarn in this beautiful bluepurplebrown and everything in between colorway; really nice. this is the first sock yarn for me and i am very excited. plus it came from nova scotia!

the second is a lace weight, hand dyed hank of hand maiden sea silk yarn. this is a 70% silk and 30% seacell which is from sea weed (my sweet friend refused to touch it after that; lucky for me!). and it is this amazing colorway! i can't wait to use it! i am already hunting for shawl, shawlette patterns.

the pictures really don't do these two beautiful hanks of yarn justice.

thanks for a great trip to toronto, andrea! hope to see you soon!

dear vvs secret pal...

thanks for the great card! it sure was sweet.

i sent you an email but am not sure if it got through as the return email address was a bit uncertain.

any way, thanks! hope you are doing well and having fun knitting!

take care

truly, it was for research purposes only

i had a meeting in the city which ended early and found myself with a some free time. so what to do? go to the nearest LYS of course.

artfibers can be found up a creaky stairwell in the heart of the san francisco financial district. their yarns are a mix of various natural fibers with their own unique colorways. artfibers strives to be eco friendly by selling their yarn on recycle able/returnable cones but also has recycle able/returnable ball cores available for smaller purchases. the only place to get their yarn is at their store or on the internet. so i thought this the perfect place to scout out some unique s.f. yarn for my yet to be named virtual vacation swap buddy. and boy was it fun.

the store is relatively small but packed full of truly beautiful yarn. most of the yarn is swatched which made it helpful to see how it looked, felt, draped, etc. knitted up, along with a nearby index card with content of the yarn, gauge and sometimes a pattern suggestion. a couple of services i thought helpful was a computer system that can adapt any pattern to the size you need, instantaneously! as well as a corner that has samples of their yarn available for knitters to knit and experiment with.

so after wandering around touching everything, i spotted this really lovely, quite simple scarf that was knit out of this beautiful, shimmery silk, mohair and wool yarn. one skein would knit the really lovely, quite simple scarf. a great idea for my vvs buddy. or not....? hmmmm...am i sure? what to do? got it! experiment with the yarn myself. just to make sure. i mean, i wouldn't want to send a dud yarn. so i did the only responsible thing, i bought the yarn which came with the pattern for the really lovely, quite simple scarf with the intent of making sure it would be an appropriate yarn to share with my vvs buddy.

so i will see how the yarn does. make sure it's ok. and if it proves to be unsuitable for my yet to be named vvs buddy, i can always regift the scarf!

vvs questionaire

1. If you could visit any state in the US, which would it be and why?
hawaii, so i could lay on the warm beach and then hike in the cool rain forests.
2. If you could visit any country in the world, other than your own, which would it be and why?
france, because i love paris; and i have always wanted to live in france
3. Have you ever driven across several states/providence/countries?
yes; once from saratogoa springs, ny to st. louis, missouri by way of nyc, new jersy, virginia, west virginia, kentucky, illinois, missiouri and a tip of kansas; then once from san francisco to rexburg, idaho via nevada and utah.
4. Have you ever visited someplace you consider exotic? Where was it?
took a cruise with my sister to the caribbean, which was great.
5. What was your favorite "travel" vacation? Why?
europe because it was before we had kids so it was just my husband and i traveling with our backpacks going where ever we wanted to go.
6. Have you ever played tourist in your own home city/state (if international, country)? Explain.
yes; we live in the san francisco bay area so when we get visitors we take them to places they would like to see and then to places we like to share that may not be in the tourist guides.
7. Are you a museum visitor, beach comer or an amusement seeker?
a beach bum/comer first and museum visitor second.
8. What's your favorite type of yarn?
my first choice would be wool because there is such a wide variety of wool available and there are so many ways it can be knit. but i am equally fond of alpaca, silk and cotton.
9. What's your least favorite type of yarn?
i would say acrylic more because i have never really been inspired to knit with it. though i have used various ribbon yarns with great results.
10. What items do you like to knit/crochet?
i am an accessories knitter stuck in the "s's": scarves, shawls, stoles, socks though i am in the midst of knitting a skirt and i have made some hats. i also like lacy knits. i find myself drawn to patterns that have a lace repeat or trim/edging in them.
11. What do you pack, knit/crochet wise when you go on vacation?
depending on the project(s) i have going. socks are always good because they are small. usually i take something simple so i can take it places and not have to worry about missing a stitch count. plus i always reason there may be a yarn store where i am going where i can pick up a little something!
12. What other crafts do you do/would like to do other than Knit/Crochet?
i sew, bake, make jewelry.
13. Are you allergic to anything? (Yarn wise or treat wise)
thankfully, no.
14. What is your favorite color? Least Favorite?
favorite color is royal blue; least favorite color is difficult because any color in the right tone or shade is workable, but off the top of my head it would be yellow or orange.
15. Sweet or Savory (Treat not personality)?
sweets, please!
16. Anything else we are forgetting to ask that you think your partner desperately needs to know?
i have a high energy level so caffeine and i parted ways many years ago, much to the delight of my assistant, though i do love strong tea and coffee, just decaffeinated. and i love chocolate.