Holiday Knitting

I managed to knit a couple of small gifts for Christmas! Having some time at my mom's house with no pets or responsibilites of any kind was great--it gave me time to relax and knit! The first picture is a dishcloth I made for my friend Teri. Remember the Christmas cotton Holly sent me in the Fall into Autumn dishcloth swap? I used about half of it to make this. Teri thinks it's a doily despite my insistence that she actually wash dishes with it.

I made another dishcloth (no picture) that I gave my mom. She used it a lot since her dishwasher died just before Christmas and she hadn't had the time to get another one. We washed a lot of dishes and broke it in properly.

I love these stripey hats! Mom seemed to like the one I made for her. I think it looks cute!

This photo has nothing to do with knitting. My mom's cousin made dog cookies and on behalf of her granddog Caleb, gave me a bagful for Lucy. Here Lucy is showing her good manners as she sits nicely for a cookie.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Around the World Swap

I participated in the Christmas Around the World Swap. Yesterday I came home to a cheerful package from Cary. She lives on a sheep farm in Michigan. How cool is that? I don't think I'd have ever met her if it wasn't for the swap. Making new friends is the best benefit of swaps if you ask me!

Cary sent me a beautiful crocheted flower. She sent a Stash chai sampler, a tin of holiday fruit tea from Republic of Tea, and a fun mug to drink the tea from. It says "coffee's not my cup of tea" and she bought it at her favorite coffee shop. The candle is shaped like a bottle of milk and the flavor is chai latte. It smells really good. She sent some sock yarn (and I will try some socks with it) and a set of three scarf patterns from a Michigan designer. What a cheerful package of goodies for Christmas!

Tilt your head sideways to see the mug. I almost forgot to mention--it has a cover (see first picture) so it's a travel mug. I'll probably use it a lot.

Isn't this flower gorgeous?

While I was busy unwrapping my presents, Lucy was busy taking apart her rawhide bone.

Cary, thank you for being such a good swap partner! Merry Christmas!

Stripey Hat

This hat is a Christmas gift. A jar of spaghetti sauce kindly modeled it. I love the way the Noro yarn created the stripes. This was a quick and easy project. Now I am going to make one for myself.

Dog Update

Isn't she adorable? This picture was taken a couple weeks ago on a cold and rainy Sunday. My girl is growing up! She's 6 months old now. Tomorrow she has an appointment to be spayed.

Cocoa Swap!

I was checking out Ariel's blog (http://arielzoe.blogspot.com/) because she was my spoilee in the fall-into-autumn dishcloth exchange and I was wondering what she was up to. She made a lovely cat bed that was rejected by her silly cat! She also alerted all her readers to a fun cocoa and knitting swap (http://cocoaswap.blogspot.com/) that's getting started on December 16. I can't wait to sign up!

A Great Start to the Weekend!

First, I want to apologize to my Fall into Autumn Dishcloth swap partner Holly W. for not posting earlier.

I came home from work on Friday to find a package at my front door. It was full of goodies from Holly! Each package was individually wrapped in tissue paper. When I got everything unwrapped, this is what I found.

Look at the beautiful cloth! I have to get over my fear of using dishcloths made by friends on dishes. I have no problem using the ones I make, but I see how nice others are and I just want to savor them. This giant bar of soap smells lovely!

Holly sent me a not one, not two, but three skeins of yarn! The one in the center is a cotton by Patagonia in the most beautiful fall colors. I think I'll make something nice for myself with it. Any suggestions? I see myself using the two skeins of cotton on future dishcloths, perhaps Christmas gifts.

It's always great to get some treats to eat and drink in a swap package. Holly searched this blog, which I hardly ever post to, for clues to what I like and got it just right! The pumpkin spice tea by Stash is delicious! As I write, I am drinking some in the pumpkin mug. I love the dark chocolate Lindor truffles and the Twizzlers are my favorite non-chocolate candy.

Thank you, Holly, for being such a great and thoughtful pal!

Fall into Autumn Dishcloth Swap Question #6

How was your experience in the exchange? Did you enjoy the folks you met? Did you just love the cloth and goodies you received? Please share any thoughts, criticism, and things you loved!

I have had a great time with this exchange!

I sent a package to Ariel. It was fun to get to know her. We emailed quite a bit. We both detest coffee. I never find someone who feels the same way about that, but she does! I sent her a mug but I made sure not to include any coffee-flavored anything in her box.

I am being spoiled by Pal Secret. That's how her anonymous email name shows up in my in box. I am having fun getting to know her. She's friendly without giving away too much about herself. She is going on vacation but she'll be back before the official end of the swap and she'll mail a package to me then. I'll be sure to post a picture and thank her here then. In a way, I didn't want to answer this swap question #6 until then, but since you asked, I posted.

All in all, this has been a great exchange! Dishcloths are fun to make, you can possibly learn a new technique while doing it, and because they are small they don't take a long time to knit. And it's great fun to gather goodies that fit the theme and put together a package for your pal. I'd definitely join the dishcloth swap again.

Idea: I'd like the next version to be a Valentine theme. Who wouldn't like to receive a Valentine from a new knitting pal?

Orvis Moment

When we got our little lab puppy, people with more experience would laugh and ask if we knew what we'd gotten ourselves into. The owner of the training center said that people see labs in the Orvis catalog, laying contentedly near the fireplace, and think that's how they always act. She said the catalog never shows all the activity they need in order to be tired enough to lay nicely by the fire. She knew what she was talking about. After a recent visit to the dog park Lucy had an Orvis moment.

Fall Dishcloths for my Pal

These are the dishcloths I made for my pal. The picture isn't great but the one on the left is an oak leaf and the one on the right is a turkey. I recently mailed them along with a bunch of fall stuff to... You didn't really think I'd say who I sent them to, did you?

Weekly Dishcloth Discussion

TOPIC OF THE WEEK
Now that it is getting cooler here, it makes me think of apple picking and hay rides. Are you the type that likes to go to participate in all the fall festivities like apple picking, pumpkins, decorating for the fall, hay rides, baking fall goodies, etc. or do you just sit and count the days till Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah?

Answer: I like to get pumpkins and mums and set them near the door. Yesterday I bought a pumpkin-and-fall-leaf wreath and promptly put it on the door. I got pumpkin scented candles for the house and Dove Dark Chocolate with fall-colored foil for my office candy dish. I love Target--it's one-stop shopping for all things fall! I wish I could pick apples or go on a hayride, but I live in the wrong climate for that.

In other news, I mailed the package to my pal today! I took a picture of the dishcloth I made. I'll try to post it tomorrow.

Tea and Treats

JoAnn read my questionnaire and took my tea preferences into account and found some great teas and treats that I cannot wait to try! Here's what she sent me.

3 types of Celestial Seasonings chai

Vanilla carmel tea

Earl Gray green tea

Flowering tea (actual flower blossoms in tea!)

a personal tea maker/mug

tea bag squeezer/sugar tongs

set of blue & white tea bag coasters

2 kinds of tea cookies

2 bags of Pepperidge Farms Milano cookies (a personal favorite!)

I am going to have a great tea party for myself!

Knit 1 Tea 2 Package

Yesterday I got home and found a big package from JoAnn waiting at my front door. I took it in and opened it. It was full--I do mean full--of cheerfully wrapped packages. This was going to be fun! (Note the bananas for scale.)Wow, look at this! The packages covered the entire breakfast table!
Look at all the goodies JoAnn sent! There is one thing in this photo that JoAnn didn't send and that is the big arrangement of sunflowers. The sunflowers usually sit on the divider between the breakfast room and the kitchen. JoAnn must have known about them because she sent me a sunflower-theme gift! She crocheted a beautiful set of sunflower coasters and complemented them with a bunch of sunflower accessories in addition to the tea and knitting items.
JoAnn, I told you that you had no idea how right you were about the sunflowers!

Here's a closer view of the beautiful coasters.
And another view of the sunflower items.
For some reason I could not add another photo to this post, so another one will come in a separate post.

I want to thank JoAnn from the bottom of my heart for:

beautiful sunflower coasters

set of 3 sunflower bowls

2 sunflower kitchen towels

sunflower oven mitt

2 sunflower clips

sunflower tote bag

Stitch & Bitch Nation book

Dishcloths by the Dozen book

cone of blue & white Peaches & Creme yarn (note the blue & white kitchen too!)

hank of blue & white cotton yarn

And I haven't even gotten to the tea! That's coming in the next post with another photo.

Football Food

This week the dishcloth swap group is discussing what type of food signals fall. I call this football food. As I have said so many times, Houston is still hot. That doesn't mean I don't think it's fall. I do, but it takes a lot of imagination!

I like to pretend it is fall on Sundays. Sunday is relaxed. The only scheduled activity is watching football. I rarely get to see my Broncos here, but my boyfriend spends the whole day watching the Texans and Cowboys and whatever other games are on. Since we are home all day, it gives me a chance to cook football food. Chili seems right for fall and football. Chili with cornbread and a beer--yum.

As the weather turns cooler I make a lot of beef stew too. And I eat more apples.

Those are my fall foods.

test photo

I wonder if this will actually post?

Weekly Fall into Autumn Dishcloth Swap Topic

Today the ladies who organize this swap asked us:

TOPIC OF THE WEEK Autumn has now officially begun here in the States!! What is your favorite thing about Autumn/Fall? Why?

My favorite thing is the change in the weather. I live in Houston and it's been unbearably hot here since, well, April. I look forward to cooler weather. I'd like to walk across the grocery store parking lot and not break out in a sweat. I'd like to spend more time outdoors. I'd like to wear a sweater.

OK, the seasons changed on the calendar, but it's still in the 90s here. But the days have gotten noticeably shorter and the nights are a tad cooler. So I decided to celebrate/anticipate/nudge the season into coming quicker by doing two things.

1. I wore shoes that cover my toes! I don't think I've done this since April.

2. I opened up and wore my brand-new tube of Chanel Vamp lipstick. I love this color, but given that it's rather dark, I always think of it as a fall or winter color. That fresh tube was calling out to me! And since the calendar says fall, I listened.

Happy to fall to everyone!

Christmas Around the World Questionnaire

1. Are you religious?
Semi. I am Catholic but not as devout as I should be.

2. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider yourself a Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced?
I learned to knit about 20 years ago in college. After a few years I stopped but I still bought a lot of knitting magazines. About 3 years ago I picked it up again. It came back really quickly. I think I’m intermediate.

3. Do you have any other hobbies besides knitting?
I run, read, and cook.

4. Favorite color(s)?
Blue? I like most colors. Right now as I write this fall is approaching so fall-leaf colors stick out as appropriate for this time of year. Basically I like all colors and think they all look good in the right time and place.

5. Do you collect anything?
No.

6. Are you allergic to any fibers or animals?
No.

7. Do you have any pets?
I have a calico cat named Maggie and a yellow lab puppy named Lucy.

8. Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate?
Hot chocolate is great for the Christmas season, tea is good all year round. I cannot stand coffee or anything coffee flavored.

9. Cookies or Sweets?
Cookies! I love eating them and baking them too.

10. Do you knit socks?
Sadly, not yet. I’d love to, but haven’t had a chance to learn yet.

11. If not socks then what? (tell us about your favorite knits)
Recently I’ve made a couple shawls and have been working on some simple sweaters.

12. Do you put up a Christmas tree? If not then what do you do?
Yes! I put one in the family room and a small one in the bedroom. The first year I put up the small one, I put little shiny balls all over it. My cat took them all off and played with them. Now that I think about it, I don’t know what the puppy will do to it, so perhaps I won’t put one in the bedroom this year. But of course I’ll still have the big one in the family room.

13. Favorite holiday treats?
Potica. I think it’s Slovenian. It’s a sweet bread. Imagine a yummy yeast dough, rolled paper thin, then covered with a nut and brown sugar mixture. Then that is rolled (like a jelly roll) and baked. It’s incredible. I get potica in my hometown in Colorado every Christmas. It’s not available where I live now.

14. Favorite holiday smells?
The Christmas tree and wreath smell.
Peppermint.

15. Do you celebrate Christmas in a traditional or unconventional way? Please elaborate.
Traditional. I go home to my family. We wake up, go to church, and open the presents. There are always lots, even for the pets. Then we have a big turkey dinner and for dessert we have birthday cake because it’s my brother’s birthday. Later friends may stop by and we relax with them.

16. What are your favorite holiday traditions?
I like it all…the preparation, anticipation, great food, time with family and friends.

17. Finish the sentence: “For me Christmas is all about....”
Taking time to celebrate and appreciate my family.

18. If you were a Christmas ornament you would be…….?
A snowman. (Snowwoman?) Wearing a stylish, hand-knit scarf.

19. What was your favorite gift you've ever received? Or given?
They are all good!

20. When do you start your Christmas?
After Thanksgiving.

21. Do you send Christmas cards? Do you make them or buy them?
Yes. I have made them several times in the past, when my inner Martha Stewart has come out. Sometimes I don’t have the time and then store-bought cards are just fine.

22. What is your favorite Christmas dish?
Potica (see #13). Tamales. Bailey’s Irish Cream.

23. Carolers are at your door. What do you do?
Open the door, listen, clap, the offer them cookies.

24. When do you open presents? Christmas eve or Christmas morning?
Christmas morning.

25. Do you celebrate with family or friends or both?
Mainly family on the actual day, often with friends before Dec. 25.

Fall into Autumn Dishcloth Swap Weekly Topic

In order to get us reluctant bloggers to blog more, the Fall into Autumn Dishcloth Swap organizers are giving us a topic to blog about each week. This week's topic concerns whether we change the kinds of yarn we knit with as the weather changes for autumn.

I don't really change the yarns I use to knit with as autumn arrives. For one thing, I live in a very hot part of the country. The calendar says fall long before the weather does! So I continue to work on my mostly-unfinished summer projects. I had ambitious plans for a couple simple summer sweaters, but I still haven't finished 'em, so I'll keep knitting on 'em until they're done, no matter what season we are in!

However, once some cooler weather comes, maybe late October, I'll be ready for some cold-weather projects. Maybe I'll finish that alpaca scarf I started for my mom last fall!

Fall into Autumn Dishcloth Exchange Questionnaire

1. Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been doing it?
I knit. I learned about 20 years ago. After many years of not knitting at all (but still reading knitting magazines, as my collection shows), I started up again about 3 years ago.

2. Have you made dischloths before? Do you use them yourself, give them as gifts, or both?
I have made many dishcloths before. Some are for myself. I think they are a good project to learn new stitches or techniques and if I make a mistake, I can still wash my dishes with them. Some are gifts. Last fall I made several for a friend as a housewarming gift. I gave several as Christmas gifts to family members too.

3. What's your favorite cotton to make cloths from? What cotton would you like to try that you haven't before?
I mostly use Peaches & Cream or Sugar & Cream. I am willing to try any kind of cotton yarn.

4. If you knit, do you prefer circular or straight needles? For all, do you prefer wooden, metal, or plastic needles?
For dishcloths I seem to use straight bamboo needles.

5. What are your favorite colors? Any colors you don't like much?
Since the theme is fall, I’ll go with the colors of fall leaves. I don’t think a neon dishcloth would be attractive, but I haven’t seen neon cotton yarn.

6. What do you like best about Autumn?
I like the cooler weather best! I like the start of football season too.

7. Pies: Pumpkin? Apple? Pecan? All of ‘em? or No Thanks!
All pies are good to me!

8. When you were a kid, were you the one who couldn't wait to get started with school, or the one who overslept on the 1st day?
I liked the first day—seeing all my friends again, new school clothes, and brand-new crayons!

9. Do you celebrate Halloween? (The real key here guys is especially knowing if you have an aversion to the holiday or little goodies/decorations associated with it, given the timeframe of the swap.)
Definitely I celebrate Halloween. I still carve a pumpkin, I put Halloween candy on my desk at work, and I love to answer the door to the trick-or-treaters.

10. If you had to choose just 3 edible 'goodies' to eat for a full year, what 3 would you choose?
Dark chocolate, almonds, and red licorice.

11. Do you have any pets? Kids? Husbands who seem like kids? ;)
I have a puppy (3 months old), a calico kitty, a boyfriend, no kids.

12. If you were to describe a particular yarn that shares traits of your personality, what would it be and why?
Let’s see…what yarn is understated until you get to know it but then it’s fun and outgoing? If there is such a yarn, it and I would have similar personality traits.

13. Do you use your cloths mostly for dishcloths, or as facecloths?
So far I’ve only used them as dishcloths but I have a new one I may try as a face cloth.

14. Favorite Fall Holiday: Halloween or Thanksgiving and why? (Feel free to share another fall memory if you do not celebrate either of these holidays)
Thanksgiving! It’s great to relax with family, prepare and eat delicious food, and there’s no commercialism associated with it. It’s just a time to celebrate family, friends, and food. Also, my birthday is very near Thanksgiving each year (and last year was on Thanksgiving) so in addition to pumpkin pie, I get birthday cake for dessert.

15. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should know about?
No allergies, no aversions, just looking forward to a fun exchange.

Knit 1 Tea 2 Color Swap Questionnaire

Knit 1 Tea 2 Color Swap Questionnaire


Do you like loose tea or bags, or both – something you want to try?
I use both. I usually use bags because most of the tea I drink is while I am at work. I like to use loose tea if I have a leisurely weekend morning to enjoy it.


What is your favorite kind of tea (Brand, flavor, variety, etc)?
I like chai a lot. I like Earl Gray and orange peel or citrus. I enjoy trying new flavors.


Favorite color in regards to tea or one you would like to try? (black, green, red, and white) (keeping in mind that this is how this swap is set up).
Black.


Would you say you were a tea pot kind of person or just a hot water heater kind?
I'd love to be a tea pot kind of person, but real life interferes so I mostly just heat water in the microwave. Tea connoisseurs, don't hate me!


What tea accessories would you like but have never purchases for yourself?
I love those little tea-cup shaped coasters that you set a wet teabag on! I don't own one though.


How do you prefer to be pampered? (examples: mani/pedi, bubble bath, yummy treat, etc).
Massage!


If you were a kind of yarn what would you be and why?
I had to think about this one. Here's my answer. I'd be a smooth sport-weight cotton. It's casual and comfortable but neat. It's not too thin, not too fat. However, I must admit I'd never compared myself to yarn before.


If you had to knit/crochet baby booties, a fun fur scarf, or a fair isle sweater, which would you choose and why?
Baby booties. They'd challenge me but not take forever to complete.


What other event would make you skip a tea party? (A garden party? A book club meeting? A yoga class? Opening night for a new action thriller? etc?)
If the tea party is Saturday afternoon, I'm going to have to skip it because I'll be in puppy obedience classes with my new little yellow lab.


What treat would you consider essential at your tea party? (Sweet? Salty? Scones? Those petite pastry trays with a couple of all sorts of things? Little crust less sandwiches?)
Dainty little cookies and/or other small sweets. Because they are small, I'll get to try them all.


When buying yarn for a project how do you choose - do you buy the one called for or do you substitute?
I have done both. It depends on the availability and/or cost of the suggested yarn.


What do you carry your knitting/crocheting in when on the go?
I have a pretty straw totebag lined in silk.
But sometimes I bring knitting with me to work and stay in at lunch. Then I just put it in a large ziplock bag and stuff that inside my briefcase.


Favorite movie to watch while knitting/crocheting?
Lately it's "The Devil Wears Prada". It's been on HBO a lot.


Are you a traditional tea cup kind of person or a mug type of person? Do you care if they match?Mug. Sometimes it's fun to use a mug that matches the season, like spring or Christmas. I've been on a few vacations where I've stayed in a condo and bought a mug at a local store to use while on vacation. Then I bring it home and whenever I use it, I am reminded of that vacation.

Favorite childhood birthday party?
Simple ones at home with traditional games.

Favorite type of scone and jam?
Strawberry jam on any type of scone.


If you use candles, what is your favorite scent?
I'm not particular. I like to try different ones.


If you could choose 3 people to have 'tea' with, who would they be and why? (famous or not, living or dead).
Georgia O'Keeffe - admire her beautiful paintings and her independence
Madeleine Albright -- first woman in a job once held by Thomas Jefferson
Paula Radcliffe -- world-record holder in the marathon.
I could learn a lot from my "strong women" tea party guests.

You've been invited to a tea party, what 'props' will you wear (formal or casual)?
I recently made a shawl from that little Vogue book "Shawls". I can't remember the name right now. It's simple and shown in lime green in the book. Mine is pink. (And I substituted yarn for this project.) I think I'd wear the pink shawl, a summer skirt, and a coordinating top.

Any allergies/preferences you have or are willing to admit to?
No.

Anything we missed that you want your pal to know?
I'm really excited to be part of this swap!

Keeping the gnome warm & stylish

Here are pictures of the finished scarf I made for my pal. I'll be
mailing it soon, when I finish collecting some goodies for her. I
love the way blocking opened up the scarf.

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