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.