A Glimpse of Spring

Cross-posted on winemakerssister and Longing for Spring.

Yes, the ground is still covered in ice and snow. And it was 10 degrees F outside when I woke up yesterday. But today I got my first glimpse of spring.

My package arrived from my wonderful spoiler, Dotty. She was so great -- she really worked at getting to know me. And you can really tell from the package of Heather-friendly goodies!

The package included a "tour" of her garden (one of my favorite parts of the package!), two skeins of hand-dyed violet alpaca yarn, a skein of Heather-green Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, adorable Japanese fabric, gorgeous buttons, a Noni purse pattern (I think she read my mind about wanting to make a Noni purse), a beautiful scarf pattern, Blue Tower Columbine seeds (we both love blue flowers), a "WonderVase," and a gorgeous vintage embroidered runner. It's amazing how well she knows me!

Thank you so much, Dotty!

An Afghan for Afghans

A few weeks ago I joined a knitting group that meets at the lovely little downtown bookshop, Nomad Bookhouse. They meet on the 3rd Monday of the month -- I figured I could handle joining a group that meets once a month. The group is called Sip 'N' Knit.

I found out about the group in Nomad's new newsletter. The idea was to work with the book, Knitting for Peace.

I didn't own the book (have purchased it since then), so I went online and read reviews. I wanted to be prepared to start knitting a project at the first meeting, so after quite a bit of research, I chose to knit for Afghans for Afghans. I love the idea of sending something warm to an Afghan child. And, since they require that you work in a natural animal-based fiber, I knew this was my project. I want to follow the instructions explicitly so that my knitted piece will fit into their guidelines.

I decided on an afghan/blanket for a baby or child. They require them to be a minimum of 30" x 40". Mine will end up being more like 40" x 50". Afghans like color, so I'm making it quite colorful. And they suggest using the color green -- it's good luck for Muslims. So the blanket is mostly green with occasional stripes of bright color.

Once I got to the group with my yarn, I found out the only a few people were actually knitting for charity. Most were just working on their own projects. But this has gotten me started on the blanket and that's great. I've enjoyed working on it -- it's perfect for times when you want to work on mindless knitting. You know.... you're either in a situation that requires concentration (on something other than knitting) or you're so tired you just want to sit in a comfy chair, watch and movie, and knit....

EtsyGreetings Spring Color Challenge

The Etsy Greetings street team is currently holding a spring Color Challenge. The challenge is to make a single card featuring the colors of lilac and green. This is my entry (left).

There are currently three days left to vote for your favorite. Just click here and vote -- it only takes a moment.

Questionnaire: The Big Bag KAL & Swap

My answers for The Big Bag KAL & Swap questionnaire:

Do you knit, crochet, or do both? For how long?
I knit (barely crochet enough to finish knitting projects). I taught myself to knit as a little girl, but only did a little knitting then. I started back up when Tommy was a baby (18 years ago), but really started with a passion about 5 or 6 years ago.

What other crafts do you do, if any?
Lots. I like to think of it as having a lot of interests... rather than being easily distracted. :) Take a look at my Flickr pages for examples. My other art/craft interests include charms and other jewelry, lots of paper arts, sewing....

What are your favorite colors?
I love lots of greens - chartreuse, sage, teal, evergreen - although I'm not a fan of Kelly green. I love red, dark red, and burgundy. I like lots of blues - periwinkle, Swedish blue, cobalt. I also love fresh combinations of colors like lime and bright blue or aqua, aqua and red, chocolate and cream/pink/blue/aqua, citrus colors....

Colors you loathe?
I really don't "loathe" any colors. My least favorite are muddy yellows and Kelly green. I'm not a huge pink fan, but it's fine in combination with other colors. And I'm not particularly crazy about pastels.

Favorite yarn brands?
I tend to use standard things like Lamb's Pride, Cascade 220, etc because they fit with a lot of the projects I do. I also like working with most Mission Falls yarns -- their colors are nicely sophisticated. I lust after the soft, luscious decadent stuff like alpaca, silk, and cashmere.

Fiber types? Yarn you can't stand?
I actively dislike eyelash yarn and other similar novelty yarns. I'm not a fan of acrylics and other synthetics. I'm not even particularly fond of natural/synthetic blends. I'm soooo much happier with natural fibers.

What is your favorite type of item to knit/crochet?
Bags. I also like hats, scarves, and an occasional sweater. I love felting.

What kind of needles do you like? (i.e. circular, straight, metal, bamboo, etc.)
I mostly use circulars. My favorite materials are casein (and the vintage mock tortoiseshell ones that are similar), bamboo, and wood.

Any knitting tools you lack but crave?
I got a winder for Christmas.... yay! I'm lusting after Knit Picks' Harmony circular set, but it's way too expensive for swapping. I'll put it on my birthday list.

Honestly, I'm pretty well set for knitting tools, but always like recommendations from other knitters.

Patterns you've been dying to get but haven't yet?
The Lucy Bag from Two Old Bags. Nothing else that I can think of at this moment. I love knitting books, but have quite a few...

Do you drink coffee, tea, cocoa? Flavors you love/hate?
All. I tend to drink decaf coffee -- caffeine seems to bother me. I don't really like chai tea or other sweet drinks (that doesn't include good hot chocolate).

Favorite sweets & snacks?
Dark chocolate or other good chocolate (not white! it's not chocolate!). Can be plain or with goodies mixed in like nuts, dried fruits, and other flavors. I also love maple.

Any pets, kids, spouses? Spouses that act like pets or kids? (j/k)
A Golden Retriever named Winston, 4 cats, a teenaged boy, and a husband.

Favorite things to knit/crochet for the above, if applicable?
I'm trying to finish a hat for the boy but am finding it boring. He also wants a "Mrs. Weasley" sweater... we'll see. :) He's very picky but would probably also like some fingerless gloves. Winston loves the cold and wouldn't appreciate a sweater. I have knitted a few catnip toys for the kittehs.

What kinds of books do you like to read? Favorite authors or genres?
Mysteries. I also like recommendations from others.

Do you collect anything? (besides yarn! LOL!)
Depression-era kitchen ware (Fiestaware, Hall china, cotton tablecloths, bakelite silverware, that sort of thing), Atomic era (1950s) barkcloth and china, cookbooks, fabric.

What, if any, are your non-craft related hobbies?
Gardening, cooking.

Scents you adore? Scents that make you gag?
My very favorite is green tea. I like clean, fresh scents. Very clear florals. Citrus. I'm less interested in heavily perfumed scents.

What is your idea of a relaxing time?
Knitting, watching movies, reading, gardening, art/crafts.

Oh yeah, are you on Ravelry and if so, care to share your Ravelry ID?
Yes. Winemakerssister.

The Big Bag Knitalong & Swap

What a fun idea -- a combination knitalong (KAL) and swap!

This knitalong is based on a free ravelry pattern, The Big Bag. It's a key-hole felted tote bag, perfect for a knitting project. The group is currently open -- sign-ups end March 7.

Once you receive your partner, you can start knitting. Of course, you want to make a bag in the colors your partner will love. And, of course, I signed up....

Scavenger Hunt Swap (Sent)

I sent my package for the Scavenger Hunt swap out relatively early -- my partner's birthday is on Valentine's Day and I wanted to get it to her during her birthday week. She received it, so it's safe to post it here (since it's no longer a secret).

We had a list of things to find for our knitting-themed scavenger hunt. One (or more) was supposed to be yarn. Almost everything (except "something funny" was specifically tailored to my partner's likes and dislikes.

Something local: My partner loves good chocolate (who doesn't?) so I sent two packages of Gilbert's dark chocolate drops. They make these drops specifically for the winery -- we serve them with tastings of our raspberry dessert wine. Gilbert's opened in Jackson in 1900.

Something hard: A jasmine candle in a glass holder. Jasmine is one of her favorite scents.

Something round: Handmade stitch markers that match the yarn I sent.

Something green: Two skeins of teal alpaca silk yarn. She, like me, tends to use more "basic" (and inexpensive) yarns like Cascade 220. But she expressed interest in lush, decadent yarns like alpaca, cashmere, and silk so I sent her some lovely soft decadent stuff. (Oh, and she loves green and jewel tone colors...)

Something T: She's a tea drinker (also like me) and especially likes green tea.

Something funny: This was the hardest category for me. I ended up making her some notecards that said "What If the Hokey Pokey Is What It's All About?"

Spoiler's choice: She likes bags so I sent her a morsbag that coordinates with the rest of the package of goodies.

That was a fun swap!

Ravelry

As many of you know, Ravelry (a website for knitters) is technically still in the beta-testing stage. To participate, you sign up on a waiting list to be accepted as soon as there is a spot.

I received a spot last October, but was too busy to do much with it until recently (not that I'm any less busy now...).

Well, I finally started working with it: looking around, fleshing out my profile, that sort of thing. I'm still in the beginning stages, but have added a few recent projects and listed a bunch of my knitting books in my Ravelry "library" (currently you can only list the ones in the Ravelry database). Maybe someday I'll start listing my stash... whew... that's a big project! I can see how having all this information would be really helpful to a future knitting swap partner.

My name there is winemakerssister -- come visit me soon!

Houses & Homes Treasury

A few days ago I set up this Etsy treasury. Of course, the theme is Houses and Homes (as you can tell by the photo and my title). I love all the little home-themed art.

The good news is that the treasury made it to the front page.... and the bad news is that I missed it. I only know it happened because of the comments -- people congratulating me for making it on to the front page.

Ah, well. It's nice to know that the Etsy folks liked it enough to highlight it.

Package In, Package Out

I finished up my package for the Hot Cocoa swap last week and sent it off in the mail. It was very fun gathering all the bits and pieces to include.

Of course, the package had to include hot cocoa. I got some yummy cocoa at Whole Foods Market. And I included some gourmet marshmallows to make her cocoa extra special.

My partner is allergic to wool so I sent Mission Falls 1824 cotton in a range of bright, spring-y colors. She said on a questionnaire that she'd always wanted one of Elizabeth Zimmermann's books, so that went in as well. And a package of the hot cocoa stitch markers I developed for the swap.

The big part of the package (especially in terms of time) was a knitted stuffie to help her beat the winter blues. My partner has a daschund, so when I saw this pattern, I knew I had to knit it for her.

As my first knitted stuffie, it was maybe a bit overly ambitious. It took longer than I expected, but that was partly due to the fact that it's a pretty big dog (probably the size of a large daschund puppy) knitted on size 1 needles (what I needed to use to fit the gauge). But I was pleased with how it came out. I left it up to her to name the puppy... although someone suggested "Cocoa." Good idea!

My swap package from my partner came a day after I sent mine out. What an incredibly thoughtful and generous package! Thanks so much, Brenda.

If Money, Time, and Skill Were No Object...

Cross-posted on winemakerssister and Scavenger Hunt blogs.

A current contest on the Scavenger Hunt swap blog asks the following questions:

#1 - If your knitting skill and the money to purchase the necessary yarn were no issue, what one pattern would you knit?

I'm going to add unlimited time to the mix.... why not ask for it all?

I think I'd make Annie Modesitt's cardigan from Vogue Magazine Fall 2005. It's quite amazing. Perfect for a star-of-the-party sweater... occasions when you want something fabulous. It's made with Lorna's Laces, which is fabulous yarn, but I'd maybe prefer it in cashmere or some sort of silk/cashmere/alpaca blend. Soft and yummy, but in really gorgeous colors.

#2 - What is your favorite blog ?(doesn't need to be knitting related)

I don't really have a favorite blog -- I like to visit lots and find new ones. Orangette is a fabulous blog about food. Polka Dot Creations is mostly about polymer clay (but lots of other things as well). I love her post on how she develops her colorways. And I like the Purl Bee very much.

Dreaming of Spring Gardens

These notecards bring together many things that I love. Gardening and garden catalogs. Botanical illustrations. Art from recycled materials. Sewing on paper.

They're a tangible example of a gardener's heart at this time of the year.

And they're made entirely of illustrations from recycled seed catalogs.

Buy them from my Etsy shop then send them out into the world to spread hope for the green to come...

Longing for Spring

Well, the Hot Cocoa Swap is winding down (although I'm still finishing my little knitted beastie for my partner).... so you know what that means? Time for another swap.

This swap is right up my alley. I'm a gardener, and at this time of the year I start longing for spring.

Interested in signing up? There are still openings. The sign up continues through February 14 or until there are 40 participants. Click here and follow the instructions.

And here are my answers to the questionnaire:

Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been at your craft?
I knit... and crochet just enough to finish my knitted items. I taught myself to knit when I was little. I knit a bit then set it down. I picked it up again when Tommy was a baby.

What are your favorite yarns/fibers?
I like natural fibers, especially those that are soft to the touch.

What are your least favorite yarns/fibers?
Novelty yarns (like eyelash), synthetics, blends with synthetics.

What are your favorite colors?
Red, dark red, any kind of green including teal (except kelly green -- not fond of it), most blues.

What are your least favorite colors?
Pastels, muddy yellow.

What ‘warm weather’ project are you looking forward to making this year?
I'm not sure. I guess I'm not thinking ahead that much right now.

What are you favorite scents? Least favorite?
My favorite scents are light, clean floral scents such as lily of the valley. My least favorite are heavy, perfumy ones. I love the scent of herbs, especially rosemary. And lemon.

What is your favorite flower?
That depends on my mood and the time of the year. I love all old-fashioned garden flowers.

What are you favorite spring time hobbies/activities?
Gardening. Art is my hobby year 'round....

Do you have a garden? If you do, tell us a little about it. Do you like to plant flowers or vegetables?
I have several gardens. There's sort of a cottage garden around the front of the house. Then there's an official garden in the back. It's planted with all sorts of vegetables, herbs, and flowers for cutting.

What are your favorite sweets?
Dark chocolate... really any good chocolate (except white, which we all know is not chocolate), maple.

Do you collect anything?
Yarn and fabric (don't we all?), cookbooks, vintage sewing goodies, vintage buttons, bakelite, retro (depression era, Eames era) kitchen stuff, Fiestaware and other depression-era china.

Do you have any allergies?
Smoke. Nothing else that will affect this swap.

Do you have any pets?
A Golden Retriever named Winston, four kitties.