Hello all! I'm back home again and it feels great. I had an awesome time on my business trip (really, it was fun - it's good to get out in the field from time to time!). But it's always nice to sleep in your own bed, with the kitties (oh yeah, and husband too), and have all of your yarn :).

I'm still playing catch-up, so you'll have to forgive me - I don't have photos of the fabulous yarn swap up yet... hopefully tomorrow. For now, some long-ago promised pictures.

First, off - part 2 of my crafty Christmas (yes, I do know that it was more than a month ago - please bear with me!) are the lovely gifts I received. My mom gave me some sock yarn, notions, pattern books (including Knitting With Wire, a Knitting Journal and a Handspinning Journal), and her very first knitted FO - a beautiful scarf. Thanks mom!

My sister took an idea from something that I had on my wist and made me some pillows out of ribbon!

Yes, I'm a little blurry, but hopefully you get the picture

She took the wires out of the wired craft ribbon, wove them together, fused the backs together with interfacing, and then sewed on the backing. Don't they look good on our (new) loveseat?

Lovely pillows! Lovely loveseat!

Thanks Jenna, I love them!
Speaking of Jenna, she and her hubby came up to visit us for a day and we saw a play! "Noises Off" was a movie that Jenna and I watched a LOT as kids (so maybe we had it memorized)... and when I saw that it was playing here I bought us tickets as an early graduation present. It was hysterically funny, very well done, and a good time was had by all. Unfortunately, tomorrow is the last day of its run at the Arena Stage here in DC, but if you get a chance to see a production near you I highy recommend it! Or watch the movie - Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, John Ritter, Christopher Reeve, etc., etc.

What else...

Oh, yes. My Knit Mitt Kit arrived right before I left.

Beautiful handmade bag!

Norweigan mittens!

The Spinning Dervish totally spoiled me with a Norweigan mitten kit from her region of the world - Minnesota. Plus the Kacha-Kacha and Chibi! (My first!) There were tons of other goodies in the box, too - note cards, post-its, candy, etc. that just didn't make it into the photos.

And last but not least (if you're still with me), some photos of my recent crafty endeavors... not knitting but dyeing! The results of the unofficial poll that was part of the Delurking (thanks everyone for commenting) were clear - almost everyone's favorite color combo at the moment involves brown. Well, I read you loud and clear and I got on board.

Super prep - super prep. It's super preppy!

This, my friends, is self-striping sock yarn in peach, green, and brown. Two shades of brown as a matter of fact - one stripe should turn out darker than the other. There were a few other skeins involving brown, but it turns out none of them have been photographed yet. But here's some roving:

nice braids!

This was done before the Brown Referendum, but I really like the blue. The pink has actually grown on me quite a bit - I thought it was a complete failure when I first finished it, probably because it wasn't at all what I was going for (I wanted something red and blue). But now I think I like it, and I think I'm going to like it even more after it's spun up.

OK, that will have to do for now... more tomorrow I hope!

Three cheers for karma! As I just posted, I got my socks all packaged up and sent, and look what I got in the mail!

Aren't they gorgeous?

Fun with the self timer!

Carola made me these awesome socks... the wrapping and stamps were my first clue about its origins. These came to me from the home of Lopi - Iceland! Carola looked around my blog and noticed that I'd visited her country, and knit a Lopi sweater, and she decided that I would appreciate Lopi socks that she dreamt up and designed. Isn't that awesome? Not only do I get great socks in a color that I love, but my pal designed them especially for me! I know it was hard for her to give them up, but I love them! They fit perfectly, and I'll wear them all winter long. Thanks, Carola! And thanks to Alison for setting this all up!

So a week or so ago I got a small brown package in the mail. I wasn't really expecting anything, so I was kind of at a loss to explain it. The stamps were pretty and foreign - Dubai, to be exact.

Finally, I opened it to find.... Socks!

My Sockapalooza (1) socks arrived! (They may be among the last to arrive, but I think they had one of the longest trips!) And in a fun twist of partnering, I sent the socks I knitted to Shaima, and she sent to me, so we basically did a sock exchange. I love my green and blue wool socks. It's a little warm to wear them now, but they'll be very cozy this winter. Thanks Shaima!

Well, I was overly optimistic about the amount of knitting that I would accomplish on my 2 cross-country flights last week, but I did a fair amount. I started my Sockapalooza socks (more about them tomorrow) and a Clapotis (mostly to give myself a break from the toothpicks and thread of the socks). And I found one very convenient part of airplane knitting - the built-in patternholder. Right there on the seat back in front of you. Don't believe me? Take a look!

(That's my Clapotis below - I love the color, love the drape and feel - it's 100% cotton - in short, I believe that I will love this megascarf. I will finish it for spring!)

I flew back in to home around midnight Saturday night, and Dan picked me up at the airport (how sweet!). Rather than going home, though, we just headed north and got 2/3 of the way to New York before breaking down and getting a hotel room. Our destination? The last day of The Gates! Were we succesful? Yes, we were!

That's in front of the Museum of Modern Art. We rambled all over the park, met up with Dan's brother who was in town on business, and just had a great afternoon. Then we drove home and went to an Oscars party. And then I finally got back to my house and kitties. A great Sunday, though.

And what was waiting for me when I got home but an inspirational package from my Secret Pal! A cool vintage magazine (McCalls from 1946 - the war is over and the men are home!), a cool cutting edge magazine (FiberArts), and a notebook to sketch and write out my own designs. Thanks, Secret Pal! I love it! Can't wait to see what you send me next.

Hello everybody! I've had a hella hectic week (Friday was the only night I was home before 11... two were spent doing fun things, two nights at work that late. Sigh). But now it should be a little better for a while (I hope!). Yesterday I went snowboarding in the morning, visited a yarn store with an amazing bargain basket, and then went shopping and eating out with friends in the evening. A good day, with great weather!

My secret pal has been very patient with me, since she e-mailed me questions on Tuesday and I'm just now getting around to answering them. I did do the questionnaire for Secret Pals 2 and 3 (found here), but the version she sent me has a few differences, so I thought I'd fill it out here.

1. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
I am allergic to cigarette smoke, but it needs to be pretty strong. Nothing else that would make this list (just don't roll my yarn around in poison oak or ivy, okay?)

2. How long have you been knitting?
Since January of 2003, so a little over 2 years.

3. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I like the food-scented candles (gingerbread, sugar cookie, etc.). I'm not very fond of the extremely sweet floral scents (honeysuckle, gardenia), but freesia is good. I also like "crisper" smells like citrus (the coconut lime verbena from Bath & Body Works is good!).

4. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Yep. Chocolate is good in all forms. Candy is good. Cake is good. Etc.

5. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s?
(if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like almost everything, and I love getting turned on to a new band or singer by getting a mix CD. MP3's are fine.

6. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette
you prefer?
I love ocean colors - blues and greens in just about any shade, from bright to very dark. I like bright colors for summer clothes, but can also use neutrals for coordinating with everything. Can you tell I'm not terribly picky?

7. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
What a difficult question. I love Manos for the subtle changes in color. Noro and self-striping sock yarns for the magic that seems to happen as you knit them up. Linen and cotton for fabulous summer tanks. Merino wool for sweaters that go from fall through spring. 100% Wool for felting projects. Basically, you name it, I knit it.

8. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Red Heart Pound of Acrylic and the like. I just can't do it. I'm also not terribly fond of mohair (and I currently have a bunch in the stash), just because it seems like I wind up eating the little fibers while knitting.

9. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I really want to finish Banff, so I've been knitting on it almost non-stop. I think my next project will also turn a little obsessive, so I'm trying to hold out as long as I can (more on that later).

10. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I like sweaters, because they seem so complicated and people are really impressed by them. Generally it's just a bunch of rectangles (or trapezoids) with some sewing invovled, but people don't get that. I like being able to wear things I've made and show them off. I also like giving knitted gifts to people that I know will appreciate them (like fellow knitters!).

11. Are you a sock knitter?
I am now! I signed up for Sockapalooza, and I'm practicing by knitting a pair of socks for myself first. I've finished the first one and am working on the second (pictures in a future entry).

12. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
I love Spongebob. I also love the Simpsons (try to watch it every week). Animal is hard; I'd have to say whales in general.

13. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas. I love the gifts. (Yep - materialistic. That's me!)

14. Are you a magazine reader?
I am, but I probably subscribe to too many already, with one exception. My only knitting magazine subscription is to Interweave Knits (got the spring issue yesterday, hooray!). I should probably break down and get Vogue Knitting because I seem to buy most of the issues. I also love the foreign magazines (Rowan, Rebecca, and Schoeller Stahl) and try to stock up on them when I find them at yarn stores, particularly if they're on sale (like they were yesterday, yippee!).

15. What is your shoe size?
8-8.5 US (Women's, but that's understood, right?)

16. Do you wear much jewelery?
Not really. The only thing I wear everyday is my wedding/engagement ring and watch (which has a Velcro sports band, so probably doesn't really qualify as jewelry). I have some necklaces that I put on if the outfit needs it. I also have pierced ears, but only rarely wear earrings.

17. What's your favourite style of architecture?
Um, I'm pretty stumped on this one. I love gothic places like cathedrals, but really only for churches. I like Cape Cod houses (although we didn't buy one) - the room up in the eaves is so cool! In terms of buildings, I'm not a big fan of the huge glass-coated skyscrapers - I prefer more metal. I'm not sure I've answered this question very well, but I must admit that I've never thought about it before.

OK, enough with the questions. In the next entry: knitalong updates, including Sockapalooza... Banff progress... the call of Clapotis, and much, much more!

And here's why...

A little over a week ago now, I arrived home from work on one of my long training days, sick and depressed, only to find a fabulous package on my doorstep, all the way from Japan! Linus helped me look inside

and then we started taking things out to see what all was there! I got a little preview because there was a customs label on the outside. It said that the box contained snacks, yarn and magazines. And that's exactly what I found!

First up were snacks:

Yummy yummy pocky yummy yummy yum. There are were three kinds of pocky: strawberry (sadly, no longer with us), chocolate, and chocolate-covered-strawberry. Plus some strawberry chocolate mints. AND some great flavored coffees (creme brulee, maple, tiramisu, etc.), that come in cool packages that are a built-in one-cup coffee maker (when I use them I'll have to take a picture - it's quintessentially Japanese).

Then came the yarn:

Three skeins of mohair and three of a Diadomina wool blend, both in beautiful blue and brown heathered shades. I forsee some beautiful mohair lace scarves in my future.

And finally the magazines:

The one on the left is a knitting magazine; the one on the right is an "Inspiration comes of Working" (really? I thought that fatigue and ennui came of working... I guess it must be my job. Just kidding. Kinda.) folder to hold printed patterns and ball bands and whatnot. Organization is one of my top priorities for the new year, so this will work well. The magazine is awesome. Not too many things struck me as "must haves" right away, but I'll let it sit for a while. This one was one of my favorites - I know the picture isn't the best, but what I really like about it is the ribbon gathering in the top, which was just done with some yarnover eyelets and a piece of ribbon. There are a few other things that I can see making, with possibly some modifications.

Thanks again Molly! I've really enjoyed everything I got. Both of my secret pals turned out really well. Hooray!

P.S. I'm feeling a little better - still coughing, but a bit less and the drugs are helping break stuff up (and helping me sleep at night). Thanks everyone for your well wishes!

My secret pal was the fabulous Molly - an American living in Japan. I can't wait to see the goodies in my final package... I'm trying to be patient (like waiting for Christmas).

I'm currently watching The Amazing Race (hooray for wireless internet!), and I'm loving all of the prissy American girls who are freaking out in Senegal (ew! yucky!)

One more scarf on the needles to finsh by Friday... wish me luck! And send good health vibes while you're at it... I have a cough that won't go away.

Yesterday I received a final fabulous box from my Secret Pal 2...

This picture has almost everything in it - handmade scented soaps (that are quite strong!), two balls of Cascade Fixation sock yarn, a magnet and postcard from Utah (wherin my pal's identity was revealed), Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac (which I promptly started reading) and the 2005 Knitting Pattern-a-Day calendar. People, that's 365 patterns! Plus the 12 (or more) from Knitter's Almanac - 377 patterns to play with!

But wait, there's more! One thing didn't make it into the picture because I'd already put it up in my window with the neon Halloween cat...

If you can't read it, it says "I'm a knitter and I vote... Don't make me get my DPNs!" If you want one of your own, you can buy them off my Secret Pal's site.

Thanks, Laurie! I've really enjoyed having you as my Secret Pal! Everytime I get a new pattern from my calendar next year I'll think of you!

My short week back at work (after the 3-day weekend with Labor Day) was a rough one. Good thing my Secret Pal (2) thought of that and sent me presents!

Cool vanilla soaps, fun printed Kleenex ("swankie hankies!"), and Socks to knit.

Thanks, Secret Pal!

That's right - my birthday was yesterday. I turned the big 2-8. OK, not that big, but anyway...

Luckily, my Secret Pal was a smart cookie, and sent me a fabulous package:

covered in Happy Birthday stamps! Isn't that festive? I actually saved it for opening on my birthday, and this is what I found inside:

That's a beautiful card, some tropical sticky notes, a cool scissor fob (with a cat charm, how perfect!), and the book "Hip to Knit." Funny story - guess what Dan gave me for my birthday? "Hip to Knit." Great minds think alike, right? Anybody have anything they wanna swap for a book? ;)

I had a great birthday, with lunch out with my co-workers and then a relaxing evening at home watching the Amazing Race and knitting... still working on the hood of the bpt. Halfway done, just a few more inches to go. This weekend being my extended birthday celebration, I get to pick where we go... updates after I decide!