Oops! A Couple More Things

I forgot to post the sock book Vegasangelbrat sent me.

I'm sorry. It's Christmas crazy around here. I'm packing, running errands, entertaining visitors, etc. I'm all over the place. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please put God and love your hearts. Pray for peace in the world. Take care and I'll see you next year....

Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap Package: I'm Speechless!!!!

Thank you so much!!! Vegasangelbrat was so very generous with her gifts to me.



My Loot:
2 skeins of Knitpicks Memories Rocky Mountain Dusk (I was calling it Rocky Mountain Spotted fever)
2 skeins of Knitpicks Memories Yukon
2 skeins Filati Cervinia Genova
A sampler gift set from Starbucks with 2 kinds of coffee, gourmet hot chocolate, a chocolate biscotti, Tazo tea and 2 coffee mugs
A winter snowflake card making kit
Winter pencil, stationary and envelopes
A vanilla spice candle
A pound of Starbucks Christmas blend coffee
Stitchmarkers, crocheted stitchmaker holder and row counter bracelet from Vegasangelbrat's etsy store,BlumesAccessories
A gift box of Belgian Chocolate Truffles (I didn't open it because I'm taking it home with me to Victoria for Christmas)


WOW!!! Where do I go to nominate her for best spoiler of the swap? Vegasanglebrat is the best!

Christmas Knitting/SITM2x Topic of the Week

The screams you might have heard Wednesday morning/Tuesday night were mine. I was screaming because I ran out of yarn binding off the ONLY Christmas gift I'm knitting this year! I researched the project and 2 skeins of Cascade Eco Wool is suppose to be enough to knit the Hemlock Ring Blanket. I used a felted join to combine the two skeins together. I'm not a loose knitter. I'm a medium to tight knitter. I made/making the blanket using the extended chart in which there's 121 rows and 600 stitches on the needles. And I still ran out of yarn! I'm upset. I ordered more yarn and after I finish it and give it to the recipient, I'll post pictures. :-(

WWCS Topic of the Week

What would be the perfect vacation during the Winter Season? Would rather you head to the beach, to escape all the cold weather or want to pack your ski's and head to the mountains.

I've always wanted to go to Paris and see the Eiffel Tower, sit in a cafe on the Champs Elysees and people watch, go to the Louvre,etc. Check out the Eiffel Tower webcam. I want to go on one of those 10day see everything tours.

Lagniappe

My wonderful SP11 secret pal gave a me terrific lagniappe. BUTTERFLY SOCK BLOCKERS! The seller even included a pretty daisy stitchmaker. A lagniappe is a Cajun term referring to something extra someone receives in addition to normal service.

New Year's Knitting Resolutions 2008

Texas Purl Gurl has a New Year's Knitting Resolution thing on her blog and I thought it was a cool idea. Those who have read my blog should NOT be surprised with the first one....

1. Knit a gift and give it to the designated person ON TIME!!!!! (Don't even ask me about the Hemlock Ring Throw.) I need to plan, organize and execute better.

2. Knit Lace in over 50% of my projects.

3. Knit EZ's Pi Shawl.

4. Learn to spin and use my drop spindle. Just not play around with the roving and spindle like I have been doing.

5. Learn to dye my own yarn.

6. Finish the crochet tutorial I started last summer.

What's your knitting resolutions for 2008?

Winter Coffee Swap Topic of the Week

I saw this blogthing on s-knitting.

What color is your soul painted? Purple Your soul is painted the color purple, which embodies the characteristics of sensuality, spirituality, creativity, wealth, royalty, nobility, mystery, enlightenment, arrogance, gaudiness, mourning, confusion, pride, delicacy, power, meditation, religion, and ambition. Purple falls under the element of Earth, and was once a European symbol of royalty; today it symbolizes the divine. Click Here to Take This Quiz

Quizzes and Personality Tests

For many people, Winter is a time of cold weather and snow - and many fun outdoor activities that can only be enjoyed during those times! What's YOUR favorite activity in Winter, and is it even outdoors??

My aching joints don't like cold weather too much so I usually pass on outdoor Winter activites. I like making real hot chocolate.

Here's the recipe:

1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened chocolate
3 tbsp sugar or 1 1/2 tbsp splenda
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp vanilla

Place chocolate, sugar, and milk in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring, until chocolate melts and mixture is well blended.
Add vanilla; pour hot chocolate into a really big mug.
Hot chocolate recipe serves 1

Note: The Splenda website has sugar substitution tips, calculators, recipes,etc. to help you use its product.

Pay It Forward

These are the instructions:

“It’s the Pay It Forward Exchange. It’s based on the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on. So here’s how it works. I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 6 months) and that’s a promise! What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

I will now Pay It Forward to you THREE, I wonder who you will be?! Please, be a PIF! You will enjoy it just as much as we do!”

And, remember…you have 6 months to get your gifts done! Come on, you know you would love to be one of my angels. Then, one day, but you don’t know when….you will get a gift that I have made especially for YOU!

Most the people I know in blogland have already signed for it. I saw the group on Ravelry and decided I needed to do it. I signed up thru Girly with A Twist. If you haven't signed up already, please do. I promise to make you something nice :-)

2klace

I joined the 2klace Ravelry group because I'm find that I enjoy knitting lace. I'm slow and I make mistakes,but I like the challenge. The rules of the group are fairly simple. Over 50% of my projects in 2008 have to be lace. Lace socks are included. YAY! I'm going to buy another US1 addi turbo lace so I can knit a doily for my stepmom's birthday present. The doily will be one of my first projects of 2008. I also want knit at least 2 more Hemlock Ring Blankets in 2008.


I haven't been able to successfully knit the Hemlock Ring Blanket this week without missing up. I've had to tink and tink til I finally ripped back to my lifeline. I figured out that the written instructions and the chart aren't the same and that's why my count was off. I put it down on Tuesday and haven't worked on it since. I'll pick it up again next week and I'm only going to use the written instructions. I work better under pressure any way. What have so far looks pretty....


What I've been working on instead is the Foliage Hat from knitty.com. I'm making it for myself. It's a lace hat that's surprisingly easy to knit. Of course it's purple.




I'm still working on the my 1st toe up sock. I've made it through the short row heel and now I'm knitting the leg. I've researched and asked questions about casting off. I was all set to use a crochet bind off, but instead I'm going to use EZ's sewn cast off with Denise's variation.


WWCS Topic of the Week
Our hostesses wanted us to get to know 2 other people in the swap that were not our upstream or downstream pals. I've had conversations this week with Angela about short row heels without holes. I talked to Heather about cables and patient sock knitting.