I love Swappin!

Its so fun to buy cute little things for someone else! & to have someone else buy cute little things for you!!

I got my package at the beginning of last week and I haven't had much time to post anything. So here are some pics and stuff!

Sharon sent me a wonderful package! It had two different types of coffee: Verona from Starbucks, and The Presidents Blend... one of her favorites, that I must say is quite delicious! And then she sent me the cutest little mug, some cocktail napkins with the cutest little quote, "I'll have a caffe mocha vodka Valium latte to go, please!" -Leah Dylan soo funny! She also included two little things of soy milk, some gorgeous springy green and coordinating variegated yarns, knitting needles (in a size that I was just about to go out and buy for some spring scarfs I wanted to start!), these way cute stitch markers, a key chain that says "princess and proud of it" yup!, and then the cutest handknits: a pot holder, which is perfect bc I love cooking, and a little tiara! Thats right I've been crowned! :D

What an awesome package! Thanks Sharon!!!

WIPs

Spring Flinger T.O.W.
We'll go free form this week - Post about your WIPs, post about your package, post about the weather where you are - just be sure to include that the post is for the Spring Fling Weekly Topic somewhere inside it when you tell us it's there! I'd love to hear how folks are enjoying the goodies they received, if they have, or how much fun you had shopping for your pal!

So.. My WIPs are a few springy scarfs... I bought some turquoise yarn that is very springy, and then I got some coral-y colored yarn that looks like flowers! So I found some patterns for some skinny lacy scarfs and have gotten the turquoise one cast on. I am also still working on my blue/green variegated shawl.. I'm on ball #3 now, out of 5...coming along nicely.

As for my package, I just finished my handmade item for it, so my package will be off... I will have to do an express package so that my swap friend will get it on time! I will post more about my package tomorrow!

As far as shopping for my pal! Well I may as well be called a professional shopper! So I have found a few really great things for my pal.. And I received my package from my pal today too, and it was awesome!!! I will post those pics tomorrow too! So basically this swap has been a blast!

Swapin in the Rain!

Swappin' Yarns and Caffeine! Topic of the week: You know with Spring the famous saying goes "April Showers, bring May flowers", please tell us what you like to do when those April Showers are pouring down on you. Do you like to curl up with your knitting, take in a movie or crawl back in bed?

When it is dreary outside, the Little's and I like to take a little trip to the local video store! They can each pick out one movie to watch, and one sweet treat to enjoy during the movie. When we get home, I pop in one of the movies, and we all pile up to watch. I snag my knitting bag and they open their treats, and everyone is happy! Its a great rainy day pick up! They are however only allowed (by my rules) to watch one movie or two half hour TV shows daily while in my care, because I know G & S use the TV as a distraction for the kids while they try to get things done. This works out, because our rainy days usually come in pairs, we watch one of their movies one day, and the other the next day. Keeps the kiddos content, and I get to work on my knitting! Its a win-win :)

Swap topic 4

Let's pretend for a minute we all live in the home of our dreams, have land, and don't have to work so time is unlimited! It's Spring planting season! What would you grow? A little veggie garden? A bed of bright spring blooms? Or is your thumb so far from green that the only thing you'd be planting is your tushy into a nice chair on the porch to get some knitting or crocheting done in the nice breeze?

Well if I had unlimited time, and amazing property, I might try gardening... I'm not really one for getting too dirty, although showers were invented for a reason. But I guess I would plant a little flower garden for some nice color in the front of the house, and in the back, I would do a little veggie garden. When my sis and I were little, my Grandpa Hill used to plant a nice sized veggie garden, and he would alway leave two empty rows so that Jess and I could choose our favorite veggie and then plant it. I loved doing that! So maybe I'd even call my veggie garden 'Grandpa's Garden'... I'm not sure that people actually name their gardens, but it would make a cute little garden sign, so I'd do it! And then, as seen in the previous post, I would plant my tush and veiw all of the beautimous flowers! :D

Its been a sit'n'knit kind of week!

The sun has been shining all week long! And it has been wonderful! So when Little Dan has been sleeping, and I have been sneaking outside, and soaking it in. But why just sit there empty handed, when you have homework to do, and a swap deadline for your project. So I did the homework first, because although the swap may be more fun, the homework is a must.. so far I have A's in both of my classes, and I'm not ready to screw that up yet. But once the homework was done..I got out my knitting! Its coming along, I've only ripped it out twice since starting it, and I am now on ball #2 of yarn! I even went to the lys this morning and hung out knitting for a while. It was great. So here's the progress: I am really enjoying how the colors in this varrigated are stitching up. I hope that my swap pal likes it too! Happy knitting everybody! And I hope that everyone has been getting a little glimpse of spring and some time to enjoy it!

Coffee and Tea, and the Java and Me...

A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, yeah! (This is a song that we sang in Jazz Choir when I was in 8th Grade, and will now be stuck in my head all day long)

Anyhow the weekly Coffee and Yarn Swap topic:
Tell us how you started drinking coffee. Were you in high school or college and making it through all nighters? Did you get it from a family member? What drives your love of the bean?

So I guess I started drinking it around 8th grade, on an occasional sort of thing. I think it was just when I could convince my mo to get me something from Jason's while she was there, or for my dad to pick me up something from Starbucks. But then once I hit 9th grade, and I had to get to class ridiculously early I started drinking it everyday. And then since for about a year and a half (starting in March of '06) I worked at Jason's Java... well I just got hooked! And it was tough when I first moved to Connecticut, I realized the lack of coffee houses! It aint no Seattle Coffee Town! But I found the local Starbucks really quickly! :)

Happy Swappin', and more importantly: Happy drinking of the wonderful caffeinated beverages!!

Swap Topic...

So this week for the Spring C&Y Swap, they asked us if we have seen any 'spring' weather in our neck of the woods and if due to that we find ourselves knitting differently..

Well... Seeing as the only thing that I really knit is scars.... I'm still makin'em. (sorry swap pal!) Although I did make a baby blanket once, and a few baby hats, and yea.. thats it besides scarfs! So I haven't really changed much. I did get my project for my partner on the needles, and so far it is really cute. Its a scarf- surprise surprise!-- but I am making it a little wider than normal so that it is more shall like. And it is in the yarn that you were all referring to as my 'sock yarn'... Hopefully she will like it... or maybe I should just hope to finish it before I hope anything else... But I do feel that the colors are more springy.

Spring Fling Swap

This Week's Topic:

Browse around some of the other blogs of participants, and find one person who enjoys a similar roast coffee to you - share something interesting about them that you find on THEIR blog, and tell us what you've been working on knitting or crochet-wise this week!

So... I have been aimlessly wandering the pages of other people's blogs, and I have discovered that there are a few people who enjoy a roast similar to what I like... that might have something to do with the fact that I enjoy a range of roasts though. So here is what I have discovered:
Lizet enjoys a nice bold roast, which I also enjoy, especially on a lazy day that really shouldn't be so lazy and I need something bold and exciting to start my day off right.
Tanja also enjoys a nice, rich, bold roast. Go check out her blog, she has the cutest pictures of a box that her daughter knit for her. So adorable!
I also very much enjoyed browsing Christy T.'s Blog... She has a ton of cute little knit animals that she has made, and she also enjoys a bold roast, as well as the 'reduced fat' (haha) 'cinnamon swirl coffee cake' from Starbucks that is oh so delicious!
I had fun checking out everybody's blogs... well not everyone b/c that would have taken me all day, but I did enjoy reading the ones that I randomly selected from the list!
As far as what I am working on.. I just opened the bottom left drawer in my dresser yesterday. It is the drawer that holds little bags of half done, almost finished, or not yet started knitting projects; and I pulled out one of the scarfs that I started a while back. It is a fairly easy pattern so I am hoping to finish it up either this week or next :) We'll see though!

Swap Fun!

Coffee

1. What is your preference? Whole beans or ground? Ground.. it just makes life that much easier!

2. What kind of coffees do you enjoy? A rich, bold roast; a light, fresh one, or something in between? Leaded or non? Any range from a medium, mild to a rich bold roast is good. Definitely leaded.

3. If you were headed out right now to buy some coffee for the house, what would you be picking up? I'd probably just grab some pre ground beans from Starbucks, so I could get a latte at the same time, and then I would get either the Verona, or the Sonoma blend.

4. Do you drink for caffeine, pleasure, or both? I'd say both. I love the aroma, and that a cup can warm you up or cool you down, depending on how you drink it, but the caffeine is a good perk that coffee has :)

5. Do you enjoy flavored coffees? How about add-ins or flavored creamers? I am not a fan of flavored coffees. If I want a flavor, I'm going to add it in with a flavored cream. I want to be able to change my mind about what the flavor is or if I just want it black.

6. A large, lovely mug or a small, dainty cup? Lovely and Large! I love those cups that are short and really wide so when you drink your entire face could sink into the mug! :)

7. Describe your perfect cup - not JUST the coffee, but how you'd enjoy it! I use a french press to Enjoy my coffee, and then I have this little milk-foamer tool, that I use so I let the coffee sit in the press before pressing it down, and then I take it down slowly. During that process I will pour some cream, usually french vanilla, chocolate caramel, or just plain soy milk (depending on the day). I use the foamer to fluff up my cream and then I pour my coffee on top, so that it stirs itself, and the foam settles to the top. Its delicious! mmmm.

8. You're sitting down to enjoy a nice cup in the local coffee shop, knitting bag in hand, iPod all tuned up - or maybe you're there with a few friends for knit night! What treat do you pick up to enjoy with your coffee? A sweet, rich brownie, or something more healthy? How about a salty treat? What goes best with that great cup and company?
Right now I am on a health kick, but I do love treating myself to something sweet if I have had a good healthy week. Sweet treats go so well with rich coffee!

Yarn

1. Do you knit or crochet? knit

2. What are your favorite types of yarns to work with? anything that feels good, I just like to knit with something that feels soft and luscious running through my fingers!

3. What do you have on the needles (or hook!) right now? Three different scarfs.. two that are gifts and one for me for a nice lacy bright spring touch to add to a boring outfit!

4. What are your favorite colors in yarns? What about those that you'd never find in your stash? I love subtle colors, like light blues, yellows, and greens; I love to use gray, cream, and brown for neutrals; and then for a nice bright splash i'll use a bright apple green or red! I wouldn't probably use black, but everything else is good.

5. What sort of needles or hooks do you enjoy using? Any you just detest? I love bamboo needles, and other wooden needles as well, they feel really good in your hands. I'm not a fan of plastic, but I could use them if that was my only option.

6. Are there any particular notions you absolute do NOT need? Some of us swap a lot - are you sure that you have enough tape measures to last your lifetime? Enough stitch markers to mark every stitch of a 10 foot wide afghan? I don't have a stash of too many notions... just a handful of markers...

7. You walk into the yarn shop and have exactly and only enough money to purchase 2 skeins of yarn in their 2 for 20 special they have going..The choices are a soft, thick cotton/viscose blend in your favorite colors, slightly variegated..a beautiful sock yarn that's just squishy and sproingy in your hands.. a soft, worsted weight wool like malabrigo.. and a lovely bamboo blend with colors to just die for. Which do you walk out the door with? I'd have to go with the bamboo blend.

Spring

1. We're starting sign-ups on the first day of Spring - is it already truly Spring-like where you are?

2. What's your favorite spring flower? Do you have one? I love them all, but I am specifically a fan of the lily family of flowers.

3. What do you most look forward to about springtime? Color in Nature :) It makes me smile. And I love taking spring walks while the sun is shining and the air is so fresh, and everything is in bloom again... it is beautiful!

4. They've predicted a gorgeous day tomorrow - Sunny and about 65 with a nice breeze - how do you spend your day? Well since I am a nanny and have a ridiculous amount of flexibility with our schedule, I would take Little Dan to the park to run around and play, and then have a nice little picnic! We also have two big ponds near our house, so taking a stroll to one of them could be a nice way to spend the day. And during his nap time, I would sit outside, and read or knit, and enjoy the lovely day.

5. The day after, it's going to be cooler and pouring down rain - does that impact your mood? How do you spend that day? what helps cheer you up? I actually love the rain (I think its the Seattle-ite in me).. but it doesn't effect my mood at all, we just play indoors, or spend the day being a little more productive, either running errands, or getting things done around the house.

Odds n Ends

1. Do you collect anything BESIDES yarn and needles? Not really.. I try to keep down on the clutter, so that if you have to pick up and move across the country (or if you choose to), you don't have to pack up a ton of small knick-knacks, or get rid of them.

2. Are you allergic to anything? Just the normal Allergens.. dust, cats, dairy...

3. Do you have pets? I have a pet Hedgehog, and the family that I live with has a dog, two cats, a bird, and a snake... some say we have a little zoo going.

4. Is this your first swap, or are you an old pro? What are the last 2 swaps you participated in? This is my second official swap. The last one that I participated in was the Dogs on Thursday Holiday Ornament Swap.

5. List 3 of your favorite blogs - craft related or not - and tell us why you love them. G-marie Sews, I love because it is my mom's blog, and I am very close to her, so it makes me feel at home to know all the little crazy details of her life other than just the stuff she tells me on our daily phone call.
I love Lapdog Creations, because Nichole always has something fun going on with the dogs, or with her crafts.
And Shut Up, I'm Counting, because Cass has a terribly fun since of humor, and I love the way she writes, and her funny stories. She also does fun craft projects.