Ahoy Matey!

My KnittingHelp.com Surprise Theme Swap partner, Jes from San Diego, received the package I sent to her and I think she liked it!
I'd learned that she loved pirate stuff and one of her favorite colors was light blue (and that she gardens a little!), so a "treasure chest" I would make for her.

Unfortunately, after much scouring of the internet, I couldn't find anything I really liked that would work in Southern CA. Similar to here in Austin, there is little need for massively bulky chunky items as we just don't get that many extremely cold days typically. Unlike here in Austin, though, San Diego does get some cooler evenings. With that in mind, and not being able to find what I wanted, I took a lace chart of some skulls and crossbones and figured out how many/how much was needed to make a Skull Stole (one where all the skulls would be facing the correct way). If you would like, I invite you to download a copy of this pattern and knit up this little treasure for yourself.

I wish I'd taken a picture of the swatch I knit as it was pretty cool, even though I, personally, am not a big "skull" fan. Anyway, I finally got everything together and sent to her. Besides her intro letter, "treasure map" (aka pattern), gold coins and jewels, and "pearl" stitch markers (including a precious "black pearl" marker), I sent the most scrumptious yarn that was ever so difficult to part with. Jes didn't want any wool yarn so I found a couple of skeins (just enough for the stole) of Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud yarn in Horizon.

Although I went over budget on this package and was worried a few times about the package coming together, I was very pleased with it and hope that Jes enjoys knitting up her treasure!

Sweater Deconstructed

Once upon a time there was a pattern I wanted to knit but the yarn called for was, at the time, a little out of my price range for the amount I needed. In the same household there was this old sweater that was too big and not my style sitting in my closet (and had been there for a couple years...I REALLY need to clean out my closet) that turned out to be made from the type of yarn I needed for knitting that desired pattern.

What's a girl to do? Well, deconstruct and recycle the big, ugly sweater yarn to be used on an item that will get more use from me, of course. That is exactly what I set out to do. It took some time to snip the thread that had attached what amounted to a knit seam binding to the base of the sweater but finally that part was off. Next came the side seams and the arms, then the shoulders/neck area. All that was left to do then was, Rip-it! Rip-it!

The recycled yarn is a 50/50 cotton/linen blend. I can't wait to give it new life!

Winter Wonderland Swap '07

Apparently, my swap partner didn't have access to Santa's "naughty/nice" list as she thought I'd been very, very good as evidenced by the absolutely WONDERFUL package she put together for me.

This was my first swap as a hostess. The matching of partners was a bit daunting but overall the swap has been a huge success, which makes me very happy.

Anyway, back to my package I received. My swap partner, Jeanie, sent me the following wonderful items: two sets of beautiful stitch markers for different sized needles, some wonderful hot teas and cocoa mixes that were packed in the precious holiday tin. The teas had the cutest names like "Nutcracker Sweet", "Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride" and "Sugar Plum Spice". I'd noted on my questionnaire that one of my most favorite things about the holidays was the smell of Mom & Dad's house when we go home for Christmas. Every time I open the tin, the smell of those teas transport me there immediately. It is SO heavenly a smell. Mmmm. The creme de la creme of the package, however, was the two balls of HAND-DYED yarn! The colorway is one she named "Sea" and it is beyond scrumptious! It is a wool, alpaca, silk blend and I THINK I've decided to take my first venture into the world of knitting socks using this yarn. My swap partner sent me a whole group of patterns to select from and I'm wavering between a cloche type hat and the "Rainy Day Socks" pattern from MagKnits. Hmmm.... Decisions, decisions.

Before I ripped into the package...

The goodies my Secret Santa sent!