I Am So Spoiled!

A great big giant thanks to my Hot Cocoa Swap partner Kathy! My package came on Saturday and it's all wonderful. I had so much fun opening it all up. She spoiled me a lot! It was a great surprise on a cold, snowy, windy day.



Told you Kathy spoiled me! Look at all of the wonderful, thoughtful things she put in my package. Two different kinds of hot chocolate, two different kinds of marshmallows- all fancy and gourmet. A fun card and dice game to play with my kids, a hot cocoa pot holder and towel set with really cute stitch markers pinned to it. An entire package of dark Dove chocolates (I won't have to share them since no one else at my house likes dark chocolate- good thinking Kathy) Dove is one of my favorite chocolates, the only better ones seem to be hard to find in this country... There's also a great mug to drink my hot cocoa in, some knitting goodies, alpaca yarn, and my Winter Blah Buster Buddy- a really cute and cuddly hand knit cat.

Here's the cocoa/non-knitting stuff. Dark chocolates, peppermint hot cocoa, more hot cocoa, two kinds of gourmet marshmallows, card game, cocoa pot holder set (with the stitch markers) and a really cool mug. Kathy had a bit of a heart theme happening with the package- chocolates, marshmallows, and stitch markers. The mug is the perfect size, and the ribbed design at the bottom reminds me of knitting, the ribbing at the cuffs of a sweater or a sock. I tried the peppermint cocoa yesterday- yum! I'm drinking the other kind (the fancy kind where you melt little chocolate shavings in warm milk) right now in my new mug with vanilla marshmallows in it. I was nice and shared my heart marshmallows with my kids. Between my leaving them out while I made a trip to the bathroom and the three hungry monsters, they're all gone! But they sure were good.
The knitting stuff. The rather sneaky and quite thoughtful Kathy read on my blog about my disappearing then reappearing broken knitting needle gauge. Now I have a new one! The little sock point protectors are so cute and no knitter can ever have too many tape measures. I can never seem to find one when I need one! Look at that yummy yarn. Baby Alpaca DK, two skeins in a really great purple. It's so soft, and once again being sneaky Kathy figured out that I have a love affair with alpaca. Now to decide what to knit with it. A nice pair of gloves for myself maybe, a hat, who knows? Right now I'm just going to squeeze it and love it.
Here's my Blah Buster Buddy. Isn't she sweet? I love the soft tweedy yarn she's made of and she has a great embroidered face. Plus she came wearing a cool tag that looks like knitting on one side and says it's knitted by Kathy for me on the other side. She's hanging out with the new mug and some yummy cocoa. I think she wants a cup of cocoa, but chocolate isn't good for kitties, is it? I'll find her a nice bowl of milk. Oh, Kathy left it up to me to decide if she was a boy or a girl and what her name is. I guess she was shy and didn't want to tell Kathy. Well, she told me that she's a girl and that she likes to be called Purl. You can tell she was made by a knitter for a knitter. My daughter says she should be called Rose, so she has a middle name too. Purl Rose the girl kitty. I think she'll be happy at my house because it's very kitty friendly. So far she is a little bit shy, I hope Chloe and Mushu don't teach her their naughty tricks! Maybe I'll take her to work with me tonight since Lesley has given us all a little bit of homework to do with our buddies.

Kathy even tucked a reciped for cocoa pancakes in the note she wrote me. On a cool knitting themed note card, of course. Even the box had a knitting stamp decorating it. Everything came wrapped in tissue paper and was ties with all kinds of cool ribbons and ric-rac, very cheery and fun. I have to thank Kathy bunches for sending me such a nice, thoughtful swap package. It was far above and beyond the "requirements" of the swap. Everything inside is wonderful and I love it all. I hope everyone else was lucky enough to get a partner as great as she was.

Thank you Kathy!!!

Yay Giants, and A Few FO's

I didn't want to but I watched the Super Bowl yesterday. I love football, the only reason why I didn't want to watch was the Patriots. I hate the Patriots!!! I'm so sick of hearing about them, their coach is a jerk and their quarterback isn't far behind him. So I was rooting for the Giants big time. Thank you Giants for showing the world that the Patriots aren't perfect. You beat them even with the challenge (that shouldn't have been allowed because the next play had already happened) they won to get a free set of downs. Thank you for putting Tom Brady on his ass repeatedly! I'm thrilled the Giants won, even though they beat my Packers for the chance!

I feel better now...

Knitting. I have five pairs of socks on needles right now. I need to knit socks, bad. Here are two FO's to show you. They have both been done for a while, one I couldn't show you because it's for a swap, the other I just hadn't gotten to yet. Now my Hot Cocoa Swap partner Sandy has her package, so her project doesn't need to be a surprise anymore.

This is Moe, my version of Mr. Dangly. The pattern is free and can be found here. I didn't get gauge, use the recomended yarn or anything like that, but she still turned out pretty good. She's supposed to make you smile and be a little silly. I think she meets those requirements. Sandy did think she was a horse, so she was happy that I told her Moe is a monkey. Sandy likes her anyway...
Another view. Moe was born to be a model. She's soft and floppy and snuggly.
The baby blanket I finished for my youngest sisters baby. It has been done for a while, but I'm slow with the pictures.

Now, I've got some socks to finish. Of course I have socks to start too for Hogwarts Sock Swap 3. Not to be confused with HSKS4. Same theme, two different swaps. I'm a Harry Potter dork, I can't help it. I did a few Harry Potter quizzes over the weekend. I found out that my Patronus is an otter- just like Hermione, and that my HP alter ego is Harry. I didn't think it would be Harry, I figured Hermione or Ginny or something. Imagine that.

Gotta knit...

Swap Things and Early Morning Mayhem

I just spent the morning wrapping and packing up my Hot Cocoa Swap package. It's all ready to send off to my partner. My knitted buddy came out pretty cool, but I can't post pics until after she gets it.
I am far past the halfway point in knitting my Loopy Ewe swap project. I have all her stuff ready to go but the actual project (it's only the whole point of the swap...) and the edible goodies. There little boys in my house got into my knitting room and stole all the treats- they made rather quick work of them too. I guess I could always send the empty wrappers...
I am very nearly ready to send my HSKS4 package too.
As for the fourth swap- Hogwarts Sock Swap 3- I am waiting for a few "owls" to arrive at my house so I can get started.
The morning mayhem??? Oh yeah, it was great. The twins- five year old boys were in rare form this morning. They wanted toast and yogurt for breakfast. No problem, right? Well, we had two yogurts one peach one strawberry- not good. The youngest of the two snagged himself the coveted strawberry so the other one literally screamed and cried and was so hysterical he almost made himself sick because he did not want peach. Yeesh, it's just yogurt people! So evidently to get back at this brother when it came time to get dressed the one stuck with the peach stole the red shirt and put it on for the day. Red is his brothers very favorite color. Cue next major fit. The blue shirt- same shirt, different color- is just not good enough to be worn. My son was all ready to take his sister to school wearing jeans and Spider Man shoes with a coat. Um...no! So to make the long story short, I listened to at least one little boy throw a fit from about 6:45-7:35 this morning. We got back home from the trip to school and I took some Motrin. What a way to start the day. The good news is that my daughter actually got out of bed the second time I went to get her up. Usually it take about 5 tries to get her up.
It's lunch time now. I hope it goes better than breakfast!

Anothr Swap Question

Hot Cocoa Swap question time again:

This weeks topic:
What is your most memorable vacation? Where did you go? What made it memorable?

I would have to say it was when I went to France. I was in high school and with friends- no parents. Need I say more, really? France. No Parents. France.

Have I ever mentioned that I love France?

Random

Would you believe that I ordered more stuff from The Loopy Ewe- but no yarn this time I swear. It's not even all for me- I have some secret pal shopping to do! I'm doing the Loopy Swap, HSKS4, and the Hot Cocoa swap- the only one I don't have my partner for yet is HSKS4 since the sign ups are still open. So I'm working on putting packages together, I have to make lists this time since I'm doing three at once and I'll forget what is for who.

Mushu, my cat, ate some salsa at lunch time. I doubt that it's good for her- that should be fun later! I should know better than to leave anything that could possibly be eaten anywhere that she has any chance of getting to because she is a huge pig and eats anything.

Purple crayon that has been washed and dried with the laundry does indeed come out! Following bits of all the advice posted by other victims of this tragedy online, and getting no help from my mom (even though I know that it happened to her at least once) I managed it. A nice long hot water soak, some agitation, more soaking, with about a cup each of detergent, vinegar, Shout, and Clorox 2. Do it twice just to be sure. After that remember to check all laundry for stray crayons! Crayon comes out of the dryer too. Some suggested soaking a dish towel in water and dish soap and throwing it in the dryer and letting it run. It works, but the process must be repeated several times each followed by scrubbing while the dryer is still hot. Just in case any of you ever need to know...

I started my project for my Loopy Swap partner last night. Then somehow I tangled the yarn up into the worst mess I have seen in a while. I have it untangled now, but I think I may have changed my mind about what to knit...

Swap Homework

OK, for the Hot Cocoa Swap I have a list of questions to match up with swap participants. Luckily I don't have to finish it all at once!

1. Who's favorite animal is an Otter?
Anne K.
2. Name someone who prefers whipped cream with their hot cocoa
Bianca B.
3. Find 3 people who live outside of the United States
Ana Sofia F., Bianca B., Alex
4. Name a fan of Harry Potter
Me! I know Devin is too.
5. Name someone who crochets
Angela A-H.
6. Name someone who DOES NOT have a healthy supply of notions
Marie P.
7. Name someone who has NOT put up their questionnaire yet (just put a date with your answer in case they put it up after seeing their name listed somewhere ;-) )
Martha (1-8)
8. Who likes to have Kahlua, Baileys, or Peppermint Schnapps in their cocoa?
Annemarie M.
9. Name someone who knits fingerless gloves as a 'quick knit'
Can I use me again?
10.Name someone who's looking forward to gardening this spring.
Criquette
11.Who's favorite way to drink cocoa is with a gorgeous Frenchman, while overlooking the Eiffel tower from a French Cafe? (I'm right there with you... well at the table next to yours!)
Kris, who has a fabulous idea by the way
12.Name someone who's favorite animal is NOT a dog or house cat
Angela T.
13. Name someone who's favorite treat is NOT chocolate.
Criquette
14. Who plays Candyland?
Criquette
15. Name someone who DOESN'T get the winter blahs
Criquette

Ok, I know I used the same person for more than one answer. I am having fun looking through all the blogs, but I keep forgetting the questions. So I have answered all the questions and now I can go check more blogs out!

Hot Cocoa Swap Questionnaire

I joined the Hot Cocoa Swap and was suppose to have this posted a day or two ago. I'm not usually late when it comes to these things, but I am this time. I have my homework finished now:

Cocoa:

1. What is your favorite way to drink cocoa? Prepared with milk? Water? from home made recipe or store bought?, In a tea cup, or big mug?
Just about any way is my favorite! I like to use milk and end up using store bought most of the time. I like to drink it in a big mug. My Grandma used to make my sisters and I hot cocoa with milk and real chocolate when we were at our cabin in the mountains in Colorado. It was always such a treat, we even had special mugs that were just for that. No more cabin or Grandma, but I still have the mug.

2. Marshmallows or whipped cream?
Mostly I have marshmallows, but I like both.


Yarn/Knitting/Crochet:

1. What is your favorite type of yarn? In what colors?
Nearly all yarn is good, but if I have to pick I would say either alpaca or wool. My favorite colors are black, gray, blue, purple, green. I really don't care for orange and yellow, but I have seen some pretty yarns in those colors so I guess it depends on the orange and yellow...
I have a terrible weakness for sock yarn.

2. Do you knit or crochet (or both)?
Knit, I can't crochet to save my life!

3. What are your favorite type of needles, would you like to try something new?
I don't have a very favorite, I like to use different needles for different things. Most of my needles are wood/bamboo. I don't really care for metal needles because my work tends to slip off too easily. I'm up to trying anything new- they might become my favorite!

4. Do you have a healthy supply of notions?
I think I have most of what I need. I do misplace my needle to weave in ends from time to time, and a knitter can never have too many tape measures.

5. What one thing do you keep thinking you need to buy for your knitting habit (outside of yarn)?
Yarn, yarn, yarn. Oh wait that can't be an answer! I have a couple of small fabric project bags that I love, but I always have more than two projects going at once. I really need to figure out a way to keep my dpns together. Mostly I use 4 when I knit socks, but when I need that 5th one I can never find it.
6. What is your favorite 'quick knit/crochet' pattern (quick gratification)
My favorite things to knit are bags to be felted and socks. I designed a pretty quick fingerless gloves pattern that only takes about 100 yards of DK-worsted weight yarn. I have knit dozens and really like making them, but still haven't made any for myself. Don't all knitters knit more for other people than they do themselves?


Miscellaneous

1. What is your favorite thing to do in the Winter?
Try and keep warm, I'm a cold person. Sit and watch it snow from inside the house.

2. What is your favorite animal?
Oh that's so hard. If I were picking one of my own animals it would be my white cat. Animals in general- I love sea turtles and frogs. And sheep!

3. Do you get the 'winter blahs'?
Sometimes when I don't see a sunny sky for days and days. I miss that about Colorado, it was always sunnier there than it is here. Here we just get wind- yuck!

4. What is your favorite way to beat the blahs?
Curl up with a good book, or pop in a favorite DVD and knit while I watch. I have to find a way to keep myself busy and not bored.

5. What is the thing you are most looking forward to this spring?
Watching all of my flowers wake up and turn green. I walk around my yard and check on everything every day. The bad thing about spring and early summer in Nebraska is that it's tornado weather.

6. What are your favorite treat?
Chocolate. Any kind is great, but dark is my favorite. Ice cream. A new book.

7. What is your favorite board game?
I used to love to play Clue and Trouble.

8. Do you have any children (furry or human)?
I have one husband, three children (10 year old girl and 5 year old twin boys) one outside dog, and two cats- one good and one who is naughty but she can't help it because she's Siamese. I have a very busy house, it's never quiet here.

9. Do you have any allergies or special considerations you partner should know about?
I'm allergic to most scented things like lotions, perfumes, candles, incense. Hives are no fun!

There are my answers. I can't wait to get my partner! It's so fun to put packages together for my swap pals.