The Haunted Table

Well, maybe it's not reeeally haunted, but somethin's up...


This table is one of Little Guy's favorite toys. Even if he's just in one of his moods where all he does is stand up, then sit down, then stand up, then sit down for half an hour or so, he loves to be at his table.

Last week the batteries died, so I replaced them (with brand new batteries).... now the table is playing music for no reason. I asked Caleb if he was doing it (yeah, he was on the other side of the room, but you never know....), but, of course, he's only a year old. He's not going to look at me and say "Why yes Mama, I just looked at the table and made it turn on."

So now we keep it turned off unless he's playing at it. But other than that weirdness, it's a really great toy if you need to buy a gift for a little one. My husband told someone (after he had been drinking) "That is the best toy since the invention of kids".


Colorswap Packages

I recently received some wonderful "color" themed packages. These swaps were so much fun! I had a good time looking for things of a certain color to send to my pals.


The first one is from Anne. I know she just started a blog, but I think I accidentaly deleted the info when I was clearing out my email (I hadn't been online for a while, so there was a huge mess in there!). So, Anne, if you're reading this, please give me you're info again so I can come take a look!


She sent me a package filled with reds and pinks. She sent lots of cool things, and everything smelled wonderful because of the Fooberry incense. How did she know that I had been looking at this sock yarn online? And now I have a sock bag to use when I make socks with it!


Karla sent this "neutral" package. I have been feeling rather cable-y lately, and that Primo seems to be telling me it wants to become cabled wristwarmers...

See that little angel in the front? It's made from a tampon!! Really! I had never seen one of these before... I think I'm going to have to try to make sure I get out to all the little holiday bazaars coming up. Who knows what kinds of fun stuff I'll find to send to my SPs...

This pretty pink and red package came from Lu. I had never touched the SWTC Optimum before... it's soooo soft!! I think it needs to be something that goes around my neck...

The yarn in the front was dyed by her. Check out her shop and get some for yourself.

I wish I had started participating in these swaps/ Secret Pal things sooner!! I love sending people gifts, and of course it's always a good day when you get a surprise in the mail yourself. Plus, it's giving me new ideas for things to make...it's nice to just let the yarn tell me what it wants to be!

Sock-ret Pal questionaire

The basics:
How long have you been knitting? 5 years

Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep? I've only been knitting socks a few months, so I'm not super-fast yet, but I don't think I'd have a problem just making up a pattern as I go.

The measurements:
While your pal may ask for some additional info to ensure a great fit, please provide your shoe size, or any other fitting related info you think is pertinent. I wear about a US size 81/2.

(fiber related) Favorites:
What colors do you love? Pinks, reds, greens. There's probably a lot more info about colors I like throughout the blog...

Do you prefer solids or variegated? Both! I think for socks, I would get bored with a solid color, but it's fine for anything else.

What fibers do you most love to knit with? Alpaca is good. I love single ply wools.

Who do you consider your favorite yarn vendors? I use a lot of Brown Sheep and Cascade yarns. I like Rowan too.

What projects (other than socks, of course*S*) do you most enjoy knitting? Hats, wristwarmers, scarves. The past few weeks I've been making a lot of "quick" things.

(fiber related) Dislikes:
What fibers can you not stand to knit with? To wear? Scratchy acrylic (some acrylic yarn is pretty nice, especially for baby things. But if you can tell it's scratchy just by looking at it, that's not good.)

What colors would you never wear? Most shades of yellow or tan.

The Tools:
Plastic or Metal? Bamboo or wood? For a while I used only bamboo, but in the past few months, I've started to really like metal. And I love my 5" Brittany birch DPNs!

Circs or Straights? Both!

DPNs or Magic Loop? DPNs. I've never tried Magic Loop or the two circular method. I have used a 12" circular though.

Are there any knitting accessories you don't have in your collection but would like? Fun accessories are always welcome!

The Extras:
Do you have a wish list? If so, please share the link!

Do you like sweet, sour or salty? (or all of the above? *S*) All of the above... and if I eat one of them, it will most likely make me want one of the others!

Do you have any allergies your pal should know about? (Certain foods, smoke, pet hair, etc) No allergies.

Favorite scents? Scents you can't stand? I like simple floral scents (jasmine, lilac, gardenia), tropical type scents, food scents (fruity or baked goods types) and patchouli.

Do you collect anything (other than yarn and knitting toys of course)? Vintage aprons and tablecloths.

When is your birthday? (month and day is fine!) March 8th

Do you spin? Dye your own yarn? I have a spindle, haven't had much time to really figure it out yet... I just started dying.

Your favorite author/band/vacation spot, anything you think will help your pal know you better... Back when I used to have time to read, I read a lot of Anne Rice and Stephen King. I love 80's music and female singers/ girl groups. We love to vacation in Baltimore and New Orleans, with the occasional trip to the shore.

Happy Birthday Little Guy!!!

It's hard to believe it's actually been a whole year. I still have moments when I just look at him and think "I actually made him..." (yeah, I know my husband had a part in it, but I grew him...)

I'm Back!!

Now I guess I have to try to catch up on posting thank yous to some SP's, pictures of Little Guy eating (I think he actually ate some...) his birthday cake and pictures of all the knitting I had time to get done the past few weeks.

I guess I'll start with some thank you's....

These are from the first stitchmarker swap. I'm doing another right now, so soon there will be more pictures. Looking at all these beautiful stitchmarkers makes me want to start enough new projects so they can all be used right now!

Trillian42 sent me these pretty pink and green markers.

These two sets are from Kristy and Merry.

Paula and Stacy sent these.

Then we have these two lovely sets from Purrl and PrincessRach84.


And I received two sets from Jenny because she was also my Mellow SP from Knitty! Here are some pictures of everything else she sent me.


This is my first set of rosewood DPNs. They seem pretty pointy, which is a good thing in a DPN (or any needle!). I absolutely love my short Brittany DPNs for knitting socks, but they're not pointy at all, so I only get to use them if it's a really plain sock.

I love Nerds, but I have never seen this flavor before (and yes, they are long gone!) They were Peach and Wildberry. Now I'm wondering what other flavors are out there.... Are there different flavors available in different countries (they came from Canada)? Or can you buy different kinds in different parts of the US?

I haven't written about it, but I have been buying cotton to make dishrags/washcloths, so it's always nice to get more from an SP! Especially when one's a color that I haven't seen before and another is my favorite at the moment...