Have You Ever Got a Whale in the Mail?

I know that that sounds both unlikely and rather like a possible title for a Dr. Seuss book, but that is exactly what I got in the mail on Monday! Not an Orca like Shamu or a White Sperm Whale like Moby Dick, but a way cute little purple whale swimming in a sea of flowers. He is the sweetest little bag - perfect for knitting notions - from Piddleloop. I won him in Chan's Blessings contest.

(I borrowed the photo from the Piddleloop blog. I hope they don't mind. Their Etsy shop is here...)

Chan is always a good read. Her fur girls are adorable but what I enjoy most is that her life is very real. Perhaps I just have issues, but some overachieving bloggers make me feel (clearly not intentional - like I said, my issues) inadequate. Don't get me wrong - Chan's life is busy - but it is balanced... I like that.

Stop the World - I Wanna Get Off!!!

Has it really been almost 2 weeks since my last post? Where has the time gone??? I have been knitting, and do have FOs, but first I need to take pictures...
In the meantime, Iva is having a contest! I'm still thinking about teddy bear names, but pop on over for a visit and make a suggestion. And yes, you know the drill - don't forget to tell her I sent you!

Look What I Won

Nancy celebrated her 2nd Bloggoersary on June24th with a contest. I haven't been reading her since the very beginning, but started reading her around the time that I began to blog, so close to a year and a half. Since you knitters are all pretty darned smart, I'm guessing that you've figured out by now that not only did I enter the contest, but I won a prize! And here's what I won:From the top, clockwise we have: Knit Picks Renaissance Sampler, 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Socks in the Liberty colourway, a Protect the Swag! sachet from Scouts Swag and a bar of Sweet Paradise soap from Corinne's Creations.

To give you a few more details, the sampler contains 6 balls of yarn with co-ordinating patterns for 6 small projects. How great is that?

Nancy had posted pics of the sock yarn back on the 4th of July and I had commented on it... I may not be American, but having been born on the 4th, I loved the colours and am THRILLED to have this yarn! Besides - it is my first ever Lorna's Laces yarn. (Anyone have any pattern suggestions? Must include "stars and stripes".)

I'm not sure which smells better, the sachet or the soap. The sachet contains natural moth repellents pennyroyal, lavender, cedar and rose - yum! The soap is layers of Guava Extreme, Mango Tango and Tropical Vacation and it too smells good enough to eat...

And accompanying the package was a lovely cat card. The cats are all quite lovely, but don't really compare to the princely Reggae!I like that there is a cat hiding in the cupboard... Very realistic.

Thank you so very much Nancy for a fabulous prize!

Best Wishes and a Contest

As if just to prove that life does go on without me (good thing my ego isn't too sensitive), as I was doing some catch up blog reading, I discovered that today is Nancy's 2nd Blogiversary! Go on over and wish her a happy blogiversary. Your comment will get you an entry in her contest and if you tell her I sent you, I'll get an extra one... 'kay?

WWKIP Day - The Recap

I know that this is a little bit late, but better late than never, right?

BIG FUN was had at WWKIP day in Fredericton! Eight of us took a ride on the city bus and did a little bit of knitting and chatting during the ride. Granted we seemed to scare one young man, but for us that was just part of the fun! (He tried to shrink as far as possible into his seat and turned up his music very loud... It's not easy being surrounded by scary women with pointed sticks and string apparently.) Then we sat around and knit in the gorgeous sunshine, and since there was a sale going on, I was kind enough to relieve Trish of some of her inventory. Aren't I selfless? (I haven't taken photos of it but I bought enough for 5 pairs of socks, a sweater for me and a baby sweater. Just for good measure, I also bought a new pattern book from Patons...)

But perhaps the highlight of the event was that I won the scavenger hunt!!! I won a Needful Yarns kit to make the Sally Melville Classic Blouse pictured below.

How's that for a GREAT PRIZE?

Thanks to Trish, CanKNITian and the other organizers for putting on such a great event. In addition to the knitting, they also collected donations for the Community Kitchen which is a very worthy cause. Fortunately knitters tend to be generous and realize that not everyone is a lucky as we are.

I won't bore you with all of my photos, but here's a sample.

Look What I Won!

Way back in December, when she was still Cynical Knitting Gal, (Not-so) Cynical Knitting Gal held a contest - and I won! I've had my prize for a while, and Not-so CKG knows that I received it, but I thought that I should share some photos. Look what I won: A skein of Trekking XXL sock yarn in very yummy browns that make me think of chocolate and coffee and some adorable Mary Engelbreit sticky notes.

I thought that the yarn deserved a close up to show off those colours. But here's a question: have I mentioned how much I like Mary Engelbreit before? Or was the inclusion of those sweet sticky notes just one of those things... Thanks (Not-so) CKG for a fun contest and a great prize!

These Are The Yarns I Like

This is my entry into the third contest over at SITMT, but before I post it, I need to give full credit to Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall fame, for his very obvious inspiration.

These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!
These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!

Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solid
It’s 100% merino
Nice and sproingy superwash
It makes really great socks.

These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!
These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!

Fleece Artist Nova Socks
All merino too
Handpainted in Nova Scotia
It’s a local treat.

These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!
These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!

Handmaiden Fine Yarns Sea Silk
Silk and seacell
Whatever seacell is...
Fleece Artist is her Mom!

These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!
These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!

Patons Classic Merino Wool
What’s not to like?
Made in Canada
And it felts up great.

These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!
These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!

Briggs and Little Regal
Comes from Harvey Station
Their mill is really old
One hundred and fifty-one years.

These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!
These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!

Knitpicks Merino Shadow
Perfect for a shawl
Fine like spiderweb
But it is not GROSS.

These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!
These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!

Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud
It’s so nice and soft
The colours are so lush
Knit something for yourself.

These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!
These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!

Noro Kureyon
It comes from Japan
Freaky colour combos
But somehow they just work.

These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!
These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!

Patons SWS
It comes in stripes or solids
Soy is really SHINY
Who knew that you could spin it?

These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!
These are the yarns, I like, I like
These are the yarns I like!

I can’t think of a tenth yarn…
What’s your favourite yarn???

I know that I won't get full points since I didn't list 10 yarns... This was hard to do! Oh - yes - this IS why I'm not a poet. I know my limitations.

Spring Knitting

Earlier this month, three contests were posted about for those of us playing along in SITMT. I completed Contest 1 promptly. There was a very clear deadline. That works for me. I tend to procrastinate, but give me a deadline and I will hit it! Contest 2 is the Spring KnittingPost contest, where we post about your spring knitting plans.

Do you have a new project in mind? Joining a new group? Any new goals you wish to share? (5 points)

What? You mean I'm supposed to have a plan? I didn't get the memo about a plan...
Not only do I procrastinate, but I tend to be somewhat ad hoc in my knitting, selecting projects as the mood strikes me - or not. I would like to upgrade some of my UFOs back to WIP status, particularly the green and cream cotton cardigan that I started 2 (or maybe 3) summers ago... I really don't think it was 4, but it might have been. I'll try to remember to dig it out to take some photos. It's very pretty. I might have finished it all at once, too, except that Fall came.
I have recently joined some new on-line knitting groups. Big thanks go out to Cheryl, my upstream pal in the Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap, for some excellent enabling through the provision of links to the Sock Knitters Pentathalon, Mystic Light KAL and Lacey Shawl KAL. She has my interests perfectly pegged with socks and lace... (And as point of interest, Cheryl is playing along with us in SITMT, so I'm confident that one of you will get a GREAT package!)

More Contests!

Knitting Gal is having a contest to celebrate 1000 blog hits. When she started the contest, the 1000 mark was approaching, but looking at her counter, she's recently surpassed it. This is a really easy contest. Just leave her a comment and put a link up on your blog. The prizes are a couple of great looking books, and who doesn't need more knitting books?! If you enter, let her know I sent you, okay? That way she'll be sure to know that I fulfilled the blog post part of the contest.
Did you play along with us in the Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap? If you didn't, you missed some fun and some GREAT packages! Check out what I got here... Hot off the press: signups will open for the Spring Fling Coffee Swap on March 20th, the first day of Spring. Post about it on your blog and you're entered in the shout out contest. Easy!
What else do I have to say for myself? Well, all the goods are collected for both my SITMT package and my Scavenger Hunt package. They're sitting on the credenza in my office... I just need to wrap them and post them. Guess what I'm planning on doing Monday at lunch time? My co-workers are enjoying that I've started to wrap this stuff at the office - especially the knitting ones. Although one of them thought that the funny part of my Scavenger Hunt package was a voodoo doll... What? Although that could be funny... I think that my downstream pal will "get it" and find it amusing.

All About Love - SITMT Contest

Life in general has been interferring with our lovely hostess' ability to keep up with contests for SITMT, so we've got three, count 'em, three contests all posted at the same time for those of us playing along with this swap!!! Being an orderly accounting type (stop laughing - I can hear you!), I will start with Contest 1. Okay - it's the one with the tight deadline...

Contest 1: All About LoveSimple enough post - You will post, on your blog, about a memorable Valentine's day you've had. Could be from when you were a child or now. (5 points) Extra points if you post pictures of anything in red, pink and white, for Valentine's Day. (an extra 5 points) Posts must be made by February 14th.

Since I have some trouble following rules to the letter, I think that I will tell you about my favourite part of Valentine's Day when I was a child. I have two sisters, so every year, my father used to buy Valentine's Day chocolates for all four of his girls, Mom, myself and my sisters. I don't know if it was because of his Scottish heritage, simply because he is Canadian (I understand that we have a reputation for being frugal, too), or because he was on the cutting edge of being environmentally friendly (doubtful), but Dad always recycled the heart shaped chocolate boxes. All of the boxes has originally come from Laura Secord, and each year Dad refilled them with Laura Secord chocolates. Clearly there wasn't much of a surprise or mystery to what we were going to get each year, but it was still a treat and I loved it!

Our boxes were no where near as fancy as the current one above... Isn't it pretty?

For those of you who don't know who Laura Secord was, you can read more here. Briefly, she was a Canadian herione of the War of 1812.

300

No - we're not talking Spartans. We're talking about a contest over at Days Go By in honour of Nancy's 300th post. It's a very easy contest.
Leave her a contest and there's your entry.
Post it on your blog and there's another.
Have people tell Nancy who sent them and yes - more entries.
And finally, post a knitting tip for a final entry.
Here's my tip: Figure out how the stitches in your project are supposed to look. Do whatever it takes to get them to look that way. This may be more important to me than others, but as a left handed knitter who spent YEARS following instructions to the letter with sometimes bizarre results, when I realized that I didn't have to do exactly what the pattern said it was a very enlightening moment. Yes, sometimes I am "challenged".
And don't forget to tell Nancy I sent you!

WWCS Topic of the Week

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??
I'm not the most athletic of people, so I'm not going to lie to you all and tell you how much I love to downhill ski... I tried it once. I have promised the kids that I will try it again, but it was a very humbling and humiliating experience. However, since we have lots of land (10.5 acres) and live slightly past the middle of nowhere, I do love to go for a walk in the woods with Mr. Me and the kids. It is a wonderful experience to walk through pristine snow in the absolute and utter quiet of a winter wood. All you can hear is the squeaking of the snow under your feet. Once the river is frozen, we often walk across to an old abandoned camp where we will sit in it's shelter and enjoy our thermos flasks of tea or hot chocolate. It's a great family activity, although I do need to get myself some snowshoes so that I can better keep up with the kids.

WWCS Coffee Chat

I've been busy recently, and haven't had too much of a chance to cruise through the list of participants, but I did a little bit of just that today. I wandered over to Two August Girls and met Heather. Part of me being busy is that I've just changed jobs. I'm kind of pleased that I now have a window... Heather's bosses gave her office away when she was on mat leave! Yikes!!! But when you look at the photos of her daughters, she still came out ahead in that deal. And Heather's older daughter and I have the same name. Heather is being tempted by sock knitting... I've tried to encourage her, since there are few things better than handknit socks.
I also wandered over to Purple is a Fruit, home of Vicki. I am in awe of Vicki... I'm also sorry that I missed her 500th post contest. That is quite an accomplishment! And besides, reno stories are right up my alley. I've even got some doozy before and after photos to prove it, although I'm still trying to figure out what possessed Mr. Me's relatives to do some of the previous "renos" in the first place...
And something that all three of us have in common: we're all Mom's to 2 kids.

WWCS Topic of the Week

What is the ideal setting for enjoying the perfect cup of coffee? Who would be there - or would you be alone? Inside or out? Morning or night? With food or just the steaming cup of joe?

Hmm.... The answer to this question probably depends upon the season. In the winter time, I love sitting and having a nice hot cup of coffee in the parlour on a weekend morning when we don't have to rush anywhere. It is especially nice if it is snowing outside and I'm nice and warm and cozy inside. In the spring of in the fall, it is nice to sit out on a nice warm day on the back deck in the sunshine just listening to the sounds of nature. Summer? It's probably on the front verandah watching the world go by on the river that is in front of my house, while swinging gently on the porch swing. Ideally, I'm probably alone so that I can enjoy the coffee uninterrupted, without food to corrupt it's flavour. And since I don't typically drink coffee in the evening, it is probably morning.

I used to like to drink my coffee in bed on the weekend mornings while reading a book, but having two kids, a cat and a husband very neatly put an end to that little luxury!

A Tale of Two Skeins

Once upon a time in a stash of yarn lived a skein of Knitpicks Gossamer in the Caribbean colourway. When the skein had first arrived, he thought that he wanted to knit up to be a scarf. He watched his friend in the Blue Jean colourway grow up to be a scarf and live happily ever after. And then his friend Iris Heather Alpaca Cloud became a lovely lacy scarf. His mind was made up. He was meant to be a scarf! But then something happened. His friends, the Jewels Heather Shadow twins became this. Suddenly, the skein wanted be a shawl... Or a wrap... Or a stole... He wanted to be bigger than a scarf! But at 440 yards, he wasn't big enough on his own. A funk set in. Then one day something came in the mail.It appeared to be from Babs, the knitting chicken from Chicken Run! Was it? No - it was a prize from The Knitting Coop. But what was inside? The skein felt something in each and every fibre. The anticipation was electrifying! When it was opened, this is what he saw:Now the skein wasn't too excited about either the yummy looking chocolate, nor the yummy smelling Vanilla Caramel Yankee Candle votive candle, but the yarn gave him palpitations! Could it be??? Was he about to be able to fulfill his wildest dreams and his destiny??? The two skeins compared tags and this is what they found:TWINS!!! They are now two very happy skeins, and are considering their options.

Even though the skein wasn't too excited about the chocolate or the candle, I must say that I am! The candle smells good enough that I'd eat it if I could... And this notecard is not to be missed - isn't it cute?!

SITM Twice - Contest #1 The Questions

How long have you been knitting?
I've been knitting for about 30 years.
Do you consider yourself beginner, intermediate, advanced?
Well, I'm not a beginner, but I'm not convinced that I'm advanced. I guess that makes me intermediate! Good thing that is probably a pretty big area....
How long have you been knitting socks?
Seriously knitting socks - about 4 years, but I first knit socks about 25 years ago. Out of a totally inappropriate yarn. They were STIFF. I could have used them to scrub the floors!
What are your favorite fibers to work with?
I prefer natural fibres and for socks, I prefer something that is machine washable. I've had a few felting incidents...
What is your favorite color?
I like pinks, purples, blues and greens.
What are your current WIPs (works in progress)?
Socks for Uncle Roger for Christmas, socks for SIL for Christmas, sweater for Mr. Me, Rogue for me, probably at least a dozen other things that i have forgotten... The 4 that I have named can be seen from where I am sitting at the computer. And I can't see anything under the Rogue in the basket, but I know that there is stuff under it.
Name your favorite yarns, (brand, fibers, colors, etc.).
I'm not a brand snob, but I do like wool, silk, alpaca, to name a few. My fave colours are listed above and I really like a yarn with colour variations, but I'm feeling like I overdid the whole self striping thing so I stay away from those.
What are some yarns/fibers that you stay away from.
100% acrylic and 100% nylon... Think back to those horrid handknit slippers many of us wore. They squeaked!
What is your family situation? (Married, kids, pets?)
1 husband (who would want more?), 2 sons (11 - 12 in January and 7), 1 cat and 2 gerbils. Yup - they're all male. It's just me and the guys!
Name some of your hobbies.
Other than knitting - sewing, reading, cooking... I like to play with beads, too, but I'm not accomplished enough to say that I make jewellery.
Name some of your favorite movies?
An Officer and a Gentleman
Closer
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Muriel's Wedding
Jerry Maguire
Do you like to read?
Yes. I'm reading Knitting Rules right now, having just finished Startled by His Furry Shorts.
Do you collect anything?
Yarn, beads, buttons...
Do you own an iPod or mp3 player?
Yes. My kids gave me a Sony Walkman for my birthday. Love it!
What are your favorite type of knitting needles?
Whatever is the right size and doesn't have a project on them! I find that it really depends on what I'm making and the yarn. Although I'm starting to replace all of my older Aero plastic needles with wooden ones. I just like the organic feel of them better.
What knitting notion could you not live without?
My retractable tape measures.
Who are some of your favorite designers?
I really like Cookie A., Eunny Jang and Sivia Harding.
Do you subscribe to any magazines? (Knitting or otherwise.)
Interweave Knits, More and Clin d'Oeil.
When is your birthday?
July 4th.
Do you have a "wishlist", (on Ravelry, Froogle, or Amazon)?
Not yet... I'm still getting familiar with Ravelry.
Do you have a Ravelry ID?
MissMe1964
If you had a sheep, what would you name it?
Bouffant (I'm assuming it's a girl sheep...)

WWCS Topic #2

As the cold of winter approaches, do you change the projects you work on? Do you work on gifts for others or do you continue working on projects for yourself?

Hmmm.... I'm not really sure. How's that for decisive? There are some things that I knit all year long - like socks, but rather than changing projects, I probably change yarns as we get into the colder weather. I don't do a lot of knitting with heavier yarns during the warm months. As the weather gets cooler, I think that I tend to want the warmth and the weight of nice warm "wooly" yarns. Right now I am working more on gifts than on things for myself, but that will probably switch once the holiday knitting is done. I've finished a pair of socks for my MIL, and have also been working on small things like baby socks for a variety of fundraising bazaars... They use up my leftover sock yarns. They're quick. They sell well. That's pretty close to perfect as far as I can tell!

Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap - Topic #1

When did you first start drinking coffee? What age were you? Was it about the caffeine, or do you love the taste and smell? Tell us how your passion began!

I've always liked coffee. The attraction probably started with the smell, but as a child, I used to love it if I could sneak a sip of my Mom's coffee if "the ladies" were having a coffee morning. My parents didn't often have coffee at home because my Mom had ulcers and it made her sick for a number of years. Before my love of coffee came my love of coffee shops and lunch counters... I grew up in Oakville, Ontario and I don't remember a time before Tim Horton's. In those days it was stools (that swivelled!) at a counter and counter service while you were seated, as well as the take out service. And then there was the fun of going to the lunch counter at Kresge's (pre K-Mart) in downtown Hamilton with my Grandmother...
I was probably about 14 when I started to drink coffee on a regular basis. It was partly the caffiene, but the taste and the smell have always sucked me in... However, even more important than any of those aspects of "going for a cup of coffee" was the social aspect. Even teenagers who relied solely upon babysitting money for their income could afford to go for a cup of coffee and sit and chat with their friends. I loved it! In those days, you could smoke in coffee shops. While I've never smoked (directly that it), I'm sure that I might just as well have for a few years in highschool!
When I started drinking coffee, I drank it "regular". In Canada that means one cream, one sugar. Now I drink it with milk - not cream, and definitely no sugar. And I have to be pretty darned desperate to drink decaf - what is the point?!

I LOVE a Good Contest

Since as I have already indicated, I am just a little tiny bit competitive, I love a contest! And Megan is having a great one here. Her list was fun to read, but the comments are just as much fun. Yes - I know - I am SO PATHETIC! But I was a runner up in one of Megan's contests... And I rarely win anything, so it's a good thing that most of the fun for me really is just entering!

If you're quick, you might even get an entry in for Robin's 2nd Blogiversary contest. It closes tomorrow, so you need to be quick!

Have fun and tell them I sent you, okay?!

FFBE Weekly Question #4

What was your favorite Halloween costume ever - for you? for your kids, if you have them? Why did you enjoy it so much? Do you still dress up now? Chat a bit about your traditions for dressing up on All Hallow's Eve!

I think that my favourite Hallowe'en costume was the year that I planned to go out dressed as a die. If I had been able to convince my sister that it was a good idea, we could have been a pair of dice, but she was having none of it. It was a really simple costume - a cardboard box painted white, with black dots and holes for arms and head. So easy that my 10 year old self did it all alone. The hitch with Hallowe'en that year? I got bronchitis the week of Hallowe'en. My sister, who didn't want to be a die, hadn't come up with anything better, so she used my costume since I wasn't going to be needing it. Siblings...!

When he was really small, Older Son attended a daycare that didn't celebrate Hallowe'en for religious reasons. (The owner considered it devil worship.) So he didn't really have a Hallowe'en costume until he was 3. At that point, I started to make his costumes. This is the first year that I haven't made a costume for either of them. I'm just too busy with work and such these days, and this year, I bought Younger Son's costume. But my favourite year was the year that they went out as Super Heroes. Old Son was Batman Beyond and Younger Son was Flash. Finding a pattern for Batman was really easy. And knowing how popular Justice League was at the time, I figured that Flash would be similarly easy... Wrong! I ended up finding a picture of Flash on the internet and adapting a pattern for the Flash costume. I knew that I had it right when I heard a little girl saying to her mother: "Hey, look - he's Flash! Cool!"

At almost 12, there won't be too many more years of Trick-or-Treating left for Older Son. Since we live on a deadend road outside of the village limits, we take the kids up to the village for Trick-or-Treating. We usually go as a family. It is usually only an hour or so, but it's lots of fun and that is enough candy and junk for the boys for quite a while. Our ghost is already haunting the back porch, and a 3 foot spider has spun a web in the corner of the same porch. I'm pretty sure that the Jack'o'Lanterns will start arriving soon, too!