I despise good-byes. Saying “See you later!” or “Bunny hugs!” are the greetings I like to use. Today in the packages (I am always doing one-on-one swaps), my husband said that there was a box I had to come home and open. During the ride home, I wondered what the package would contain. The box was from my Secret Pal 12 Spoiler, Jenny, and she is Tuabella on Ravelry!! So here I present the pretty photos in the (sniff) final package…
Are these little guys awesome or WHAT? I absolutely love them. And no, the fur-kids are NOT allowed near them. Goodness knows what they might do in retaliation. Jenny sent more chocolate treats, and this time she sent treats for the fur-kids too! 
Just when I think she had spoiled me rotten, Jenny sent more sweet yarn that one could bite into. The Shady Haven’s Fiber Designs Hand-dyed Alpaca not only is softer than can be expected, but the hand-dyed colorway is gorgeously screaming “VA Tech” to me. The idea of using this colorway with the raspberry Fleece Artist BFL 2/8 in my stash to make Knitty’s Tempest hit me like a brick. The Spindle City sock yarn in “Out of the Blue” is a beautiful merino/nylon blend that I want to make into a pair of Drunken Bees by Domesticat. The Blackberry Ridge laceweight beckons to be made into a shawl. I am thinking Sagittaria Shawl for these skeins!
Thank you, Jenny for everything. You made this summer round of Secret Pal a fun one! And you will probably laugh but I am sooooo glad you are a Barack Obama supporter!
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Now the final set of questions for Secret Pal 12:
If you were told you could never again buy yarn, would would your last yarn purchase be?
All the yarn in the world! Honestly, I would buy several kilograms of vicuna.
If you were told you could never knit again, what would be the last thing you’d knit?
The Bias Fair Isle Pullover or the Alice Starmore Irina Pullover.
In a given year, how many times do you buy yarn?
Too much to count. I seem to purchase yarn at least twice a week.
And what is your favorite place to buy yarn from? A festival? A shop? Online?
Dish your favorite places!!
There is no set favorite place because I purchase yarn from everywhere — Ravelry/WordPress destashes; Sheep and Wool festivals in MD/NY; LYS like Island Yarn Company, WEBS, Mind’s Eye Yarns, and Fresh Purls; online shops like Sonny & Shear and The Sweet Sheep plus all the Etsy shops too!
Lastly, with Fall in full swing in many areas, what is the one thing you look forward to most?
Meeting up with my fellow knitterly friends! =:8
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I cannot help but repeat those words over and over to everyone for all the wonderful messages sent this past week. Daddy is walking, talking, and moving like his old self except that he tires more easily now. He still has no problem voicing his opinion, so at least his wits are about him. Mother thinks he will outlive us all.
While I was away, I received a number of packages again. Note the boxes at the bottom… One of them is a very special one. Especially when I recognized the sender’s address from Charlotte, NC. The talented Aimee from “Fairie Knits” was my Ravelry Helpers Birthday Fairie! Not sure if anybunny remembers, but Aimee and I share the same birthday of November 25th. Last year, we found out that info just before our special day and did our own swap of goodies. This past May, we crashed with the other Helpers at Suzanne‘s (of “Knitting Obsession“) during Maryland Sheep and Wool weekend. With excitement I opened the box, and here is what I saw.
Hmmm. Which one to start unwrapping first? I decided to start from my top right, go to the bottom, come back up to the opening of the box, go to the bottom, repeat. The entire time I cooed, squealed, awed, and giggled when I unwrapped these beauties.
Those stitchmarkers? She made them! See the crocheted headband? Aimee made that with her first handspun. The cuddly soft bunny? Aimee learned how to crochet so she could make him for me! Those bunny print sachets? She filled them with a secret lavender blend. I was ready to open the item that she said was going make me giggle at her expense.
I opened the black paper and became confused. Why would I giggle at this project basket made out of the same cute bunny fabric? The sack is adorable and the inside only needs a little tweaking. Aimee even included a little pocket. In my head, I pictured various contrasting colors to use as the lining bottom and straps. Giddy from the potential FO, I unwrapped the last item. The soft merino has subtle variations of color changes. Gorgeous! Thank you Aimee for the lovely goodies.
The other day, I received another box in the mail with no name in the return address. “Wisconsin? I do not think I bought anything from there recently.” The only folks I know from that state live in Rhode Island, and I have yet to order directly from Blackberry Ridge. I then looked closely again and shrieked. My SP!! My SP sent me a goody package. I quickly ripped into the box, and opened the card and each individual item. All I will say is that my SP just ROCKS!
Here I am in the first layer of goodies, and am loving them. I first unwrapped the tin of Sweetriot and squealed. I remember when I first read about the Sweetriot team members and how they toured all over the place to promote their chocolate-covered cacao nibs. I followed their blog and even commented a few times in the hopes of getting to meet them. Now I had a tin of the deliciousness of my own.
The next two items in this layer were delicious skeins of yarn. The softness of the Lisa Souza Sock Merino! yarn is incredibly matched with the glossy “Wild Things” colorway (my favorite one of hers). In contrast by tweedy color and rich texture, the Blackberry Ridge laceweight’s silk/wool blend begs to be made into a delicate shawl. I kept putting that skein against my cheek and neck hoping it would tell me which pattern it wanted to be. I think I have one in mind, but it will be a secret surprise.
Going deeper into the package, I started with the black organza pouch on the right. It was holding a numbered row counter for me. Total coolness!! Next, I unwrapped the blue paper’s hidden gem, and it was a bar of Vosges. I have always loved combining flavors and the unusual mixtures in these confections make my tongue dance. Lastly I opened the black paper, and giggled again. I was hoping to get more of these awesome Tetris-shaped magnets after getting some. I want to have them in my cubicle for work. Playing with the shapes as a stress relief is quite relaxing. Big thanks to my Secret Pal with lots of hugs!
Ah, and it is now Secret Pal 12 Question time. Here is Shelby‘s latest for us to answer.
Boy, time flies. Summer is when many of us head out on vacation/holiday. So, this week’s question/s has us wondering:
1) Where is your favorite place to go for vacation/holiday?
2) Where is one place you’d like to go?
Now that I have Daddy’s situation, I think anywhere I can be with my family would be a favorite place. Currently my parents plan on going to the Bahamas this October, but the holiday overlaps Rhinebeck and I already have paid reservations in place. This Christmas, I might splurge and rent a beach house like I did years ago when I was making “serious money” at my job. It all depends on what happens in the next few months. As for where I would like to go, can I say EVERYWHERE? I would love to go back to Denmark and attend their Sheep and Wool festival in September, run over the dunes of Capetown to surf the waves on a noserider, swim in the Azores, shop in Milan, walk the streets of Cologne, and hike in the Alaskan wilderness. And if I can pop into Japan for sashimi, count me in!! =:8
Too many assignments to finish, too many projects to make, too many errands to run, too many posts to write, too many yarns to play with — not enough hours in the day. So goes life for most of us, eh?
In being frank, I do need to get a better handle on my spent time. I have been trying to reorganize my bedroom (Rich gets one, I get one, and we share the master) so that I can work out and knit upstairs in peace. I have a crunch appliance/tool/gizmo that my best-friend-in-RI let me have, a medium-sized Pilates ball, yoga mat, assorted sizes of weights, and now all I need is space to use it. I may have to tackle that bedroom on Sunday during the nice lovely weather that is hitting the area. I would tidy up tomorrow, but I am going to see Carol Sulcoski at WEBS for the signing of her co-authored “Knit So Fine” book. I also need to see if I can find more of a blue cotton/wool yarn for my friend of (GASP) 21 years, Eric. We dated for a bit during and years later after college, and are smart enough to know that we are better off as pals. When I asked if he would like a knitted item, he requested a cabled v-neck pullover. I finally found the yarn and have 3 patterns to decide upon. I am hoping to finish the sweater by Christmas. He is in great shape and could get away with a women’s design. Just thinking about the whole bit gives me shivers. =:8
Shelby‘s SP12 Question #3: *What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?*
Is she giving us tough ones to answer or what? Here is my short and sweet response…
*From the Ravelry Helpers Birthday Swap Questionnaire*
What is your name? What is your quest? What is your favorite color?
Some Bunny’s Love, I mean, Kimberly.
To acquire all the yarn in the world.
Ummm… Not neon?
