Package received!

I came home Friday night from Happy Hour and found this at my front door!



And here's what was inside!! Thanks DEB!! I loved it all! Look at all those goodies!

Swap package from NOrway and knitted bracelet

Here's a pic of the great stuff Vidgis sent in the summer swap, and one of the bracelet I knitted.

Joan in West Texas

Thank You Joyce!

I received my summer swap package from Joyce today - and what a bargain shopper she is! When I opened the box the first thing I found was this wool sweater.

Joyce suggested that I might want to felt it and make a bag out of it. It's a beautiful sweater - but wouldn't it make a beautiful felted bag!

Next was this tote bag - nice and big and room with a big zippered pocket in the front. What a great project bag this will make!

And look inside! Two skeins of Navy wool yarn, one skein of Dazzle ribbon yarn (the two of them together would make a great felted something!) Three skeins of a cream colored yarn, and two skeins of a multi-colored yarn. Then there were some vintage knitting magazines and booklets. I just love looking through old knitting patterns - so many of them are classics that just never go out of style. And there was more! Three books - two Agatha Christie's and one Anne Perry - both authors I love and books I haven't read. Not done yet! In the pocket of the tote bag there were some raspberry chocolates (no I'm not sharing them) and an invitation to come to her house and knit and nibble on a bowl of them, and some beautiful stitch markers that her DD made, and a cute little pen to go with the notepad.

Thank you Joyce - You are a super bargain hunter and a super friend!

~ Summer Yard Sale Swap ~

I received my Summer Yard Sale swap package from Sharon. Its too cool.

~ calligraphy pen set
~ calendar notepad
~ 2 spiced wax tarts
~ 2 Caron patterns (shrug and wrap)
~ 4 skeins of Caron's Simply Soft Shadow
~ Country Home & Garden tote
~ 1 Green/blue/yellow/beige sweater for recycling*
*however, Riley wants to keep it.

Thx a bunch Sharon ~ I love my package.

My Wonderful Tag Sale Goodies

I just wanted to put a photo here to show the wonderful goodies I received from Jane in the Tag sale swap.


I also received my blogiversary gift and here is the photo of it:
Again thank-you Jane for the wonderful treats you sent.

This was in my mail box

This yarn was in my mailbox today. Apparently "Catie's Tornado Scarf" was a "winner" project for Virgin of Small Plains. I am very honored and rather surprised at all the feed back I got for my interpretation of the project. There is enough yarn to make two pairs of socks for gifts (or one for myself and one for a gift!). Thank you Jane!

I was totally overwhelmed by the Summer Swap that I received from Danielle today; take a look! Lots of knitting books, a ton of yarn, tote bags, office supplies, and candy. I am thrilled with everything! I can guarantee that everything will be put to good use. The yarn will be perfect for Christmas ornaments for our Church Bazaar and I can use everything else with my crafting and Girl Scouts. She also included a wonderful little Longaberger basket. What a perfect way to start the day....thank you, Danielle!

Chris

Summer Swap Package from Patty

Wow, the package I received from Patty was excellent! There was Mary Engelbreit sticky notes, two mini-scrapbooks, a coaster set where I can put my kids' pictures, a note set (as much as I use email, I really enjoy sending notes to people), a candle, a cute little light (which you can not really see in this pic), a 2008/2009 pocket calendar, two mysteries (one knitting based, one culinary based -- two of my most favorite venues) and two skeins of Baby Alpaca Worsted in a rosy pink (the pic below makes it look more of a bright pink; the yarn is more of a dusty rose pink).

Very cool. Thanks so much, Patty.

Danielle's Summer Swap items

Here are the lovely items that I recieved from Dawn in the summer swap!

When I posted before I forgot to mention the book and bookmark and the koolaid!

Summer swap.

I now have send my gift for my pal. There will be a lot of mystery in my packet.
It is possible to se at the picture below. I am so excited to see what my pal think.

And it is no mystery the packet have been nearly round the world.

MY PARROT FLEW THE COOP ALSO

I finished my project for the The Virgin of Small Plains. I knit a red parrot.
My parrot got away also and there wasn't a tornado here. We had very heavy winds the other day but not a tornado. I went looking for my parrot. I found him in the bushes but was unable to catch him and bring him home until it got dark when I found him sitting on the fence. See photos below for the story of finding my parrot.
Here he is hiding in the bushes.

I sneaked up on him when he was in full site.
I am getting close to him but he has that look on his face. She sees me and I've got to get out of here fast or she will take me home before I am ready.
Now it is dark and I am ready to go home. If I sit here my mom will find me. Oh there is my mom and I am ready to go home.
Yes this is exactly like it is on my blog. Sorry but I liked my story and didn't want to write another but I do have other stuff on my blog so feel free to check it out at http://pennypurlsandkittyknits.blogspot.com/.

I am going to mail out my whoduknit tag sale swap Monday. I hope my partner likes what I have managed to collect for her.

I am a swap junkie and I take swapping seriously!!!!!

Summer Garage Sale Swap

I think with my $0.20 item I picked up at Walmart today - I am just about ready to mail my box! And it is pretty full - I just hope that my swap partner enjoys some of the items in it!
Didnt find knitting needles or books or anything. Did find a small Longaberger basket for $0.50 tho! That is my best find for the box! Odds and ends of yarn...some holiday themed yarn. And some dyeable yarn....wonder who is going to get this box???

Didnt get much info about my partner from her blog so that is why I am hoping she likes some of the items in the box, since I couldnt find out much about her!

BOLO for a Costco sized diaper box!

danielle

Catie's Tornado Scarf

This is my project for Virgin of Small Plains, a "tornado" shaped scarf covered with flowers for Catie. It (hopefully) represents her miracle of the tornado dropping flowers (but oddly no smashed glass!)on her. Knit wider at the top, narrowing down to a "funnel" at the bottom with silk flowers sewn on. Hope it is OK to use mixed media! (Pictures click to get larger/more detail. More at my blog.)

Virgin Project

Here is my project for The Virgin of Small Plains. I think it would have been appreciated by the virgin, Sarah, and also by Mitch and Abby. Come to think of it, Mitch's mom and dad would have probably appreciated it too, had Sarah had one available.

I have knitted Sarah and Abby a small Condom Amulet. Beautiful to see, discrete for covering a personal package, and always handy around one's neck.

Photos

Here are two photos.

The first the baby blanket for the Virgin of the Small Plains....Sirdur Baby Snowflake yarn...garter stitch all the way thru. Feels really nice, and is pretty, but is a pain to work with. Dont think I will use it again.

And the 2d is the lovely prize I recieved from Vigdis....isnt that yarn scrumptious???? I think it is Christmas ribbon candy, peppermint flavored, my favorite. At first I thought it was peppermint salt water taffy, also a favorite of mine And she even picked out my favorite colors for the stitch markers - dark green!! Thank you!

WhoDuKnit Summer Swap..Thank you KyleAnn

Thank You KyleAnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I received my package from you this week. I was saving it to open on Sunday. I wanted to start my week out on a good note, since work will be a mess this week with my assistant being off for vacation.
And, yes my week has started out great when I opened it. I did read on the blog that some one was getting some Noro Kuryeon from KyleAnn. I never thought it would be me! I never have that luck. Well guess what?! Yep I got the Noro Kuryeon. And it will join the Noro Kuryeon I have been stashing away slowly for a special project. I have a pattern from my Mom's stash that I have wanted to do for a long time. It is a shawl pattern dated back from 1952. Believe it or not, even though I live in Florida I get cold all the time. So hubby will be helping me with this.
I also got a book to make a entrelac bag, a calendar with knitting patterns, and a huge tote bag. Hubby says I can fill it with more yarn!! Thank you once again for my wonderful package. I guess I need to check out yard sales!

Kool-Aide Dyeing after the fact

I'll confess, I am not a fan of orange. Still, when it came to knitting a sock for Fawkes (the phoenix in HP) I decided to use my orange Kroy sock yarn.

Then I took a page from all you inspirational dyers...and this is what I came up with! I am much happier with the end results.

Speaking of Plains...

I didn't read this month's book, so I don't know the setting of the story, but we had a fire on our plains/prairie today. You could read/see it on my blog Artsy Math Teacher.

The Virgin of Small Plains Project

This is the red scrunchie that Rex bought for Sarah and then found on the ground when her body was discovered. It was knit from wool that was died in Cherry Red Kool-Aid from no particular pattern - just a long tube, sewed together with elastic running through it. The kool-aid represents the boiling vat of liquid that I'd like to throw the judge into!

My Maisie Dobbs Project July Reading

Here are a couple of photos of the cloche I had knit and then felted on Saturday at a friend's house. Do you think it needs a flower or somethng? In person you can see the glitz coming from the Eros I knit in with the hat. It is quite close to my head. It took a couple of days to dry as I had it on a styrofoam head. This is from the the book Knit it! Felt it!

I have finished reading the July book and would love to loan it out but I got it from the library. So I am lending it to a friend who is not in this group but lives a few streets away and now wants to read it.

Check out my new blog http://pennypurlsandkittyknits.blogspot.com/. Comments are greatly appreciated especially since it is so new (only three long chatterbox entries).

Bottle Swap and yarn :-)

Last week I recieved my "bottle"-swap from KyleAnn. Thank you so much :-) I have never seen the yarn before, and your patterns are awesome! And the Kool-Aid? Are you seeing my Happy-Dance? Or hearing my screams of joy? I simply love dyeing yarn! Thanks again!

By the way, if anyone wants to buy some dyed yarn, I have some sheins now..... And to those of you who have recieved some, please let me know what you think about it. I appreciate all opinions, I can't get better if I don't get critcs to move me on!!!

And : Has everyone recieved their sheins? I'm not sure, so please let me know! Anita, you'll have to wait! That lot you sent me needs some special treatment :-)

Wonderful Bottle from Linda

Linda in Indianapolis sent me the most wonderful bottle! I have spent most of the week with my daughter, who had surgery in a hospital about 2 hours away from us. I spent the entire time with her. DH called me one day to say that the mail carrier had gotten a little carried away with boxes. He didn't tell me one was a bottle. LOL

Imagine my joy when I got home to find this great bottle from Linda. The yarn is lovely - I'm wondering if you Kool-Aid dyed this? You included 2 packs of Kool-aid for me! :) Included were Skittles and blueberry tea (yum!), some stitch markers and a counter (I can really use these!!!), Sweet Pea body lotion from Bath & Body Works; some post-it arrows, which make great place markers!, and some herb seeds. I was just moaning to DH and DD that my herb garden desperately needs to be updated. Don't know how you knew, Linda!

Linda, this bottle is just perfect. Thank you SO much!!!!!!!

Mary Lynn's Maisie Dobb's Project

These are some of Mary Lynn's WIP's (unfinished projects) representing Maisie's unfinished business. How clever is that!

My Maisie Dobbs Project

After much debate with myself about what I would do as a project for Maisie Dobbs I finally made a choice. I had thought of doing vegetables since Maisie's dad was a costermonger but in the end I chose a felted cloche. It still has to be felted but I do have a photo of the cloche prefelted. It is knit with Plymouth Galaway in a blue I had in my stash. The blue is a bit deeper in color than the photo. The flecks are Plymouth Eros. The pattern called for the glitter Eros but I had the regular Eros in my stash from a shawl I knitted and I felt it would be just as nice. Also some of the blue in the Eros matched the blue of the Galaway.



Thank-you Janice for modeling it prefelted. It is from the book Knit It Felt It. I will upload a photo of the finished hat when I get it felted. That will depend on who I can get to felt it since I use a pay washer in my apt and only get about a 10 minute wash cycle for $1.50 with no water level adjustment so I have to do it with a full load.

Maisie Dobbs Project

My project is a very simple pair of socks, similar to the socks which the women would have knit during their spare time. Alas, the colors aren't from the period, but just as the women back then, I used what was available.

Danielle's Maisie Dobb's Project

Danielle made a red rose for the Red Cross worker. Isn't it beautiful - a perfect project to go with the words to the song mentioned in the book.

I've seen some beautiful flowers
Grow in life's garden fair
I've spent some wonderful hours
Lost in their fragrance rare
But I have found another
Wondrous beyond compare....

There's a rose that grows in no-man's land
And it's wonderful to see
Though its sprayed with tears, it will live for years
In my garden of memory

It's the one red rose the soldier knows
It's the work of the Master's hand
'Neath the War's great curse stands a Red Cross nurse
She's the rose of no-man's land

Out in the heavenly splendour
Down to the trail of woe
God in his mercy has sent her
Fearing the World below
We call her Rose of Heaven
We've longed to love her so....

There's a rose that grows in no-man's land
And it's wonderful to see
Though its sprayed with tears, it will live for years
In my garden of memory
It's the one red rose the soldier knows
It's the work of the Master's hand
'Neath the War's great curse stands a Red Cross nurse
She's the rose of no-man's land

Thank You - But Whodunit???

I received a package in the mail from Stephanie today. Way back when she received the box of stash in the purloined stash swap, she found a small package addressed to me in the box. Since she was shipping the box 'across the pond' she was worried that the box might be opened by customs, so she took it out and kept it until the box returned home, and then mailed it to me. I still don't know who put it in the box, but whoever you are - thank you so much! That was so sweet of you. Aren't the stitch markers beautiful?
Here is a closer look.

Whoduknit Bloggiversary Contest

Whoduknit Bloggiversary Contest*

1. Who made the first post on the Whoduknit Blog and on what date?
2. What were the 8 Blog titles nominated for the group?
3. Who nominated the name "Whoduknit"
4. What was the title and author of the first book read on Whoduknit?
5. Who won the "Who's Who on Whoduknit" contest?
6. Who makes all of the great buttons for our Blog?
7. Who moderates our book discussions?
8. What is a "Mystery Ball"?
9. What is Deb Brown's favorite Christmas decoration?
10. How many miles did the "Purloined Stash" travel?
11. What have many of our members been 'dyeing' with?
12. How many contributors are registered on the blog.
13. What have many Whoduknit members been doing to bring a smile to our postal workers?

E-mail your answers to grammieknits@yahoo.com by midnight on Saturday, July 14. A winner will be drawn from all of the correct answers. The prize? Why that's a mystery of course!

*You will have to go into the posts on the whoduknit blog to find the answers. If you are not registered on the whoduknit blog - send me an e-mail (grammieknits@yahoo.com) and I will send you an invitation.

Wonderful Bottle from Cathy in Ohio arrived!

What fun to discover Cathy in Ohio's bottle arrived today! It was quite hectic at work, so this made for a very bright spot in my day! I was amazed at how much Cathy was able to stuff in this bottle. You can tell she is a "seasoned" bottle swapper!

Bubbles

Calculator

Dishcloth Pattern in Waffle Stitch

Hand cream

Highlighter

Peaches 'n Cream yarn

Peach scented candle

Post It Notes

Regia yarn

Sock Shaped Point Protectors

Tootsie Rolls

I know I will enjoy using every item she so carefully placed in my bottle.

Cathy, thanks for the fun in a bottle!

and another bottle

I received another bottle today from Danielle.


filled with wonderful goodies . . .



to go with the goodies I received yesterday . . .



there is:

two skeins of Panda Wool (Crystal Palace Yarns) and a matching pattern for Circus Chevron socks by KyleAnn! And, the needles to work the socks. A dishcloth pattern book (did you take the pattern of the dishcloth sent yesterday from here?).

a set of word charms (peace, hope, dream, believe, love), book jewelry (my books never had it so good!), page markers post-it notes (look, like, love), a U.S. map/flag key ring (perfect timing)

and, another mini book, this one entitled "Nancy Drew's Guide to Life."

Thank you, Danielle, very much for the effort you put into this swap!

Maisie Dobbs Project

I made a cloche, which didn't turn into a bowl this time, for Maisie. I used a pattern from the 2007 Knitting Pattern-a-Day Calendar. It reminded me of the picture on the cover of the book - but it was so plain that I decided to add the flower that I made for last month's book, Died in the Wool. The flower was made with yarn that I dyed with Kool-aid.

Bottle Swap

First I got a card . . . .


The card is kind of hard to read. It says:
Do you think this yarn
will be too scratchy?
I was going to make you some
Sunday-go-to meetin' gloves . . .

and the inside says

. . . but pasties go so much faster,
and are much more festive.

and this is the bottle I received:

Return of the Purloined Stash

The purloined stash has finally returned! And just look at all this lovely stash! It traveled from Maine, to Georgia, to Florida, to Ohio, to Texas, to Montana, to Oregon, to Ireland, to the UK, and back to Maine. It traveled a total of 14,405 miles and took 6 months to complete it's journey. 45 skeins of yarn were swapped - and, oh the adventures it had to tell when it arrived home! If you would like to read about these adventures (and see what writing talent we have in this group) click on the Purloined Stash label below and it will take you to all of the previous posts. They will be in reverse order - so start from the bottom and work up.