WONDERFUL PRESENT

Despite a stressful and just horrible days this past week, it ended on a high note. Yes I have three swaps to report I received BUT I got the most wonderful gift from a knitting buddy at my Tuesday knit night. She is going through some rough and extremely difficult times right now herself and yet she was able to think of me during this time. She gave me her BBQ and yesterday with the help of another Tuesday knit night buddy she brought it over, including all the accessories that go with it: cover, utensils and propane tank. Thank-you thank-you thank-you. I won't mention your name here as you know who you are and I think most at Tuesday knit night also know who you are.

Isn't it a lovely BBQ? Here it is with the cover that came with it.
Here is my BBQ with the cover off and the lid down. See it even has a side burner to cook up those mushrooms and onions on.
This is what it looks like with the lid up.
It came with utensils and
a propane tank.

I just need to clean it up and it will be ready to go.

Yes I received three new swap packages. On May 27 I received my Ravelry Coffee Chocolate and Yarn Swap 5 Package and on May 29 I received both my Ravelry Color Swap Package 3 and my Ravelry Tea and More Tea Swap Package.

Knitting Goodness

Here is my Ravelry Coffee, Chocolate and Yarn Swap 5 package when I lifted the lid of the box.
All my goodies in my Ravelry Coffee Chocolate and Yarn Swap 5 Package.

This yarn looks quite yummy. I have already been on ravelry and found two interesting patterns I can make with it.
I not only received four smaller skeins of this lovely PINK cotton yarn but....
.... one large skein of the same yarn.
This is a coffee swap so here is the coffee I received. It is from a local roaster in her town. Frances says she loves it. I will be grinding beans in a couple of days once I finish what I have ground already.
AND the candies included my favorite Hershey bars with almonds (two packages of six bars which are now gone), Hershey kisses with almonds and chocolate covered coffee beans.

Frances asked me if there was anything I really wanted and besides the Hershey bars I told her I would love a small bottle of Jean Nate After Bath Splash as I was just finishing up what I had left from last year's small bottle I got when a friend went down to the states and picked one up for me. Look at what she sent me? Not only a did I get a LARGE bottle of Jean Nate After Bath Splash but also a LARGE bottle of Jean Nate Body Lotion. AND oh how I love it. I guess this really ages me. I can't find it here where I live and I didn't even know it was made by Revlon. I am sooo happy. This will last for several years.
Frances also made me soaps. They all smell so nice. I am using the orange one on the left now. She didn't say which was which but they are Karma, Lilac Srping and Lavender. They all contain olive, palm,coconut and Castor oils and cocoa and Shea butters. Two are fragrances with essential oils and the Lilac Spring is from a fragrance oil.

Included in my package was a plastic sheep to add to my sheep collection and in the sheep was a treble. AND you can see the PINK plastic container to hold sharp items.
YUP this package made me very happy.

On May 29 the bell rang and it was the postal truck with a package for me. He handed me a box (didn't need a signature) and I casually mentioned that I was expecting two more packages. He told me it could be on another truck. I went back inside but stopped at the window to watch the postman go in his truck and come back out with another package for me. This one needed a signature. I really would have been upset if he only gave me one package and then made me go to the postal outlet to pick the other up. It seems sometimes they only leave a card in the mailbox and don't even bother to ring the bell to see if anyone is home.

The first package was my Ravelry Tea Swap package all the way from Finland. Oh my was it ever so very nice. Check out the outside of the box. Look at those stamps.

Aren't these stamps amazing. I have an Avon customer who is a friend of my friend's late dad who collects them for someone. I will give them to her so she can pass them on.
Most of these stamps have NO cancellations on them.

The box had just tons of stamps.

Once I got all the stamps off and opened the box you can see what I saw.

Some small PINK napkins.

A bar of soap, a key chain and a pin.
Two Finish chocolate bars. I am going to have one now.

Some other candies. The jellies are almost finished now.

Two different teas. The box is bagged and the red bag is loose. I have already been in the bagged tea. YUMMY.

Some stitch markers.

Yes there was even yarn. Sock Yarn!!! Despite this looking like light blues, it is really a periwinkle color which is very difficult to photograph.
AND more Sock Yarn.

AND there were these most wonderful socks knit just for MOI!!! Oh what a happy dance I did. If you look closely at the photograph above of the box of goodies you can see them peeking out.

AND here they are on my feet. They fit so well. I notice the toe is not done how I do them. I kitchner (graph) them but these are finished completely different.

AND here is the package in all it's glory.
AND now my Ravelry Color Swap package. I don't know why the postman didn't bring it to me when he brougth me my Ravelry Tea Swap Package and had to make a second trip to his truck for it.

My partner who sent me my swap package was Betty-Jean who picked up some pressies for my box while she was at the DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) Fiber Fest. Isn't that sweet how she went to the a fiber fest and thought about what she could pick up for me.

This is a very cute tape measure and pen and it has a great saying on it also.
Look at this cute mug with a sheep on it.


Of course, Betty-Jean also sent me some small Hershey Bars, a lavendar sachet, a magnet from where she lives which is on my fridge.

One of the requirements of this swap was to send a hand crafted item to your partner and Betty-Jean knit me this lovely scarf. She also included the left over yarn.
Other items I received included hightligher tape. I knew it came in yellow but NOT blue. Apparently, it does come in PINK but there was none around when it was purchased.
Look at these adorable stitch markers
I also got this small PINK knitting project bag,

these cute short knitting needles (the ends are plain solid PINK- the flash made the ends look the way they do),

small scissors with PINK handles in a black case.

The yarns I got included this most wonderful flat by Cojoined Creations. It is all PINK which will end up as PINK stripes.

Betty-Jean also sent me this bulky skein of Teddy by Novita

and two skeins of this bulky yarn which is 55% alpaca, 15% wool and 30% acrylic. It is more PINK than the photo shows it.

I was so excited when two packages came to me in one day. AND I was very pleased with both packages.

So what have I been doing knitting wise?

I have completed my Kai-Mei socks. They are knit with Dream in Color Smooshy colorway "Luna Zazzle". Once I figured out where the stitch marker went it was a piece of cake. They fit so great.

I also finished the first sock for little Sayon who will be five in August. I used some eyelash I had in my stash for the cuff and then I started knitting it using some PINK Sisu but not liking how it was coming out I ripped it out and purchased some Socka Mexiko to use in it's place. I like it much better now. I only hope it fits as I am pretty well winging it.



I have started knitting my Cookie A Sunshine Sock using some yarn I received in my Harvest Sock Swap a couple years ago. It is 100% alpaca. The pattern is very easy with no explanation or help needed but after finishing the cuffs and set up rows on both socks I started on the leg doing one complete pattern and six rows of the second repeat when I decided it was way way way toooooo wide. I didn't take a photo and just sat at the pond and went swimming. I have decided to use a size 2mm or 0 US needles instead of the size 2.5mm I was using as per the instructions. You start out with 60 stitches increasing to 80. I thought b/c there is a cable I would need to use the larger size needle but, alas, I was wrong. So this is all I have completed.

Oh if my Harvest Sock Swap partner is reading my blog I wanted to try again to finsh the second sock of the first you sent me since I am doing much better at reading charts but don't know where I put the pattern and would appreciate if you could send me another copy. I am sure it is still around but it is a matter of finding it since it isn't where I thought I had put it.

I am still working on my Ulmus shawl and the three others I have started and also my FLS. I will be starting a project for the book the Husband I read a couple months ago shortly. So many projects so little time.

For the life of me I can't figure what Solara is looking for. Can you? I lifted the cushion but there was nothing under it.

She sure has been whinning a lot lately. Her Auntie Shelagh bought her a brush and does she love being brushed. She is so funny when I brush her. She starts kneeding and she purrs.

Here is a very funny video. Oh dear, try NOT to look up. My girlfriend sent this to me a while ago and I found it on you tube so I can share it with you.