ABC Tag

TAG ABC's of you. Each player then tags 3 people and posts their names, then go to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

I grabbed this from Saving9's blog and filled it out for myself...

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: Tie between my husband,my mom, and my dad
C-Cake or Pie: Cake. Definitely cake.
D-Day: Saturday
E- Essential Item: ATM card. That way I can buy whatever I don't have. Or the iPhone to keep me entertained.
F- Favorite Color: Purple
G-Gummi Bears or Worms: Bears
H-Home town: Northern California
I- Indulgences: Sock yarn, particularly the stuff that's hard to get like Wollmeise and Sundara
J- January or July?: January
K-Kids: 3 dogs and a cat
L-Life is incomplete without: Family
M- Marriage Date: January 21st, 2002
N- Number of Siblings: one that I don't really acknowledge and a dog-sister that I adore
O- Oranges or Apples: Oranges (if they are mandarins)
P- Phobias or Fears: Barf, bats, and bridges
Q- Quote: "5 minutes! No talking!"
R- Reason To Smile: My life may feel tough right now, but I really do have it pretty good.
S- Season: Winter
T- Tag Three: Tag! You're it!
U- Unknown fact about me: I can't think of one right now...maybe that I am very forgetful lately?
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: Oppressor of Animals, though I am so picky about meat that I really should be a veggie
W- Worst Habit: Smoking
Y-Your favorite food: Movie theater popcorn
Z: Zodiac Sign: Aries

Favorite Color Swap - Holy Purple!

This is a cross post from the FCS3 blog...

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Okay, so can I tell y'all a story about being spoiled completely rotten? I am ruined for swaps from here on out, I'm sure of it.

So, I had the great swap pal who contacted me regularly and very obviously asked the right questions or stalked my blog or Ravelry or something. Make sure to read to the end of this post to find out who my swap pal was...you'll be jealous when you see the spoiling she did!

I came home today from a rather stressful day and was all excited because I was pretty sure my sock club kit from Woolgirl, my Loopy Groupie package from The Loopy Ewe, and my April shipment from Harmony Semi-Solids would be in the mail (yes, I do have a problem). But there was this mysterious 4th package and the HECK if I could figure out who it was from! The name and address were unfamiliar and I was baffled. Had my yarn problem grown to a point where I have ordering black-outs? Very possible, I suppose.

So I tore into the box. Within the box were all these little things wrapped in beautiful tissue paper and black ribbons. Well, many yarn stores wrap things up all fancy, so maybe this was a new supplier for my habit? I tore open the first one and was REALLY confused. It was a stunningly gorgeous yarn that I have heard of but I just knew I hadn't ordered any. Or had I?

Yes. I am a little slow on the uptake. But suddenly it dawned on me. This was my Favorite Color Swap Gift!

I quickly put the yarn back in the tissue and set up the package contents for a photo session (photo quality is not great as I used my iPhone).

Here is what my first glimpse was (we won't discuss that I already ripped into one package and then quickly rewrapped...):

Now that a picture was taken and I realized that I had not yet reached the blackout-yarn-ordering stage of my habit, I allowed myself to savor the opening of the contents.
Since you probably can't tell what everything is, I will share a complete list. There were little notes on many things, which I will include as well.

• Black Currant superwash fingering weight sock yarn from Have You Any Wool? This is lovely. Gorgeous deep plum colors, and oh so soft. I cannot wait to knit it, but I also want to admire it in the skein for a bit.
  


• Handmade (by my swap pal!) dishcloths. 1 black, 1 purple, 1 black and purple. I have never received a knit item before. I almost cried. They are fabulous and I can't decide if I should use them or frame them! I love these, and I love that my pal went to the effort to make me something special. Little note: "Handmade by me! I absolutely love these dishcloths."
  


• 2 Bath & Body Works hand lotions...Sea Island Cotton and Sensual Amber. My pal knew of my hand lotion habit and my favorite supplier, but somehow managed to find two scents that I have never tried. I love them! These go on the list of favorite scents. For the life of me I cannot remember if I told my pal about my hand lotion habit or if she stalked that info. Either way, it cracked me up! The little note on these said, "Feeding your hand lotion addiction - hope you like the scents!"
  


• Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bar. Oh yum. How I managed a picture before scarfing this down, I do not know. Oh how I love the chocolate! And my pal has magical powers. The chocolate is NOT MELTED! It is 80+ degrees today, and it is fully intact. But to be on the safe side, she thoughtfully packed it (and the lotion) in an individual ziplock. Little note: "This is my favorite chocolate!"
  


• Stitch Markers. Beautiful, tiny, PURPLE stitch markers for sock knitting. I do not own tiny stitch markers! The best part? Also made by my pal! And I really need tiny stitch markers cause I am getting ready to try some fancy sock patterns and they will be a life saver. Little note: "Handmade by me, from my Etsy store! Thought they would be good for socks." Etsy store is here, and I highly recommend that you visit and buy buy buy. I can tell that these will never be in the way and will never snag, but will distract the heck out of my because they are SO PRETTY!
  


• Big bag of Starburst Berries & Creme. Oh. My. Gawd. Yum. I love these things. And when I say big bag, I mean a BIG BAG. I have to hide this and the chocolate from DH. He tends to steal, and I do not want to share. Little note: "I know you said you liked berry flavors - I hope you like these!" Well, pal, I do not like them. I love them with every fiber of my being.
  


• Wee little teeny tiny bamboo crochet hook for picking up dropped stitches. Now I know I did not say anything anywhere about this. What are you, a mind reader??? I have the hardest time with picking up stitches and making repairs, and a lot of it is due to a lack or proper tools! I have a zillion crochet hooks and they are all too dang big and awkward to use. I seriously had no idea such a tool as this existed, and I am crazy about it. I use a small bag for my sock projects and I like to limit the amount and size of tools to conserve space. This is the most perfect thing EVER to add to my essentials. Little note: "I love this for picking up dropped stitches. It's a life saver!" I'm sure it will be.
  


• And last but not least by a long shot! 5 gorgeous postcards from her homestate. The pictures are beautiful. I think I need to move to New Mexico now. Seriously. These are going on the mirror in my knit room. I love them and they really make me want a vacation.
  

So, wow. Has anyone read this far? Can you tell how happy I am? I've had a very rough couple of months and very few things have made me smile this much in quite some time. But dang! This may be getting me out of my funk.

Thank you so much to our lovely swap hostess and my secret pal (told you I was spoiled!), Nichole D. aka SavingNine.

Personal Sock Challenge

I made a goal for myself at the beginning of the year and never really told anyone about it. However, I seem to be doing a fine job with it so far, so I can tell y'all about it.

I want to complete at least one pair of socks every month this year. The goal is very loosely stated in that there really aren't any major rules involved. The socks do not have to be for me (though that is the primary purpose) and they do not have to follow any particular specifications other than to have been completed. In other words, it doesn't matter how many pairs I have on the needles and it doesn't matter when I started them, I just have to cast-off and weave in the ends of one pair of socks each month.

On this last day of March 2008, I will state publicly that I am on track. In January I completed a pair of socks for DH, in February there were 2 pairs for me, and in March there was a pair for Mom and a pair for me.

April should be easy, as I have 2 pairs halfway done already. One pair includes a completed sock and the other pair includes one completed sock and one that is about a third done and should go fast.

Can you tell that I love to knit socks? I have a desire to make some other stuff right now, but I want to always have at least one pair of socks on the needles at all times. They are portable and the most likely item to actually be appreciated and used. Also? I currently own enough sock yarn to knit over 60 pairs of socks, and I am in several sock clubs for the year. That's a lot of sock yarn.

3 Long Months...

I haven't posted to the blog in 3 months! I am so sorry! Life got in the way. I can't promise to post often, but I am going to make an attempt. Primarily because I joined a couple of knit swaps on Ravelry and secret pals sometimes like to read and post on blogs.

The first swap I need to post about is the Favorite Color Swap 3. I am totally excited about this swap, and our first task is to fill out a questionaire, so here it is:

Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire

1. What are your top three favorite colors?

• Purple, blue, black

2. What crafts do you really enjoy?

• Knitting! I am exclusively a knitter right now. I used to cross-stitch, but lost interest.

3. What products do you really covet?

• This is a tough one. Generally if I was something badly enough, I just go get it! I guess my main things as fancy sock yarn (or any yarn, really), and most anything from Bath & Body Works. I am a major hand lotion and lip gloss fanatic.

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?

• I love to gamble, fish, and read.

5. Is there anything you collect?

• Yarn and books! I'm not really much of a collector other than that though. Well, maybe lotion and lip gloss...

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol?

• Aries

7.What are your favorite……

scents/smells?… Almost anything fresh or fruity or spicy. I don't care for anything floral, however.

types of music and/or bands?… I like most anything, but my favorites would probably be 80's music and classic rock.

authors?… Mostly the mainstream stuff, like James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, etc.

animals?… I am definitely a cat person, but I have 3 dogs and I adore them. Really, I love all critters. Oh, that is something I covet...a ferret! I would totally have one if they were legal in my state.

places to shop?… Bath & Body Works, Bed Bath & Beyond, and just about any yarn store. My favorite is The Loopy Ewe.

season?… It's a toss up. I love the colors of spring, the coolness of fall, and the coziness of winter. I really hate the heat, so aside from the swimming part, I dislike summer.

yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies?… My top two favorite yarns would be Wollmeise and Socks That Rock, but I am a fan of just about anything that resembles yarn.

candies or goodies? Ohhhhh...anything salty or sweet. I like chocolate, but I also really enjoy things like jelly beans and other fruity flavored goodies. By fruity, I guess I mean berry flavors, because I really don't like things like banana or coconut and that sort of thing.

8. Do you have any wish lists?

• I did start a wish list on The Loopy Ewe: http://www.theloopyewe.com/wishlist/show/19598/?token=85742e82a54a, but that's it. I haven't been organized enough to make an Amazon list or anything...

9. Are you allergic to anything?

• Nuts! Peanuts are fine (and I love peanut butter), but all other nuts are off limits for me. :-(

10. Do you have any pets? What are they?

• 1 cat and 3 dogs. My kitty is a generic long-hair that rules the house. She is beautiful and spoiled and generally rude to nearly everyone but me. My dogs are all Llewellyn Setters and they are gorgeous and rotten and they leave fur and toys everywhere.

11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy. Also, if you have a Ravelry ID, please include it here.

• Hmmm...this is tough! I am really pretty easy to please. I can promise to be happy with just about anything I am surprised with. Honestly, I just really love to get things in the mail. I am on Ravelry under sunnybiss77. I have an iPhone so chances are good that if you send an email with a question, I will probably get back to you pretty fast! I am open to any Q's you have, so bring em on. This is gonna be fun...