Another Swap! Swap Q&A

Ok, here we go again! I so loved the swap I took part in last time that I have been scouring the Ravelry Swap Section ever since waiting for a similar swap to come about. And just the other day I saw that the very same moderators had decided to throw another one! Same deal, three months, three packages, one super secret swappee and one super secret swapper. This is going to be fun!

Anyways, here are the answers to the Swap Questionnaire:

Do you knit or crochet, or both? How long have you been at the craft?

I can do both but I prefer knitting, I crochet typically only for embellishments and such. I have been knitting since I was about 9 or 10, so about 10ish years.

Do you spin?

I do spin, I have a drop spindle right now and plan on getting a wheel when I a) have more moolah and b) am more permanently established somewhere.

What yarns/fibers are your favorites?

I don't think I have a favorite, I try and use a little bit of everything so that I can try as many different varieties of fiber as I can.

What yarns/fibers do you not like?

I'm not a huge fan of chenille...but that's about it.

What yarns/fibers would you like to try but haven’t?

I haven't yet gotten to try many luxury fibers (cashmere, etc) or vegetable and plant fibers, I'd like to try some of those if given the chance.

What are your favorite colors? Colors that you don’t like?

Yellow is my ultimate favorite color and while I love all the colors of the rainbow, I tend to stay away from pink.

What are your favorite types of projects to knit/crochet?

Again, don't really have a favorite, I do a little bit of everything; hats, scarves, sweaters, pullovers, cardigans, booties, slippers, socks, bags, the list goes on.

What are you currently working on?

Right this very moment? I am knitting up a Tee and writing the pattern for it. I also have Cabled by Hinke on needles and am always knitting up various beanies.

What is your favorite FO? (Please post a picture if you have one.)

Again with these favorites, I don't really have any! I am quite proud of this beanie I made for my honey though, and he wears it all the time which means he likes it :)

Are there any techniques that you want to learn?

I'm always up for learning new stitches and techniques. I've tried to learn how to double-knit and for whatever reason it hasn't clicked yet, but I'm working on it.

Do you have a yarn winder and/or swift?

I don't have either, sadly. As with the spinning wheel though, these will have to wait till I have more moolah and a permanent establishment.

How do you store your needles/hooks?

I store my straight needles in a needle case from lenabrowndesigns and my circular needles are currently well organized (sarcasm) in one large plastic ziplock bag.

Do you collect anything?

Not "officially" but I do have a rather large amount of elephant paraphernalia and my tea cabinet is always overflowing.

Do you like sweets?

Sweets are quite possibly my lifeblood. I have one tooth in my mouth and it is definitely a sweet tooth (ok, ok, so I have more, but my sweet tooth is the biggest one).

What are your favorite scents?

I burn a lot of incense and its mostly sandalwood, patchouli and similar scents.

Are you having a birthday during this swap?

That depends on when this swap "technically" starts. My birthday is in early September.

Do you have any online wish lists? (Amazon, Loopy Ewe, etc.) Please include a link for your pal.

I have a Wist you're welcome to visit but I surely need to update it some. Other than that, my favorites on my Etsy profile I suppose

What is your living situation (Are you married? Do you have kids, pets, or both?)

I currently live in a itty bitty apartment with my boyfriend, Matt, my hamster, Delilah, and a homeless cat, Punumbra.

Are you allergic to anything?

Not allergic to anything as far as I know.

Is there anything else that you would like your pal to know?

Umm...I'm a Junior at New Mexico Tech, majoring in Management? Is that important?

3rd Ravelry Swap Package!

So I got my 3rd Ravelry Swap Package yesterday and I can't even express exactly how excited I was! Everything in it was totally and completely awesome, very well though out, it certainly shows the care my spoiler, EllaLuna, went to in picking out the exact right stuff to include.

Along with gobs and gobs of Easter candy, she sent me a dyeing package! I received 6 different Jacquard dyes along with Knit Picks Bare wool, a skein of 100% alpaca, a skein of a cotton/bamboo blend, and a large amount of Tussah Silk Roving! She clearly took the time to check my Etsy Favorites and found stickchick there where she got the above skeins :) I also opened one of the Easter eggs to find reflective stickers to put on my bike which she read about here, in my blog, how cool is that?

As everything was festively wrapped in Easter colors and paraphanalia, my spoiler even put in some Easter Egg dyes! My friends Zita and Matt and I are definitely going to enjoy playing with those and the dozen eggs I just picked up at the store ;)

EllaLuna totally went above and beyond my wildest expectations for this swap. I will definitely be doing another swap just as soon as I can!

Ravelry Swap Box!

So today I got my box! It was a great way to end an otherwise crummy week, everything in the box made me smile and my day has totally turned around my entire mood!My box was filled with absolutely wonderful things, and one thing wasn't exactly in the box, but came around the same time.

I received two gorgeous balls of Plymouth's Baby Alpaca in a wonderful red color, two sachets that smell divine (and are already being put to use!), a Valentine's Cookie Mix (which I will make for my special Valentine), a wonderful bar of delicious looking chocolate, a mixed CD with music to motivate me to save money for California, a personal recipe from my swap partner for her favorite sugar cookies (oh how I love cooking and baking and new recipes to try out!), an A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E canvas bag that I have already used for groceries, and a handwritten card from my spoiler!

I know you are all jealous and probably want to come raid my place right now to steal all my amazing things, but be warned, my very vicious attack Panda will get you! (ok so he's not vicious, but he still may jump on you and try to maul you with kisses).

Oh, and by the way, I have new items coming soon to my shop, a wonderful extra long, extra wide multi colored scarf, a rasta beanie (rasta colors, slouchy enough to hold your dreds) and a Lemon-Meringue-esque beanie that I almost don't want to sell, so stay tuned!

Ravelry Swap Question 2

Here is the second biweekly question for my Ravelry Swap Group

Question #2

If you could only knit or crochet with one brand of yarn for the rest of the year, what would it be and why?

Only one brand? Oh gosh…..there are so many! Maybe just maybe Lamb’s Pride because there are SO MANY colors, its wool, I can felt it up, or just knit it into something, its kind of fuzzy but not overly so, its initially rough but gets softer with use, seems just about perfect for having to knit with only one brand forever. Granted, if you asked me that question tomorrow, my answer might be completely different. But as for today, this is my answer J

Why Did I Learn To Knit?

For part of my Ravelry Swap group there will be bi-weekly questions to let our Spoilers know more about us. This time the question is: Why did you learn to knit?

I learned to knit the basics from my momma. She had knit off and on while I was growing up and I'm not entirely sure what pushed me to first ask her, maybe she knows? Anyways, I was probably about 9 or 10 and she gave me some yellow cotton yarn and some wooden needles and that was that.

I continued learning because, for whatever reason, the technique clicked with me. And the opportunities to learn more and more about the craft, new textures, new shapes, new fibers, all of it was just so inspiring. From there I mostly taught myself, and to this day I teach myself new things and I make my own designs.

So my question to you is: Why haven't you learned to knit?

Ravelry Swap! And basically a little more about me...

Hi everyone, I have decided to do my first Ravelry Swap! This should be a fun experience and to start off the swap to give my pal some information about me I am going to answer a few questions for them that have been posted in the group.

Do you knit or crochet, or both? How long have you been at the craft?

I knit, I have tried crochet and can crochet a few simple things but not the complex things I can knit. So I mainly stick to knitting. I've been knitting for about ten years, my momma taught me when I was about 9 or 10.

Do you spin?

I have recently (within the last three months) taught myself to spin using a basic drop spindle.

What yarns/fibers are your favorites?

Oh boy, I like so many of them! I mostly just like anything that is soft and in beautiful colors.

What yarns/fibers do you not like?

I am not a big fan of chenille....but I think that's the only fiber I make sure to steer clear from.

What yarns/fibers would you like to try but haven’t?

I'd love to try to spin some fibers that aren't wool, as I've spun only wool since I first learned, but knitting-wise....I haven't knit with silk too much, that might be fun.

What are your favorite colors? Colors that you don’t like?

Colors, all of them! Except probably pink, I don't really like pink but I do have some because my customers like it...

What are your favorite types of projects to knit/crochet?

Honestly, I like all of them. I haven't come across any projects that I absolutely loathed.

What are you currently working on?

Right this moment I am working on a pair of knucks for a custom order as well as trying to finish up some Christmas presents for friends and family.

What is your favorite FO? (Please post a picture if you have one.)

I suppose I would have to say my every day bag, because I use it every day...I'll see if I can dig up a picture...

Are there any techniques that you want to learn?

Oh yes! Always, I love learning new things! I'd love to learn how to crochet even better, I'd love to learn how to dye yarns (and have the space to do so), I'm always up for learning new stitches, new textures, new anything and everything :)

Do you have a yarn winder and/or swift?

Sadly, I do not, at least not yet. When I am more permanently established somewhere I would love to finally get one!

How do you store your needles/hooks?

I store my needles, hooks, etc in this super cool organizer case from lenabrowndesignsDo you collect anything?

I have an unnatural fondness of elephants and have all kinds of elephant paraphernalia around, even a tattoo on my back. Also I collect yarn hehe, like any natural fiber addict!

Do you like sweets?

Oh yes, but who doesn't?

What are your favorite scents?

I really like anything citrus-y, as well as the basic but calming vanilla, lavender, patchouli, sandalwood, and dragon's blood.

Are you having a birthday during this swap?

I am not, my birthday has passed already, but wouldn't that be fun?

What is your living situation (Are you married? Do you have kids, pets, or both?)

I currently live with my boyfriend and our hamster, Delilah and our Samoyed, Panda.

Are you allergic to anything?

As far as I can tell, I'm only allergic to cruel people and school work.

Is there anything else that you would like your pal to know?

I suppose I could let my pal know that I am a college student and plan on getting my Associates Degree in May, 2009.