Meet Sardi

My niece Jenny sent me this picture of one of the cats at Tabby's Place where she works. This is Sardi, snuggled up on a blanket that Criquette made for her.

Sardi says "Thanks, Criquette. The lovely green blankie really sets off the color of my eyes. Oooops, eye." No, she is not winking. She only has one eye. This poor kitty has had a rough time of it, but thankfully is now in a lovely cat sanctuary, cared for by wonderful people. Click here to read more of Sardi's story.

An Embarrassment of Riches...

"An embarrassment of riches..." I read that in a book somewhere, (maybe by Louisa May Alcott???) and can't think of a better title for this post.

I came home from work and, from the driveway, I saw a huge package at my back door. Well, I ordered some nutritional supplements for the dog's food last week, so that must be it, right? No, the box is too big for that. Could it be the box of cat treats & a snuggle that Criquette said she would be sending for the cats my niece Jen is caring for at Tabby's Place. No, the box is really too big for that, unless it is the mother-lode of cat treats. I take a look at the return address, and it is indeed from Criquette. I open the box, and there are a ton of cat treats and a lovely green snuggle to keep the kitties warm, and there is an envelope that says "Brits Gone Wild: Please open before going any further."

I read the note, and it turns out that this whole time I've been nervous about slipping up and accidentally revealing my identity to my Secret Pal spoilee because I've known her for a while now, I also knew my spoiler. Yes, my "upstream" secret pal was the lovely, kind and wonderful Criquette! I can't say too much about my "downstream" secret pal since the package just went in the mail today, but it's really freaky. You'll have to trust me on this for now.

Take a look at this package of goodies. All wrapped in orange and cream paper. Yes, Brittany colors!

Every gift related to the dogs or cats (even the chickens) in some way.

Beagle Bagel dog treats for Emma and Tara, freeze-dried chicken & salmon treats for Joey (and now Tigger and Striper, but that's a story for another post), and lovely cleome seeds from Criquette's garden for the chickens to enjoy (but they are to just enjoy looking at them, not digging them up!).

Emma and Tara immediately got into the spirit of present opening, and they are both thrilled with their bagels! Tara loves her treats!

Here is Emma trying to help herself, but mean old mommy said "Just one treat until after dinner."

They looked through the book "Not Just More Socks" that Auntie Criquette sent, and they agreed on mommy's next project--a dog bed! Better, yet, TWO dog beds!
There are also two (count-'em, two!) CDs of celtic music...

... which Criquette made especially for me to listen to with the dogs. Here is "Music for Brits" with Tara's picture on it......and here is "Music for Brits II" with Emma's picture on it. How cool is that?

There were two skeins of yarn - one the color of the dogs, one the color of the cats. How thoughtful! Also a Brittany pen, and the all-important chocolate!

I was sitting on the floor, opening each present and laughing, until I got to this one:

This one made me cry. It was a good kind of crying...the "I can't believe someone would do this for me" kind of crying. Criquette made a needle-felted "Mellie" dog. The note says "In memory of a brave, sweet dog." Mellie was the sweetest brittany ever, and we lost her to stomach cancer in April. Criquette was so supportive during that rough time. She offered suggestions for foods to try and tempt Mellie to eat (who would have thought she would like tuna?) and understood what I was going through the way only another "dog-mom" or "cat-mom" can. There are lots of pet owners out there, but only another "fur-mom" can understand what it is like to lose a "fur-kid". Criquette is, indeed, a fellow "fur-mom", and that is the highest praise I can give anyone.

I have truly been spoiled with "an embarrassment of riches", and not just the gifts. I consider Criquette's friendship the most valuable gift of all. Thank you, Criquette, for everything. You are a treasure!

To the Post Office!

Tonight I boxed up the final package for my Secret Pal 11 pal. It's been fun, but I've got to tell you it's been a little stressful. This is only the second time I've participated in a Secret Pal swap, and last time, I didn't know my pal beforehand. I really enjoyed getting to know her and her family, and picking out goodies to send. (Hi Heather!) This time, I knew my pal before she became my pal, and I've been so worried that I would give away my identity. I went out-of-state to mail the first package, and my dear dad offered went to a post office in another zone to mail the second. I know I'm a little overboard when it comes to worrying, but I didn't want my pal to know where the packages were coming from.

Since this is the end of SP11, and my identity will be revealed anyway, I'll show you the package. Emma and Tara helped me decorate it.

Who knew they had such a flair for decorating???

Oh, and my niece Jen read my blog when I was whining about mentioning that I didn't take a picture of the fingerless mitten things that I made for her. What did she do? She emailed a picture to me. What a sweetie! Thanks Jen!

What a way to brighten someone's day!

I got a package...I got a package! I LOVE packages!!! My mystery Secret Pal from SP11 sent be a box of goodies! I opened it up and found this:

Then unwrapped the goodies and found this:
Sorry for the lousy pictures, but the light was fading fast. My pal sent me a skein of Patons SWS - Soy Wool Stripes in a lovely shade called "Natural Green". It has shades of green, yellow, rust and peach, and I can't wait to try this yummy yarn! In the note she said to look up the yarn in Ravelry for suggested patterns. What a great idea! I LOVE Ravelry! Hmmmm, this means my pal is on Ravelry, too...a tiny clue as to her identity. Another clue - the postmark is from Missouri. Ok, a knitter in Missouri. That narrows it down a little bit. A very little bit. This is so cool to be making friends from half a country away!

Back to the goodies... To hold the yarn and keep it nice and neat while knitting, there is a super-cool project bag by Knitpickers. Also included is a box of Chocolate Hazelnut Tea (which is yummy --I put Splenda and milk in mine, and it is so soothing), Swedish fish sea creatures (also very yummy!) and a woolly sheep tape measure.

Here is a picture of the knitpickers bag ready for action. See the hole in the top to feed the yarn through? There is one on each end so you can put more than one skein of yarn in there at a time and everything stays neat and tidy. Yay!

Oh, and the sheep tape measure, it's going to work right away. This was my old method of measuring knitting:
Yes, an ugly old tape measure hanging from a lamp by my knitting chair. How embarrassing! Now I will have a cute little sheepy that looks impossibly cute when just sitting there, but is ready to jump to action when required!

Thanks Secret Pal, for everything! I love it all!!! I know what I'm having for dinner.....

Thou shalt not covet....

...thy Secret Pal's [ item deleted ].

That would be the 11th Commandment, if the world were ruled by knitters. Ooooh, if only I could take pictures of the [ item deleted ] I got in the mail today. I placed an order with [ name deleted ] from [ far away place deleted ] and it came today. I tore the package open, and among the lovely yarn, were some very special [ item deleted ]! I first saw these [ item deleted ] on [ famous knitter deleted ]'s blog. Shortly afterward, I received my Secret Pal assignment for SP11. I knew right away that these special [ item deleted ] would be perfect for [ name of Secret Pal deleted ]. I have a wonderful Secret Pal, and she is truly worthy of these special [ item deleted ]!

This is killing me! I want to share this with everyone, but don't want my pal to stumble across this blog and then find out who I am. I'll have to be content with showing my Mom & Dad the special [ item deleted ], neither of whom were very impressed. Mom tried to sound appreciative, but Dad just mumbled something along the lines of "a fool and his money are soon parted". He has no beauty in his soul, but I love him anyway!

Secret Pal 11 contest!

My Secret Pal 11 hostess is Heatherly of Yarn Yenta fame. She is holding a contest, and all we have to do to enter is answer the questions below. No problem!

Here are the questions:

1. What is the one knitting accessory you could not live without?

Hmmmm, tough one. I think it would have to be coilless safety pins. Love 'em! They have to be the ones without the coil, though, as traditional safety pins get stuck in the knitting. I use the little ones as stitch markers, counters, or just to hold a yarn needle or extra counters or whatever. I use the bigger ones as stitch holders, but first I blunt the sharp point with a metal file- makes it much easier to slip the stitches onto the safety pin.

2. If you're heading on vacation, do you take knitting with you? If so, how much and what type of project?

Vacation...what's that? I haven't been anywhere since 1997. I just can't leave the dogs. "So, take them with you!", you say. I did. In 1997, we all went to Boothbay Harbor, Maine. It is lovely there, and we had a great time, as long as we didn't leave the cabin and try and take the dogs into polite society. My dogs are spoiled, undisciplined hooligans, but I wouldn't have them any other way. (Well, maybe the tiniest bit of discipline wouldn't be such a bad thing.)

Back to knitting, though. I always take a sock-in-progress where ever I go. Appointments, errands, day trips, etc. You never know when you will be delayed somewhere, and knitting keeps me sane. I keep a "mindless" pair of socks on the needles in the car at all times!

3. Where have you travelled to that you'd consider your favorite spot?

Well, see the answer above. I've not really been anywhere, really. I've been as far west as Ohio (for a jigsaw puzzle contest! FUN!), south to Florida (the obligatory trips to Walt Disney World) and north to Maine, and somewhere in Ontario, Canada. I don't remember where, exactly, it was so long ago, but it was a cabin on a lake, and it was beautiful. The trips to Maine and Canada were my favorites.

4. What is your favorite knitting book at the moment? Do you own it?

Now that's a tough question. I think my all-time favorite knitting book would have to be "Folk Socks" by Nancy Bush. It was the first sock book I purchased, and I go back to it again and again. I'm also a big fan of the Yarn Harlot. I have all of her books (I think) except for the recent release "Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off".

5. Do you listen to podcasts? Which is your favorite(s)?

I haven't listened to any podcasts. Can anyone offer a suggestion?

Secret Pal 11 Questionnaire

I had such a great time in my first Secret Pal exchange, that I signed up for Secret Pal 11. Here are the answers to the questionnaire.


1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I like all kinds of sock yarn, and generally use US size 0, 1 or 2 needles, if that helps. Any and all fibers. I'm not picky.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I store my needles in shallow plastic boxes that were meant for fishing tackle, but I have moved the partitions around to accommodate double pointed needles. The circulars are in one of those canvas things you hang on the back of a door and each size is separate. I forget what it's called, but it's great.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I first learned when I was a kid, but only made a few dorky projects, which I thought were fabulous at the time. I picked it up again about 10 years ago, and mostly knit socks, but some baby/toddler items, too. I would consider myself at the intermediate level.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No. I haven't quite figured out how to do it.

5. What's your favorite scent?
Anything floral, rose & lily of the valley are my favorites, also fruity or spicy. Anything that smells "natural" and not too strong.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Oh my, yes. Chocolate is a favorite, and I have unsophisticated taste buds. Plain old Hershey's milk chocolate or M&Ms put a smile on my face. I like anything that does not contain marshmallow or gelatin or an animal product of any kind. "No food with a face" is my motto.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I spin, a little, but would like to do it more. I also enjoy making beaded stitch markers for my knitting, and I like fussing around in the garden. I also recently got into kayaking, and it is seriously cutting into my knitting time!

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like a variety of music: country, bluegrass, celtic harp, English folk songs, classical, anything Yo-Yo Ma does. I also enjoy audio books.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like blues and greens and reds, but I don't really have a favorite - I like knitting with a variety of colors.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am single with lots of pets. Two dogs (Emma and Tara), two rabbits, (Momma Bunny and Sunshine), and two chickens (Ducky and Blackie), and the "stray" cats: "Joseph" who seems to be a resident, and "Tigger" and "Marcelle" who are frequent visitors.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I wear scarves, hats & mittens, but have never had a poncho.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Socks, by far, but I'm branching out. I've made baby layettes, sweaters for toddlers, a couple of hats, mittens, and a scarf.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Socks, of course. I always have several socks on the needles at any given time. I'm also working on a Mitred Square Blanket (using odd bits of sock yarn - really fun), and I'm working on an Aplhabet Blanket from one of Debbie Bliss' baby books.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Of course!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I use double points and the occasional circular for socks, and circulars for everything else. I have mostly aluminum needles, with a stray bamboo here and there to make things interesting.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes, and yes.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
I have some partially finished socks that have got to be at least 2 years old, maybe more.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I'm not big on holidays. Maybe Christmas Eve is my favorite, because that is just my sister and parents. I like the changing of the seasons, and especially the ENDING of winter.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
I don't collect anything in a big way (other than yarn, yarn and more yarn!). I like candles, chickens, anything "country."

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I love books! I haven't gotten the latest Yarn Harlot book "Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off" or the "Mason-Dixon Knitting" book. I subscribe to Knitters and Spin Off. Of course, one can never have too much sock yarn!

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'd like to work up the courage to knit a lace scarf or shawl.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, and I wear size 8 1/2 shoe. I'd measure my foot, but I can't find a tape measure, like always!

23. When is your birthday?
May 12

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Yes, yes, yes, and I love it!!! My ID is BritKnitter