Ten on Tuesday--and Winners!

This week's topic is 10 Last Minute Gifts:

1. Dishcloths--whip up a couple and put in a nice basket with some fancy dishsoap. I love the Method products.
2. Gift cards--Some people think they are tacky, or that someone didn't take the time. I personally don't. I would much rather get a gift card then a gift I'll never use...However! Try to make sure the gift card can be spent online, or make sure the place is local to them.
3. Bakery goods--If you are a baker, a plate of goodies, loaf of bread (yeast, banana, pumpkin, etc..
4. Candles--Especially really good scented ones that someone may not splurge on. Vanilla is a good one usually....personally, I love fruity and cinnamony scents.
5. Club of the month--I've never done it, but maybe a fruit, candy, etc.
6. Hat or scarf--maybe you have some finished just sitting around or if you are really a fast knitter, a one night project...not me ;)
7. Flowers--maybe something that can be planted when the weather is nice or a cactus or ?? hehe..can you see I'm running outta stuff here ;)
8. Gift basket--Load it full of favorites of the person you are gifting to. I think a lot cheaper if you do it yourself. I just did one for our knitting guild and got a lot of stuff on sale, got a cheap basket and plastic bag and voila!
9. Subscription to a magazine, online or not. Netflix...
10. Offer a home cooked meal...yes I ran outta ideas...sorry ;)

Thanks for all your comments on my blogiversary! Glad to see familiar names and some new ones too :)

Winner of an Irishgirlieknits pattern of your choice is:
Karin
ETA: she's got a few new ones out and more to come this week... just sayin' :D

Yarn or Fiber Winners are:
Marilyn
Dee
Affiknitty
Silverfox

Please email me your color preference and yarn or fiber choice so I can get your prizes to you :)

Thanks for playing everyone! Have a Merry Christmas!!

Been so busy...

I'm a wee late to celebrate my 5th blogiversary! (well only a day ;)
It's been an interesting 5 years. I've met a lot of people online, and some in real life, started knitting lace and socks which I didn't think I'd ever do (mainly the lace part ;) Now spinning..yikes, no more crafts!!

It's been a busy week and hopefully after our Knitting guild party this Saturday, I can relax a bit and get some knitting done on a test knit and a sweater you haven't seen yet. Have no idea where my sock mojo has gone...does it count that I have like 3 in progress..

Monday evening had daughter and I playing with chocolate...

Farthest away is pecan, middle is butterfinger, front is well, you can see holiday deco candies. So many possibilities to decorate those pretzel rods ;)

Now they sit in these cute bags...

No, wait, I mean these bags...

Wonder what else is inside?

Lest you think I'm a perfect baker...sometimes I fail..

Case in point...flatty whoopie pies...we won't talk about the extra crunchy batch either ;) Waaaa I wish I hadn't lost my Mom's recipe!! I have been unable to get it right...

Mini bundt cake fail...well sorta..

They don't look too bad here, but when you have a double batch of batter and only 12 able to cook at a time and yeah, you have to wash the pan after each batch..um..nope... I made a larger bundt cake and the rest is turning into these!

Thank you to my friends both online and in real life! Your laughs, encouragements, enabling to purchase things, and just sticking around and reading cheers me up to no end.

There will be prizes so just leave a comment and I'll pick 5 winners, one for each year of blogging. What are the prizes you ask?

In no particular order:

**1 pattern of your choice by Irishgirlieknits. She tells me that I inspired her to blog more. Well blog more she did and now she's a pretty awesome designer travelling all over and meeting lots of you...(yes I am a wee bit jealous, I wanna meet her IRL!)
**Yarn..hah of course! 2 winners
**Braid of spinning fiber--sorry you gotta spin this yourself ;) 2 winners

So leave a comment and check back here Monday to see if you've won. Of course if you are a fiber winner and you don't spin, I'll make sure you get yarn and visa versa.

College guy comes home Friday so I'm sure I'll be busy cooking his favorite dinners and trapsing all around town with him. I'm on call for the holidays...please let my pager be silent...

Wip's and Winners!

Well it is Wednesday, update time for the Wip's I'm gonna confess about...(shhh...don't tell the other ones I'm not giving them any glory right now ok! ;)

6 rows and bind off away from my Waterlilies Outta the Pool sock 1...


Taiyo sweater is coming along, not as fast as I want, but one can only knit with this yarn for a little while. Most likely 4-5" and then ribbing to go..we'll see. Trying to embrace the Noro striping whatever the way it wants to.

This is great purse knitting...um...no my purse isn't that big LOL! This has it's own purse, but it is perfect for mindless and knitting around others...

This one however, right now is only hometime knitting....you see that middle cabled section...yeah, that's why. You are doing something on both the knit and purl side, whew, and some of them stitches are a doozy. But I love it!

Creature Comforts Cardi (sorry only on Ravelry) by Madelinetosh It's called a cardi, but no buttons and is more like a shrug...you'll see later ;)

Yarn is Dream in Color, Cloud Jungle colorway. I've been collecting this yarn for a while. A destash here and there and the last couple of skeins on sale from Woolgirl (sadly closed). Because of this, I am knitting from 2 skeins (2 rows each skein). I didn't on my Mr. Lipstickjeans and I wished I had...I thought it would be a pain, but not so. Another reason it's not so portable.

Oh and I know you're all gonna ask about my yarn bowls. Souviners from the 2 SAFF trips.
Left is from Potterknitter and right one is from Knit Witch.

Don't let me forget the Winners!! Thank you to everyone who left a comment, and for visiting the Knitcircus site where I hope you've found something that catches your eye!

Knitcircus Subscription Winners are:

Sandra and Stariel!

The following 3 have won a copy of the Spring 2010 Pattern Collection:

Rosebelleknits
Knit/purl mama
Dianamican

Ladies, please Email Me so I can forward your email addresses to Jaala.

E-zines...

When I first heard someone mention an E-zine, I had no clue what it was. In today's high tech world I should have known, you know the E giving it away ;) There are a few out there, but the newest to me is Knitcircus Magazine. This magazine not only has knitting and food (well cookies ;) it has a Sewing project too!

Yeah, my 2 favorite things...well the sewing doesn't happen as much, you know due to the knitting taking over ;) Oh, can't forget the cookies either!

Now instead of a hard copy knitting magazine (that piles up in your house, or you misplace it...shhh...I know you all have done that!) you can view it online (save a few trees!!) read some really good articles and interviews and buy the entire collection of patterns for the current issue at a really low price. A year's subscription of all 4 issues/patterns isn't too bad either! It takes up much less space on a computer than collecting dust on your shelf. (but don't forget to save it from your computer too, however you do your backups). How easy is that! Oh and if you want some of their back print issues, check it out here!

Here are some highlights from their Spring 2010 Collection. What is really neat for me, I recognize the name of some of the designers, one of who has knit socks for me! :) This edition also has some good spinning advice, which I plan on keeping close by so I can tell my fiber/roving just what to do! ;)

Bezzie knit this and she contributes her spin on cookies in each issue.

Isn't this baby too adorable! What a cute dress!


Look a shawl, oh, I mean a stole ;) Yeah, I've been collecting these type of patterns lately.

But guess what! I'm going to have a contest. Jaala has donated 2 Pattern Collection Subscriptions for the year (that's all 4 issues!), and a few of the Spring Pattern Collections.

I'll make it easy for you! Just post a comment here before Tuesday, April 20th at 9pm. (why the 20th...well my son is 20, and he'll be home 10 days from that date....sentimental I know ;) Let me know what article/pattern you like from this current issue. The good old random number generator will let me know the winners! Check back here or include your email address in your comment in case you win. I'll forward those to Jaala, and she'll get you all set with your subscriptions.

I haven't decided what I want to knit from here yet, gosh I wished I knew someone with a wee girl! I want to knit that little dress!

Happy....

3rd Blogiversary to me!! Yes folks, it's been 3 years that I've been boring you with my presence!

I've enjoyed blogging and have met wonderful people all over the world! I'm not often as witty as I'd like to be, but hey, people still stop by and some even leave comments! For those, thank you so much as well!

This year has been a roller coaster ride, and I won't rehash the details, but hey, I'm here and doing fine and that's about all anyone could ask for right!

So, 'cause it's my 3rd one, I'm giving away 3 prizes! So yeah, leave a comment and I'll pick the winners out on the 23rd, my other "anniversary" ETA: Yes...my wedding anniversary :)

First prize is this cool calendar. I saw these prints at SAFF and I'm sure anyone else out there must have seen them at some festival around the US

Sheep Incognito Calendar hey, if you don't want to take a chance, you can get your own ;)

So soft Maine Alpaca in sportweight

hehe..had to have something from my home state in the prize basket huh!

Last, but not least...

Yarntini "last call" - sock yarn - navy with hints of pink, a one-of-a-kind colorway

Thank you all for reading and bearing with me this past year! Like I said before, you have until the 23rd to leave a comment, so have at it!