Bookmark, Again!

Today's mail brought a lovely package from Sue P. for the Crochet List Bookmark Exchange.



I just LOVE that heart bookmark she crocheted! Isn't it beautiful?! Sue also enclosed some candy hearts, a package of mint-y hot chocolate, a flowered planner book, and two pattern books. The yarn puppy on the cover of that one booklet is too cute. I can't wait to make that!

Here's a close-up of Sue's beautiful bookmark.



Thank you, Sue!

I've made a bookmark for Sue, also, but I'll post a picture later as I don't want to ruin any surprise. But be ready! I'll post soon!

BOOKMARKS!

Hmmm...is it "bookmarks" or "bookmarkERs"? I can see either word used, but which word do you use to describe an item that keeps your place in a book?

I'm a member of a Yahoo Group called Crochet List. I've been a member of it since 1996, I think, or thereabouts. Wow - that's a long time. Within the group, there are exchanges that members can join and one of my long-time favorites is the Bookmark Exchange. I've made a lot of bookmarks over the years and have received a good many, too. I always love to see what kind of bookmark will land in my mailbox each month. Even after all these years, I rarely receive a bookmark just like a previous one. Of course, there have been times that I've received bookmarks made from the same pattern, but everyone lends their own color and style even to those so that each one is still a unique bookmark. It's a really great exchange and if any of you are interested in joining reading more about it, check it out here. I have been reminded, however, that one has to be a member of Crochet List to join any of CL's exchanges, such as this Bookmark Exchange. If you enjoy crocheting and aren't already a member of CL, be sure to read more about it here. It's a great community.

January's exchange found this lovely creation from Joan P. in my mailbox, along with some extra goodies, a pink fuzzy pencil and a sheet of ladybug stickers, along with a sweet note. (Thank you again, Joan!) When I first saw the turquoise bookmark, I thought the style reminded me of a "Sampler", a piece incorporating various stitches like the traditional cross-stitch "Samplers". However, Joan has a cuter name for it and that is "Doodle". She just made it up as she went, like a doodle! Isn't that cute? It turned out very pretty and unique. I can tell you that I won't get another one like this from another exchanger...this is all Joan's creation!


Joan was the partner to whom I was assigned to send, and after reading that one of her favorite colors is yellow, I made a bookmark from one of my favorite patterns and in yellow thread. I'd love to share the pattern link with you all, but unfortunately I cannot find it online anymore. It was from the magazine "Fast and Fun Crochet", the Spring 2002 issue, but I understand from my searching on the internet that the magazine's last issue was the Fall 2002 issue. Thankfully, I had printed out a paper copy of the pattern back when it was easily available online. It really is one of my favorite bookmarks. So much so that I made another one at the end of January!



With bookmarks on the mind, here is a collage of bookmarks I've made over the years. Not all of them, of course, but some that were lucky enough to get their picture taken before I mailed them off. (Hover your cursor over the picture to read about the picture. Also click on it for a closer look.)




And here is a collage of some bookmarks sent to me through the years.



I hope you enjoyed that Bookmark Extravaganza! I did. It brought back fond memories pulling together pictures of past exchanges. And through the photo journey I realized that Joan P. and I have swapped several times over the years. Did you notice that YELLOW Butterfly bookmark up there? Yep, that was one I crocheted for her. Her color preferences haven't changed I see.

For this month's exchange I've been paired with a lady I've not exchanged with ever before! Won't that be a sweet treat! Get ready Sue P.!

Looking for Crocheted or Knitted Teacup Patterns

Do you know of any online sources for teacup patterns, whether crocheted or knitted? ANY yarn project with a teacup theme. I need some party "favors" for a group of ladies and I was thinking of teacup and saucers candy/nut dishes, but am open to dishcloth patterns, potholder patterns, or anything in a teacup theme. Perhaps you know of a pattern or website? Please leave a comment and post any link(s) of teacup themed patterns that you know of to knit or crochet, in thread or yarn.

I have searched the internet for awhile now and really am disappointed that I'm not finding an assortment of ideas. Most specifically, I've been looking for a doily that features a 3-D teacup in the center, and smaller 3-D teacups encircling the larger one. I have seen that pattern before and now can't find it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Please post a link today!

The "Jolly Postman" Stories

Have you ever read the "Jolly Postman" children's books? I discovered them through Swap-bot last year because I read about a swap where envelope books would be created to mimic the "Jolly Postman" books. I went to Amazon.com to see what these books looked like and eventually requested them from my library's Interlibrary loan system. Very cute concept is all I can say! You have to look at these books!

Basically "The Jolly Postman", by Allan and Janet Ahlberg, is a book about a postman traveling through a fairytale kingdom to deliver mail to various storybook characters (i.e. Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Bears, Humpty Dumpty, etc.) Each page features part of the postman's story with the facing page being the "mail" that the postman is delivering. The facing page is actually an envelope addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. Bear", for instance, from Goldilocks. Inside this envelope is a letter which Goldilocks has written. She apologizes for her disrupting presence in their house and invites Baby Bear to her party. The pages continue in this manner, following the travels of the jolly postman as he delivers mail to storybook characters.

Besides "The Jolly Postman", there is also "The Jolly Christmas Postman" and the "The Pocket Postman". I have not bought "The Pocket Postman" yet, but I'm sure it is just as delightful as the other two.

The swap over at Swap-bot seemed like such a wonderful idea, so I joined it back in October and following are the pictures of the envelope book I had made for my partner in New Zealand for the "Book of Letters & Envelope Goodies Swap".

This is the "cover" of my book. Lime green and orange were two colors mentioned as being favorites of my partner, so I used them.

This is the first envelope of my book, which mimics an actual piece of mail, addressed to Dallas in New Zealand with my return address. For privacy purposes, I did edit out the address in my pictures. However, the envelopes in her book were fully addressed as any letter would appear. I added a real unused stamp and though this picture doesn't show it, I also had my post office put an actual cancellation mark on the stamps, the postmark indicating our town of Metter.

In my book, each envelope had a "theme", this first one being about me and my town here in the USA. Inside the envelope, I included a handwritten note on a lacey notecard and a postcard of Guido Gardens, an inspirational garden, which though located in our small southern town, is visited by travelers worldwide.

This envelope was about "family" and I included stickers of a cat and a fish to represent the pets that my partner has in her "family" besides her real children. The back of the envelope includes three heart embellishments, one reading "boy" and one "girl" (the middle one reading "love") to represent the two children she has.

Inside this envelope, again I wrote a handwritten note about family and included some quotes on vellum paper which my partner could use in her paper and scrapbooking crafts. (Oh, and ignore that date stamp on my photo. Not only is it unsightly, but it is grotesquely misdated! Chalk it up to a new digital camera.)

This envelope represented her love of knitting, including an actual USA stamp featuring knitting. Last year's Christmas stamps featured images of traditional Norwegian sweaters and knitted Christmas stockings. You can find these stamps for sale at USPS.com. There is also a press release about the United States Postal Service staging a knit-in! You can find it here. Who would have imagined our postal service staging a "knit-in".

Inside this envelope I included an older knitting pattern book, a blank notecard for my swap partner's use featuring a girl knitting on the front, and then another knitting notecard on which I wrote a personal note.

This envelope represented the "girly-girl" side of her. I just used pinks and flowers and her lime green color again.

Inside this envelope I included some colorful heart stickers because she likes "hearts", a small note, another vellum quote about laughter this time, and a smiley face pin, which I pinned to the envelope flap.

This envelope is the last in the "book". I began this book with a note and postcard about where I live. This ending envelope is about where my swap partner Dallas lives...New Zealand. I found some pretty New Zealand stamps in my used stamp collection and affixed them to the front of the envelope. The butterflies on this final envelope represent a nearby butterfly haven in New Zealand (that piece of information compliments of an internet search about the town she lives in).

Inside, I slipped a "goodbye" note and a postcard from my postcard collection of a New Zealand bird. This postcard had an older New Zealand stamp on it and an actual letter someone once wrote to a loved one. (Again, disregard that date stamp. I did not travel through time while creating this book, I promise.)

This is a photograph of the inside back cover on which I affixed a heart-in-an-envelope embellishment and a "Made Especially for you by" sticker with my name and date on it. Hopefully, my partner will enjoy this enough to keep it for a long while and later on she can look back on it and remember my name and when I created this just for her.


This is the back of my entire book.


And finally, this is my book closed and ready for presentation. I created a tag for my book title and called my book of envelopes...."The Dallas Letters". I wrapped my book in ribbon with a tie closure so that the book would remain closed for display, strung the title tag on it, and shipped it off to Dallas in New Zealand.

She loved it, btw. :)


And I loved that swap!

After my 6 year old daughter saw the book I'd created, looking at all the goodies in the envelope, she wanted me to make her one. I haven't made THAT one yet, but I definitely want to make one just with her and her personality in mind. :)

Now if you're still reading and interested to see what I received from my partner for this same exchange, below are pictures of her book. I can't tell you how much I just adored what she created. She made this not having seen the "Postman" books and though it wasn't exactly like the books, the idea was still grasped, and I love this book she created. I could tell that she took a lot of time and made this creation JUST FOR ME! The butterflies, dragonflies, beads, yarn, purples and pinks...I could go on, but the list would be long. She really made a beautiful effort to tailor this book to represent me and I just love it. Even months later, I still take this book out and look at it, touching all the textures and loving all the colors and details. She is "caresalot" over at Swap-bot, and I think her name represents her well.

Without further ado, here is her beautiful creation.

This is the book cover, titled what else but "Karla". :)




When I opened the book, I was greeted by a green frog man) beads, buttons, yarn clippings in royal blue and pink (two of my favorite colors, dragonflies and the first two lines to a poem..."Karla runs and Karla plays. Karla's crafting all her days..."

The next pages feature butterflies and hearts everywhere! The envelopes held little tuck-ins of scrapbooking embellishments, stickers, charms and buttons. And the next two lines of the poem..."Butterflies flit and soon take flight. Karla watches into the night..." Oh yeah, I'm a night owl and can often be found up late at night!

And the last pages are full of flowers and more pink and purple hues. The embellishments are awesome on these final pages. And the poem is complete with these final lines..."Flowers bloom and flowers grow. Karla loves them all, you know!"

This book was just awesome! Not to be missed is the cute little silver ladybug bead she strung onto the binding...I love ladybugs! This whole creation was perfect. I really enjoyed receiving this swap.

Thank you again, caresalot! I really can't tell you how much I have enjoyed this book, but I hope this post helps to express my delight at your handiwork! :)

KNOCK KNOCK! (who's there?)

IT'S ME!

In my last post it was the month of May and I was asking where April went. Well, here it is November, almost December!, and 6 months have passed since I last wrote here. Even as I write that it's been 6 months, I am surprised because it seems like so much longer than only 6 months since I have posted on my blog. But then 6 months is a long time, isn't it? It's been a long hard summer and our financial crisis, the entire mess really, was really getting to me. To us. I always have known there is an end to the proverbial "tunnel", and that there is light at the end of it, and that everyday we really are getting closer to the end of the tunnel even when it seems like it will never end. However, I'm sure many who go through their own personal "tunnels" reach a point when they feel they just can't take another step forward and they just stop trying to move forward because they don't see how it's making a difference. I was reaching that point. Major depression.

To keep this brief, however, many of you who were aware of our situation, my husband speaking up against corruption in the prison, and the subsequent hardship we have endured as a result, would be happy to hear that there has been some relief to our financial situation. His Social Security Disability insurance began last month and now we will be receiving a monthly income. This is a major relief to us as you might imagine. I have had a small part-time job since May or June, but it is small and it is part-time because I am needed at home as much as I can be, for my husband and for our children. Our children are still homeschooled and contrary to what others may have felt we "should have done", (others who have not walked in our shoes and experienced "our" life, nor had to make decisions based on our circumstances, nor understood how easily a seemingly "obvious" solution in one direction would adversely affect our life in another, and therefore did not understand why we did not handle our situation in the way they felt we should have), we traveled the road we had to travel and we made it work. And having traveled that road, though I am not eager to get back on it, I know that we are stronger for it, and we have learned more about ourselves and our own character than had we not traveled that road.

We did not travel this road alone, and though some people truly don't understand what I mean when I say the Lord walked with us, and the Lord took care of us, and the Lord provided for our every need, I know there are those of you who know what I mean. While I don't necessarily want to walk again the 2 year old road we just turned off, I know that I was closer to my Maker while on that path, than before that part of the road came up in our lives. Some of you will understand what I am saying. And I know there are some who will say that I am just using my faith as a "crutch". Call it whatever one wants to call it, but I know that I get through life better with God directing my steps than when I'm trying to do it by myself, even if that means I'm hobbling along on a crutch. Oh, I'm not saying that I take every step the good Lord knows I should take. I am always trying to do it my way at some point or another. But I do notice that when I let the Lord direct my steps, my path is much easier, my burden much lighter.

There are always going to be those on the side of the road telling me to go down this road or that road, or telling me I'm doing it wrong by traveling this particular road or that one. Sometimes these non-supporters can be my own family. None of us ever please everyone all of the time, however, and we all have ideas about how someone should handle this situation or that situation in their lives. But I would hope we can all remember that unless we're walking closely next to that someone, our perceptions of what they should do in any given situation is merely an opinion and a lot of times is not even worthy to be breathed because we cannot possibly know all the nuances of any crisis a person is going through. Again, unless we're walking really close next to the person in crisis, expressing our opinions about their situation will tend to be hurtful rather than helpful.

Please let me give you an example from my personal life. When my husband no longer had a job, he no longer had medical insurance or coverage. We currently have a Workman's Compensation claim that after 2 years is STILL being fought by the State of Georgia. Our family received insurance through our state's Medicaid program, and though myself and my children did/do not have any medical issues, my husband did and still does, and he NEEDED the Medicaid coverage.

I know that several onlookers into our situation felt like I should get a full-time job, but what my onlookers don't understand is that that would have put my family in a Catch-22 of sorts. First of all, if I made any substantial income, my family would NOT qualify for the Medicaid program any longer. I would have had to have a job that had an EXCELLENT insurance program that would pay for my husband's substantial medical needs. We were also accepting food assistance from our local county's office. My having a full-time job would end that program for my family. So I would have to secure a job that had an excellent insurance program, and which alone (because my husband could not work) provided enough income that would pay all our grocery needs for a family of 5 AND extra medical costs that insurance wouldn't cover AND pay our monthly bills. To secure a job with even a possibility (not a certainty) of that sort of money would take me at least an hour's drive one way (2 hrs driving per day). Oh, did I mention the soaring gas prices pursuing an adequate income would incur? And the costs to maintain and repair our car's extra time on the road? This does not include the serious consideration we would have to give to taking our children out of a homeschool situation and putting them in our public school. Some think that's an easy decision, and maybe up next to all the other financial considerations we had, it might have been one of the easier decisions. However, another consideration my family had to consider was the fact that my husband needed someone with him during the day for a long while after this fiasco started with his job. My husband's mental and physical health declined greatly after he made public the mess with the prison corruption.

Even writing all this down, trying to relay some of the considerations my husband and I had to think upon, I feel I cannot express very well the fact that the "answer" to our financial crisis was not as simple as putting the children in school and my getting a job. After weighing all the pros and cons to that "simple" solution, it wasn't a simple solution at all, and it would serve to complicate our situation on all fronts! With much prayer and crying out to God during the past two years, I eventually felt certain and at peace that our solution was to "Be still..." No, it wasn't easy to "be still"! It goes against everything I've been taught from society, family and friends. Everyone says "do this, do that, do something"! But "everyone" does not know me or my future the way my Creator does, so I knew Who I ultimately must turn my ear towards. And though we were unsure almost daily where the money for our next bills would come from, we knew that it would arrive. God used people (family, friends and strangers!) to help us through the past two years. "Be still and know that I am God." Yes, we understood and saw some amazing things when we were "still".

Thank you to all who offered prayers and support in any form during the past two years. You made a difference.

I hope to post again a little more frequently here on my blog. I have been working on a scarflet and it is finished except for two buttons I wanted to add. I will share a picture of it soon.

I have missed my readers and I have missed reading your blogs. I'm happy to be back and look forward to catching up on all that has been going on with you all!

PAPER CRAFTING - ENVELOPE BOOKS!

Here it is, the end of Thursday, May 3rd. What ever happened to APRIL is all I want to know! Life in the Cardell household is still on "hold". We don't know what's going to happen from one day to the next, but then isn't that the way it is for everyone to some degree? I have a very PART-TIME "part-time" job at our local Real Estate office. Tomorrow I'll be filling in for the regular girl as she obviously needs to be somewhere else that day. I really don't know how much work will be available, but even a day or two a week is something.

Meanwhile, here at home, I've been doing this and that. I fell in love with a new papercraft...envelope books! Have you seen them? Well, I first heard of them over at Swap-bot. An "Envelope Book" swap had been created (YES, I joined it!) and a link on how to make them was included. It is a very easy craft. ANYONE can do it. It's merely pasting the envelope flap from one envelope to the back of the next. Then the fun part is embellishing them and decorating them! When making these to give to others, it's probably best not to over-embellish the Envelope Books, but to leave a little of the creative embellishing to the recipient so they can decorate them to their tastes and according to what they will be using the envelope book for.

Here is what I had a ball creating....



One of my partners likes the "natural" and environmental life, I believe, according to her profile at Swap-bot. Therefore, I had some pretty and environmentally-conscious stationery which I used to create this book. Then I slipped a little goody into each pocket of the book, keeping with the theme of natural things. And of course a note. I am hoping that she likes this.



And this one is for my other partner. She indicated that she liked pretty much any color, so I'm hoping she was serious...I made a blue Envelope Book for her from my scrapbook papers and then created a "mini" one, too! I haven't decided what to slip into the pages of these books, but certainly a little something will wind up in them.



But that's not all I have to show you! Here are the lovely Envelope Books that I received!

This was the first one that I received last week. I LOVED IT! How impressive! I think she used wallpaper scraps to create these envelopes. Then she printed off some quotes, some pretty words and ideas, and slipped one in each pocket. She also included a mini-book and a little note in a notecard. I was properly impressed with this first envelope book. As soon as I find the notecard that came with this, I can properly give you the name of my crafty Sender!



This second one arrived Wednesday all the way from Australia. Thank you, Anthea! What I loved about this one was the creative expression she used in re-purposing coloring book pages! That was cute. But what was even more impressive was the fact that she purposely chose pages that were all things that I liked! Yarn, green frogs, rainbows, flowers, and butterflies! Wow! I'm left asking myself "Did she find all these pages from the SAME coloring book or did she go on a hunt through several to find just the right pages?"



Isn't that just fun! Now if you want to try your hand at making Envelope Books, check out this site for a tutorial. Then this site will give you some examples of others' Envelope Books. And then of course, you can search the web for further sites of interest by simply searching for "Envelope Books".

HAVE FUN! ('Cause I know you just HAVE to try your hand at this, too, don't you?)

A MEME

There are a few things I've been working on that I'll post about later. My digital camera is recharging. I am waiting to grab a few more pictures and then I'll share them with you!

Meanwhile, here's a cute MEME (what does that stand for anyway?) I saw over a Laverna's. This should keep you here for another minute or two, antsy with curiousity.


It’s only words.
You.
Can.
Only.
Type.
One.
Word.

No.
Explanations.

1. Yourself: soft
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend, spouse, significant other: integrity
3. Your hair: beautiful
4. Your mother: unsure
5. Your father: busy
6. Your favorite item: yarn
7. Your dream last night: fleeting
8. Your favorite drink: tea
9. Your dream car: convertible
10. The room you are in: main
11. Your ex: what
12. Your fear: loneliness
13. What you want to be in 10 years? architect
14. Who you hung out with last night? family
15. What you’re not? neat-freak
16. Muffins: blueberry
17. One of Your Wish List Items: yarn
18. Time: fleeting
19. The last thing you did: envelope
20. What you are wearing: comfortable
21. Your favorite weather: breezy
22. Your favorite book: Bible
23. The last thing you ate: snack
24. Your life: blessed
25. Your mood: contemplative
26. Your best friend: Jesus
27. What are you thinking about right now? Meme
28. Your car: Marquis
29. What are you doing at the moment? thinking
30. Your summer: hot
31. Your relationship status: married
32. What is on your TV? infomercial
33. What is the weather like? sweet
34. When is the last time you laughed? today


Consider yourself tagged. Let me know if you answer this meme and I'll stop over to read your answers.

SWAP-BOT'S "TAKE ME FOR WHO I AM" SWAP

My partner in the "Take Me For Who I Am" swap over at Swap-bot will be glad to finally get a card from me. I don't know what it was about this swap. I was so excited at the idea of it when I first noticed it, but then when it came to sitting down and DOING the card, something within me just froze! I couldn't start! I'd never had this happen and I didn't understand it or know what it was. It's passed now. I did get the card done, but am certainly LATE! I hope that she likes it. I also hope she doesn't see it on my blog before she sees it in her mailbox! ha ha!

I actually had fun making this card once I started. I love beads and buttons and scrapbooking and stickers, so this was all me. I love hearts, so I sewed heart beads in the corners of the card. I love butterflies, dragonflies, ladybugs, flowers, the color purple, the color pink, balloons and kites and LOVE. The Holly Hobby stickers remind me of the Holly Hobby doll I had as a little girl. The ladybugs represent me and my 3 children (who also love ladybugs). And the airplane skywriting my name represents the many plane rides I seemed to take as a youngster traveling back and forth between my divorced parents. I think there were only 3 plane rides...scarey! Plus the little airplane button just makes me think of my son TJ! And the royal blue glitter...one of my most favorite colors!

Then on the reverse, I used vellum to make a tag with the swap's name on it, vellum to journal about the front of the card and what everything meant, and then cut out and pasted a picture of my 3 children underneath it all. I actually like this card and wish I could keep it! I thought about my mom...I bet she'd love to get something like this in the mail.

So what do you think?

HELEN

I'm sitting here on a beautiful, bright and warm Sunday afternoon reading my email quickly, while making dinner, and I came across a comment left on my blog from an old friend. I say "old" but my friend is not "old" just someone whom I haven't talked to in awhile though we've known each other for 9 years. Well, no, I guess it would be 10 now, Helen, considering we were pregnant together! And our oldests are 9!

I met Helen online. I forget exactly "where". Maybe she can remember that far back. ha ha! Helen was a newlywed of about a year and had discovered that she was pregnant. That was exciting to share with her. I had been married 8 years and my husband and I had not experienced that joy. We thought we would have to adopt if we were going to hear the pitter-patter of little feet running through our home. Well, soon after uttering the "A" word, I found out I was pregnant! This had to only be a week or two after discovering Helen was pregnant. I jokingly blamed her for me getting pregnant. I mean, I had just met her online, she got pregnant, and then all of the sudden, after 8 years of no pregnancy, I'm pregnant, too? Yeah, I blamed her! Something in the airwaves, or something. But it was great fun going through our first pregnancy together, especially when we discovered our babies were due in the same month. I believe it was her that invited me to an online "April Baby Loop", a group of women whose babies were due in April 1998. Even today, nine years later, there are a few of the original 40-something ladies still chatting and sharing news about their "babies" and their life even today.

Back in 1998 when we were both pregnant, I wanted to learn to knit. I had learned to crochet when I was a little 6 year old girl. But now I was pregnant with my own daughter, my first child, and I determined that after wanting to knit for several years, but not knowing anyone who could teach me, I'd teach myself. So I found a book on knitting and went at it. However, the awkwardness of holding a needle in EACH hand compared to only a single hook in crochet, and the feeding of the yarn from my right hand, when I was used to feeding it from the left, just simply overwhelmed me. I felt I could not get it! Looking back I know it was just the awkwardness of doing something that my mind was telling me was "like" crocheting (yarn, needles), yet coming to the realization that it was still different. I couldn't get comfortable holding an instrument in each hand, getting those hands to work TOGETHER, and then having to LET GO of one of the instruments to "yarn over"! It was the same feeling of awkwardness I felt when my daddy taught me to drive a "stick-shift", and I had to drive with TWO feet, letting up on the clutch while pressing down on the gas....yeah, I remember that feeling! I thought I'd never get over the whiplash that caused! I was so eager to knit that I probably expected results just too quickly, not realizing that it was going to take some time to get the hang of making my two hands work together. I about gave up.

But Helen, after learning of my endeavor to knit, invited me to an online knitting group. I can't remember who invited whom, but it seems she invited me. So I joined, read the posts, got excited, REALLY wanted to learn to knit. But after just not "feeling it", and ready to give up, some of the knitters suggested that because I was a crocheter first, that perhaps I could knit the way I crocheted, feeding the yarn from my left hand and not yarning over. They even already had a name for this. And other people knit like this! CONTINENTAL! Ironically, I remember trying to knit like this, feeding the yarn from my left, and I felt like I wasn't "doing it right" when I did this. I had no one IRL who could confirm that I was still ending up with the correct stitch. But after hearing the knitters online say "yes, you can knit like that. I knit like that." I was given a fresh burst of enthusiasm, and I began knitting Continental-style! Yippee! I was officially a knitter now!

Helen was first a knitter. I was first a crocheter. She always said she couldn't get the hang of crocheting, that she had tried, and that she'd never learn to crochet...blah blah blah (ha ha) Yeah, I've heard that story before, can you tell? Well, if I'm not mistaken, the years passed, and I vaguely remember reading her blog where she posted about learning to crochet! She even had a book on Crocheted Sweaters that I coveted! I was very happy for her when I read that she had learned to crochet. You go girl! We like to share our crafts, after all, right?

As time and children and life can do, friendships can ebb, and Helen and I don't get a chance to talk much anymore. I visit her blog occasionally and she mine, but 9 years and 3 children later, life is not the same for me as it was when it was just me in the excitement of being pregnant with my first child. I'm sure Helen and all the mothers out there know what I mean. Nowadays there are days I feel like I'm just holding onto a thread of what was "me", afraid that if I let go I'll never find myself again. And some days I think I should just let go of that thread and pour myself into my family and forget about "me". I'm never quite sure. So I just hang on.

Last night was one of those times when I was reading through Helen's blog. It had been awhile since I read. Maybe since before her father died, which was August last year. Reading it, I hoped I had remembered to send her a card. I had thought of it, but did I do it? I'm often thinking of cards to send and letters to write, but I fail to follow through on my thoughts so often. And then I saw pictures of her two boys and how they've grown. Wow. And after she left a comment on my blog this morning, when I'm relatively certain I had not left one on hers (I wanted to remain incognito), I feel I'd been 'found out'! Like "Hey, you were on my blog, so I'm coming over to see what you're up to!" I did go back to her blog and leave a comment and told her that I would post a recent picture of my children for her viewing pleasure. Then we can ooh and ahhh about how quickly the children have grown.

So this is for you, Helen! Here is my 9 year old and her sister and brother.

DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO WRITE

Just a quick post...

Tommy and I heard yesterday that our elderly friend D died in the nursing home. We are saddened by this news. Some of my readers will remember that Tommy helped take care of D weeks ago. They were old friends. We thought he was getting better. We'll attend the funeral in a few days.

I went on a Women's Retreat up in Cohutta Springs (Georgia) this past weekend (Friday through Sunday). It was very much needed. I feel I have been so overwhelmed with life in general, and I needed a break. My blog has suffered because I haven't been able to post everyday or as often as I used to, and when I do post it's just been as a courtesy to acknowledge some swappers and let them know I got their packages. Yes, I've been emailing them personally, but we love to see our swaps bragged about on our recipient's blog, right? So I bragged. It's about all I could find the time to do, just thanking swap partners and praising their packages on my blog.

Speaking of which, I got an interesting email from someone who I didn't even know beyond her being a hostess for one of the swaps I am in. She told me that she wasn't trying to tell me what to write but perhaps my spoiler might like to see a post every so often about me and not just stuff I get.... Yes, I can see her point, but I disagree with her. I, for one, like to hear about what people receive, with pictures, posted on their blogs. I also know most bloggers have Archives for which I can read even more of their blog, their swaps, their projects, their vacations, "them", etc. I also know that I have a questionaire specifically posted on my blog for the swap being referred to for my spoiler to learn about me.

This email made me feel like I got a slap on the hand! I felt like I was in "grade school" again being "graded" on my writing. Excuse me, but THIS IS MY BLOG! I write for others, sure, but this blog is for ME! I have been in several of these particular swaps over the past year (3 separate ones, to be exact, that lasted 3 months a piece) and I have never received such a ... a ... I don't even know what to call this email! My husband was every bit as surprised as I was to read the email. Whereas my mouth dropped open in response to reading it, he laughed! He laughed with the suggestion that maybe I didn't need the hassle of this swap. What a not-so-nice thing to read after coming home from a Women's Retreat, a retreat that helped rejuvenate me, put things in perspective, and gave me a better sense overall.

After some thinking about it, and realizing I had to email the hostess to get my partner's address which she should have sent to me weeks ago in the initial email she sent, I decided this round of the swapping did not have the right "feel" as the previous 3 rounds, and having learned to trust my intuition, (remind me to tell you how my intuition kicked in this weekend while in Atlanta...) I pulled out of this swap. I've never pulled out of a swap before. However, I haven't sent anything beyond e-cards yet for this swap, nor received anything beyond an e-card, so it was a clean break. And I feel better about having ended it. I'll miss the swap, but there was just something about it that was so different this round than the previous 3 rounds over the last year. It wasn't up to par in many ways.

Anyway, end of story. I promise I won't tell you what to post on your blog if you don't tell me what to post on mine. Deal?

Ironically, I still feel too "chastised" to post about a dishcloth and stitch marker package I received from Toni while I was away this weekend. Can you believe that I still feel that way??? I just opened Toni's package Tuesday night. I'll post a pic later... Thank you, Toni!

COLORSWAP PACKAGES!

MARCH Colorswap

It appears that I'm so behind I haven't even noted my Colorswap packages from February and March. Worse yet, I obviously never even ACKNOWLEDGED my March Color Swap package from Briana!

Briana, my heartfelt apologies once again! Though it's been crazy here, and I'm behind on everything so much so that I haven't kept up my blog or posting, there's no excuse for me not dropping an email to at least say "Thank you!" and "It arrived!" I'm really sorry for my neglect in doing that.

{UPDATE: I have been redeemed! I actually DID send a long "thank you" email to Briana on March 10th! Considering it went to a Yahoo email account, and I've been hearing that account holders have had difficulties getting all their emails, I suppose my email to Briana was delivered to SPAM, or just got lost in the great void of internet space. I feel so much better, and relieved, knowing that I HAD written a 'thank you' after all.}

It DID arrive a few weeks ago and I loved everything!

Look how very creative she was to send seeds for a "green" thumb, and "green" tea, and of course the obviously "green" items like ribbon, a very cool sequin purse applique, the awesome Knitpicks Green Wool, a green crochet hook and the little fabric pin holder holding 3 pins with GREEN heads! I did notice the cute touch of the green shamrocks stickers affixed to the outside of the package, too. Briana definitely put a lot of thought into this package and had clever ideas, thinking "outside of the box".

If it's ok to have a favorite, I think the little ball of Royal Bamboo yarn is my favorite item. I have wanted to try some bamboo yarn and the ocean colors of this ball of yarn are so soothing to look at and the yarn is so soft to the touch. MMmmmm...beautiful yarn. So beautiful that I don't want to use it because then it will be gone! I know there are other yarnsters out there that do this, too, so don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!

This was a great March Colorswap package. Thank you, Briana!

FEBRUARY Colorswap

February's Colorswap WAS acknowledged but I never shared a picture with my readers. And since I know that we all love pictures, I give you this.

Chris sent a lovely "chocolate"-themed package. Although it was "chocolate"-themed due to Valentine's Day being in February and the thought for the color came from Valentine's candy that is handed out during the holiday, any shade of brown was perfectly suitable. Christ sent a big ball of wool, a huge skein of mohair, and a so-soft ball of suede, enough yarn to actually make something with, she said. And though the theme was browns, she said that she couldn't help to throw in a pink ball of yarn for the reds and pinks of Valentine's Day and also because this was my favorite color - fuschia! It is a very interesting ball of yarn and I love it! And of course she couldn't forget to send REAL chocolate and she sent some heavenly Lindt chocolate truffles in both milk chocolate and dark chocolate! Of course, it's all gone now. She also sent some tea, some Burt's Bees hand salve, and a cute little magnet. And oh, let's not forget the adorable handmade card! I love handmade cards and this was no exception.

Thank you again, Chris, for the wonderful Colorswap package you sent to me in February!

JANUARY Colorswap

And since we're on the subject of Colorswaps, I'll go ahead and show again what was sent to me for the January Colorswap (Metalics!) from my partner Natalie.

TWO WONDERFUL PICK-ME-UPS TODAY!

Today's mail brought two swaps which really brightened my day. The ladies were really generous in their swap packages.

This first swap was for the "Little handmade bag o'stuff". Basically use any craft you want to make a "little bag, pouch, tote, purse, or whatever you want to call it, and then put something in it just for fun". My partner, Renee, made a very adorable bag from a pattern she found at craftsters.com. I loved it! The colors are so warm and cozy. I will enjoy using this bag. The "clasp" is a brooch! Isn't it pretty?





Then, if you can believe it, ALL THIS was INSIDE the bag! Wow!





There was a ball of fuschia colored yarn - no label, but it feels like it might be a wool? I bet it'll felt!; chocolate covered blueberries - yummy! and almost gone!; an oval bar of lavender soap which has "inner self" inscribed on the surface of the soap - love lavender and soap!; a spool of "close to my heart" brand ribbon for the holiday crafting; a little "Heart in Hand needleart" pouch bearing a small pillow craft with a cross-stitch pattern and enough thread to complete it; a package of DMC Stitch Bow Floss Holders; scrapbooking supplies - stickers, die cuts, journaling boxes and photo mats; and then a journal on which she spelled out my name with letter stickers! How cool! At first, I thought she had found a journal with my actual name on it and I wondered WHERE! I can NEVER find any personalized gift with my name on it. If I do, it's always spelled with a "C" instead of a "K". But no, she just made it look like my name had been there all the time. Great job! I'm going to love using this.

Thank you, Ranee! I loved everything! Even the cute American Greetings card/note you printed out! Beautiful, bright and happy colors! And Happy Belated Birthday to you, too - a 40th birthday the day after my birthday! Wow! Oh, wait, sorry...you didn't WANT me to advertise your AGE on my blog? Oops!


From the "Swap Detective" swap, Michelle did an excellent job learning about me and sending perfectly "me" items!






Look at all the yummy yarn in the perfect colors, muted jewel tones, rosey and purples, and pink! The Fun Fur is the perfect shade of pink so that I can make a scarf for my Red Hat Society gatherings since I have to wear pink and lavender (a "lady-in-waiting", you know). All three balls of yarn are perfectly "me"! Then she sent a cute Ladybug plush - my son TJ kept this for a long time today after I opened the package. I was worried I would forget about retrieving it for "picture and blogging time". I remembered it, though! She also sent some great knitting notecards (I can never have enough of these cards - I'm always running out!); some adorable Clover Needle Holders in the shape of little sweaters (I bought a set of these for myself a couple of years ago and loved them. Wasn't able to get more, so I am SO HAPPY to have been given these!); some beautiful green butterfly stitch markers in a little drawstring pouch (love stitch markers and I adore butterflies!); and a baggy of extra butterfly and misc. beads! Wow! Oh, I did forget the three packages of chocolate eggs she sent! I had them in my fridge stiffening back up...they had gotten cracked and melted a bit in their bags (it's actually gotten hot here with temps in the high 80's this week! Yay!) I told my 5 year old daughter to just go stick them in the fridge and the chocolate would not be so messy for her...she's my little "Miss Priss".

Thank you so much, Michelle! You did a beautiful job of sleuthing! You had me pegged! Even down to putting REAL stamps on the packaging and not that boring metered sticker the post offices like to use. 'Cause I love stamps!

MORE SWAP-BOT SWAPS

Here are some other swaps at Swap-bot that I've received over the past month.

LOVE POSTCARD

This was the second postcard that I received for this swap. I really loved this postcard along with the first one I received. I never received the third one for the swap, but I don't miss it too much because I received two wonderful postcards.

PAPER SNOWFLAKES

These were the paper snowflakes which I made for my partner.

However, I have not sent them to my partner because she has 2 "No Send"s out of 3 swaps done. I thought there was a chance she might not send to her partner, so I decided to hold mine to send to her partner if her partner never receives from her. I have felt sick about sending my packages to reneging swappers (though I guess you can't really call them 'swappers' if they never send a swap!) so I have decided to be a little more alert to those I'm assigned from this point forward. I'd much rather take a 1 rating from a bad swapper, which I haven't had to deal with, than to send a great package to a bad swapper who doesn't send to her partner, which I have dealt with.

I had fun making these, and my girls made some, too, though not pictured here. I even took the foil wrapping from Hershey's Kisses and made a few snowflakes with them! That was interesting to say the least. Very fragile snowflakes. But also very pretty.

I received some paper snowflakes for the swap, but I'm not going to say anything about it except that the person's child made the snowflakes instead of the adult swapper... I was disappointed that the swapper didn't send some that SHE herself made, too.


MINI WISHLIST

I loved what my partner sent to me for the Mini WishList swap. I loved everything...stationery, origami paper, yarn, beads, buttons, and used postage stamps! A great swap!

BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE - ALMOST

Another great swap, the "Butterflies are Free - Almost" swap. One of my partners sent to me the required "handmade" item in the way of a stamped tag with lovely fibers as the tassel. She also sent vellum butterflies and leaves, butterfly stickers and butterfly charms. A WONDERFUL swap!



The coordinator let me know that the other person assigned to send me something has left Swap-bot and deleted her profile. This is someone to whom I've sent who never acknowledged receiving or thanking me for it. Ugh. Thankfully, someone else will be sending in her place. Hopefully the person who was assigned to send to her is just sending to me, her partner, instead. This is great that this swap worked out this way 'cause not all of them do, where you receive even though your partner reneged. So I am grateful.

SWAP-BOT SWAPS

The power just went off here and deleted everything I had typed in my newest post...you see why I haven't been posting much lately...there's always something to deter me! But I am back to try again 'cause I know you all have missed lil ole me.

As I was saying before my post was zapped, I received a package for the "Dollar Store Swap" over at Swap-bot today, and I was really pleased by it. Marcia in Pennsylvania seemed to really know me as everything she picked out was something I would have picked out, and in two instances, actually were!





Marcia wrapped everything and made it so fun. Even my 5 year old daughter had to join in on the unwrapping. The first thing I unwrapped made me laugh out loud. I couldn't believe what Marcia had sent to me. It was a pretty fuschia drawstring bag which held a stationery set (paper, journal, pen and magnet). I laughed because this was the EXACT colored bag I had seen in our dollar store and which I would have picked out if I had bought one for myself. As it turned out at that time, my daughter wanted her own, a purple one, and I bought a gold bagged set for a friend's package. So I decided to come back at another time and try to get one for myself in the fuschia color. However, now I don't have to! I still can't believe Marcia picked this out...

She also picked out a cute little scrapbooking kit booklet which is the exact one I have bought for myself before. But no worries about having another one! I LOVE these mini-scrapbooks and always try to get one when I see them. But again, Marcia picked out the same one I have picked out.

The other things were new to me, but SO ME! She sent butterfly stickers, ladybug stickers, two pens - a purple one which I let my littlest girl have since she loves purple, and a too cute, frazzle-haired girly pen which I am keeping for myself as I love it! - and two packages of 12x12 scrapbooking paper with inspirational and biblical quotes on them. I had not seen these before but I love them and would have picked them out myself if my store carried them.

Thank you again, Marcia, for a great package. You really impressed me with how well you chose Dollar Store items according to my likes.

This swap was also a nice pick-me-up today. I was given my first 3 rating over at Swap-bot but with no explanation as to why. (Ratings are 1 for Not Sent, which probably should be changed to Not Received, 3 for Received but not within the requirements of the swap, and 5 for Received and within the requirements of the swap. There's also a "Heart" you can give if you rate your partner a 5 when you feel they've gone above and beyond the requirements of the swap.) The girl I was to send to has never responded to any of my posts or emails and I'm left confused as to why I received a 3 for the "Mini Wishlist" swap. I sent her things from her list, which I found short and vague, so it wasn't easy for me to figure out what she wanted. I sent her more than what was required AND spent $10 to ship it across the country to Oregon. However, I've had bad vibes about the girl from the beginning so maybe I detected something without quite knowing what it was. Even before I sent it, I wondered if I should send her something so nice as I was doing, and even had the thought she might give me a poor rating. Guess those sensory perceptions were correct. It's not that big of a deal, but I hate that I spent so much time and money trying to satisfy her hard-to-satisfy list and then get a poor rating like that. Makes me want to tell her to send it all back! ha ha ha! But really, I would've rather have gotten a rating of 1 for not sending than to not get any appreciation at all for what I did do. She hasn't even emailed me to say "Thank you for the package." Or "The package arrived." Oh well, there are good swappers at Swap-bot and then poor ones. Then there are poor recipients with no knowledge of etiquette... goodness, post a 'Thank you' somewhere already.

Ok, I'll go away and calm down now.... ;-)

SP10 Questionaire

Secret Pal 10 is starting up and so I wanted to get the answers to my questionaire in.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? My favorite yarns are anything soft to the touch. How simple is that? :) There really are no fibers that I've come across yet that I "absolutely don't like". Scratchy wool would be a 'yech' (or an "ouch!") but they've come a long way with wool these days, and I am surprised at how soft wool can actually be. I really like all types of yarn. The practical and the novelty.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I like to store my needles and hooks in pretty vases. Here is a picture!

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I've been knitting since 1998 when I taught myself from a book. I was pregnant with my first child, and I just wanted to know how to knit! The day I determined to learn was when one of my favorite crochet publications "Magic Crochet" featured a beautiful sweater in the back of one of their issues. I knew I had to make it! But as I was looking at the instructions I saw knitting terms! It turned out that the sweater was knit with crochet on the trim or edging. I was disappointed. But that is what made me say "I am going to learn to knit!" So I got a book with instructions and set out to teach myself. I joined an internet "Knit List", too. I almost gave up trying to learn to knit, however. It was so awkward feeling to me (holding a needle in each hand when I had always been used to holding only one hook in one hand when I crochet.) And then to be expected to LET GO of one needle while I pick up yarn and wrap around the needle I had just let go of??? Jeepers! Ok, granted I WAS holding the dropped needle in my other hand, but still! This was all just too strange and foreign, and I felt I just couldn't do it! My good friends on the Knit List, however, encouraged me to persevere and try the continental method. And as a crocheter, I had figured out that I could actually feed the yarn from the left (as I do when I crochet) instead of the right and hold onto my needles the entire time! So this was called "Continental"! I could do this! And I can. :) Having said all that, I'm still a baby when it comes to knitting and knit infrequently compared to crocheting. But I'm so happy to know that I CAN knit, and when I do pick up the needles, I find it so relaxing. I knit simple things. Don't expect me to knit a sweater! I'm not ready for that! ha ha! I'd consider myself beginner.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I do have an Amazon Wish List. It's under Karla Cardell! :)

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) Oh my...PEONY! The Peony flower is my all time favorite in scents. It can be in bath products or candles. I first smelled the scent in a candle and fell in love with it. Then a SP found some Bath and Body Works bathing products in the scent and oh my! That didn't take long to use up! And recently a Secret Sister sent a bar of French soap in the Peony scent! Besides Peony, I also like the Rose fragrance. Probably any floral fragrance for bath products or candles. I also like apples and cinnamon and pumpkin pie scents for candles. Vanilla, too.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? No, I don't have a sweet tooth....I have 28 sweet TEETH! My favorite candy is chocolate anything (milk chocolate rather than dark chocolate). I love chocolate covered almonds and chocolate covered raisins. I also like Peanut Brittle (that's considered a candy wouldn't you think?). "Peanut Butter Logs" are also a favorite candy. And peppermints.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? Other crafts I enjoy besides playing in the yarn, are cross-stitching, beading, scrapbooking, card-making, anything to do with paper (origami)... And yes, occasionally I do spin. You can find me outside in the yarn, arms out to the side, just spinning around with my girls! How 'bout you?

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I enjoy Contemporary Christian music, some Gospel, Classical, Jazz, some Pop... My computer will play CDs. I don't know if I can play MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? My most favorite color is Fuschia. Royal Blue would probably be a close second. I am most drawn to jewel tones, but I also like warm muted tones of the Fall like burgandy and hunter green, navy blue. I really like all colors including neons and pastels (think Pink!). I love the color combinations of Pink/Black, Pink/Brown and Turqoise/Brown. Brown (alone) would probably be my least favorite. Put some other fall colors with that brown, though, and I'm good.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? My family situation is that I have a husband of 17 years and 3 children, 2 girls and a boy. They are 8, 5 and 2 respectively. We also have one indoor cat and one outdoor dog.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? I do enjoy scarves, hats, mittens and ponchos. I enjoy more of a feminine and "dressy" look in any of those rather than a "rugged" look. "Casual" is good but thick and rugged is my least favorite. "Aran", for example, can be feminine and dressy in the right yarn. But otherwise, "aran" seems a little rugged and bulky and I like that in an afghan rather than a wearable. Well, on second thought, I might like an Aran scarf. :)

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Right now, dishcloths and scarves!

13. What are you knitting right now? Dishcloth!

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

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? No preference, though plastic is probably my least favorite. However, there is an up and coming crocheter in the family (my 8 yo daughter) and she wouldn't mind plastic. I'd wouldn't mind trying a pair of wooden knitting needles, like walnut or rosewood... I have a Clover Bamboo pair.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? I do have a yarn winder but not a swift.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? Hmmm....not sure.

18. What is your favorite holiday? My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving.

19. Is there anything that you collect? I collect postage stamps (new and used), postcards, BOOKS!, "paper", YARN.... I also like Sheep anything, ladybugs, green frogs, dragonflies, rainbows and waterfalls.

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 am dying to get my hands on the book "Knitting Over the Edge" by Nikki Epstein or any of Nikki's books. I have no magazine subscriptions at the moment. My favorite knitting magazine is Vogue Knitting and Interweave Press. I would love to have a subscription to either of these or any of the other knitting magazines out there. I have no crochet subscriptions either if you'd care to know. ;-) I love "Crochet!" magazine.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I'd like to learn to knit cables. I'd like to learn to needle tat. I'd like to learn to spin, other than that spinning I do in the yard under the blue skies!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I have not gotten up the nerve to try socks, though I've been told it's not hard at all. I wear a size 8 shoe...is that the same as a measurement or do I have to measure Height/Width/Depth... ha ha

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) My birthday is January 25, 1968. I just celebrated my 39th Birthday!

LOVE IS IN THE AIR!

How can you not think about Love when you see mail like this!


Joye S. sent these LOVEly goodies for the "Gotta Have Heart Stitchmarker Exchange" over at the Yahoo Group "StuffKnittersWantandGottaHave_Exchange". It is a Valentine's Day swap requiring a set of stitchmarkers and a dishcloth. Joye included all these items in her package:

• strawberry shower gel and pouf;
• crocheted chapstick holder keychain with a tube of Avon chapstick enclosed;
• a small book of knitted patterns;
• a bookmark with beads like the ones with which she made the stitchmarkers;
• a ball of pink cotton;
• a pink heart-shaped knit dishcloth;
• a Valentine's Day card;
• a sheet of stationery depicting a long-stemmed red rose on which she typed the patterns to the chapstick holder and the heart-shaped dishcloth;
• a gorgeous red box which held two Peppermint Patties, glass Ladybug beads, and a set of stitchmarkers beaded with red hearts made from clay; and Hershey's Kisses with Almonds scattered throughout the package!

Here are the bookmarker and the stitchmarkers in more of a "close-up" photo...they're just so lovely, I had to show you!

My children loved the package as much as I did, especially the Hershey's Kisses! I will take a bag of Hershey's Kisses anytime! The ones with Almonds are my FAVORITE with the plain ones running second. Thank you, Joye, for such a fun package. I'm definitely in the Valentine's Day spirit with all these themed goodies!

For this exchange which I received from Joye, several of us are doing a KAL from the Dishcloth Hangups for 2007 Calendar (and some of us [read: ME!] are TRYING to follow along having never knit a cable before!) but any knit dishcloth is fine for the exchange. Of course, we want to think red, pink, purple, hearts, anything Valentine-themed. I'm trying to knit-along on the February cloth, "Hearts Desire" designed by Maile Mauch, but have had to tink several times because I just haven't been able to get the hang of the cabling. I'm about to put it aside to try my hand at the cloth Joye sent to me since she included the pattern. I do have a deadline to have my packages to my two partners by February 14th and at the rate I'm going, that's not going to happen if I don't catch on soon or knit a different cloth! I can practice the "Heart's Desire" after I've at least made a dishcloth in a different EASIER pattern for each of my partners.

Oh and if you want to get yourself a calendar full of "Kitchen and Bath Items", I understand by the above link that the absolute deadline to order is February 20th. I received one as a gift and I really like it. You can read more about it here.

Also for some free dishcloth patterns, Maile has a whole bunch of beautiful knit dishcloth patterns on her blog. Check it out!

Over at Swap-bot, I received my first of three postcards for the "Love Postcard" swap. I was pleasantly surprised to see an envelope in the mail from my good friend, Juli. Swap-bot being a world-wide swapping venue, it's just a wonderful surprise to be randomly partnered with a friend! Juli sent bookmarks, stickers, a Valentine's little card, a letter, and a USPS "LOVE" postcard! I LOVEd everything but ESPECIALLY the postcard of the USPS "Love" Stamp! I collect the Love stamps that the USA has put out since the 70's I believe and to see this postcard in my mailbox brought me such joy! Juli didn't know it, but this particular issue of the LOVE stamp is one of my favorites of all that our postal service has issued over the past 30 years. And look how she decorated the reverse of the postcard!

I immediately called Juli on the phone after receiving her postcard today and asked her if she would mind picking me up a few of these postcards at her post office. My post office doesn't carry anything like this! If any of you have a post office that sells postcards, especially LOVE themed, I'd love to hear from you, too! Do other countries have LOVE stamps? Here in the USA it has become an annual issue, a Love-themed stamp around February 14th. This year the stamp issue is a "Hershey's Kiss" stamp! You just KNOW I'm going to have to buy some of those when I can. Love AND Hershey's? Oh yeah!