Happy Easter!

We are not a family of traditionalists. We don't really celebrate Easter or Christmas, though both myself and my husband grew up in families that did. We've tried to raise our children to be accepting of all faiths, and we do our best to celebrate the more traditional Pagan holidays, though they do still get Christmas gifts from the grandparents and aunts and uncles, etc.

Anyway, they got baskets (knitted and felted by me in the last two days, using up 4 skeins of yarn from my stash that had otherwise been in there for eternity since I could not otherwise find a use for them - two were from the Spin to Knit swap last year, one was leftover from my first felted bag, the last, some Cascade 220 Heathers that I got in a swap ages ago). One basket didn't make the cut, there just wasn't enough yarn and I should have modified my "pattern" (in quotes because I was making it up as I went) but didn't, and it came out horridly floppy, though a second felting did help it some, but it is still way too small.

But I didn't start this post intending for it to be about the baskets, but rather, one lucky winner of a blanket. And the winner is... Knit-R-Done! Thanks to everyone who commented, I wish I had more blankets to give away!

And on a closing note, the pre-felting photo from the first two baskets...

Random photo and a give-away!

I picked up a huge lot of straight needles yesterday while out, and I loved this photo of them all scattered about.

Anyway, this post just happens to be number 100 in my blog! Woo! I mentioned a few posts back that I'd be doing a contest of sorts, but it's more of just a random give-away, since I suck at thinking of unique ideas for contests. To enter, all you have to do is comment on this post before March 22nd at 11:59PM eastern daylight time (so just before midnight on the day before Easter). If you want to get creative with your reply, feel free, but it won't earn you a better chance at winning something. ;)

So... what am I giving away, you ask? Well, that's a mighty fine question. After months of hesitation, I finished the log cabin baby blanket that I had previously posted about here, but I changed my mind about who the recipient was to be, since it (to me) came out looking rather girly. It's very springy, though, and really could work for either a boy or a girl, but you can be the judge of that...



Isn't it lovely? And it can be all yours! It's somewhere around 25" by 26", so not quite square, made with Lion Brand Cotton-Ease (a cotton/acrylic blend), so it's soft and snuggly, and machine washable too! So if you are an expectant mom or a new mom, or know someone who is, and you'd like this for yourself or your friend, just comment on this post and I'll pick a winner on Easter Sunday. Make sure you comment in such a way that I can get in touch with you, whether you leave an email address or link to your blog or your ravelry username.

Malabrigo March...

There is a group on Ravelry called Malabrigo Junkies. They have declared it to be Malabrigo March (or at least, it will be in a few hours).

I am only planning one Malabrigo knit in honor of this month, and it will be Mr. Greenjeans from Knitty's Fall, 2007 issue. I've taken to calling mine Mr. VaaJeans, in honor of the lovely colorway I am using. It all started with the
Malabrigo Swap. I fell in love with this yarn and had to have more. Thankfully, the yarn shop that my pal got it from still had some of the same dye lot, and she picked it up for me and sent it, along with one amazing skein of the Vaa laceweight.



Isn't that gorgeous? I have tentative plans for it already too. I may just turn into a lace knitter one of these days.

Anyway. Back to the Mr. VaaJeans. I wound my 6 skeins the other night with my ball winder and make-shift TinkerToy swift (I either need a more complete set of TinkerToys or a real swift, but that is another story), and did my half-assed swatch yesterday.



OMG. Look at those colors. I am almost wishing today wasn't a Leap Day just so it'd be March 1st instead so I can cast on this amazing beauty.

As a side note, this is my 97th blog post. Post number 100 will be a contest for a gift of hand-knitted baby goodness. More details will come soon.

HSS2 Contest - Q&A

The newest contest for the Hogwarts Sock Swap 2 is mine. I am doing a Q&A type of contest in an effort to aid communication between swap pals. Since tracking communication via email would be rather shady, the contest consists of some questions that everyone can answer by way of posting to their blog. Here are my answers:

What type of pet do you choose as your companion at Hogwarts?
I would certainly have to choose a cat for my companion since they are very intuitive and magical. Most likely my cat would be all black or dark gray.

While shopping in Hogsmeade you stop by Honeydukes for some sweets. What treats do you purchase for yourself?
Mmmmmmm... Honeydukes. I think I'd pick a fine selection of milk chocolate coated fruits and caramels.

A potion you are preparing needs an ingredient available only at muggle shops. You don't want to stand out in your wizards robes, so you resort to traditional muggle clothing. Describe your outfit in detail.
Since I spend far too much time in the muggle world, I have a fair selection of clothing that enables me to fit in when I need to go out. My ensemble would be a plain black or dark colored t-shirt or tank top, faded bootcut blue jeans and either a pair of casual sandals (Teva or Birkenstock) or sneakers (Vans).

What is your favorite subject to study at Hogwarts and why?
My favorite class would have to be Potions, partly because it is taught by that dreamy Professor Snape, but also because I love to experiment with making magical concoctions.

Likewise, what subject is your least favorite and why?
Ancient Runes. I never was very interested in learning scripts from ages ago.

Back to the potion you were shopping for ingredients for, what type of potion are you making, what color is it, what are the ingredients, and precisely what does the potion do?
My potion is Dulcis Perficio (Sweet Perfume), it is a deep golden amber color made from carefully blending patchouli, blood from a Peruvian Vipertooth Dragon, essence of golden honey, vanilla, and a drop of lavender. Just the tiniest amount applied in precise locations on the female body renders male wizards completely helpless to the wearer's charms. The male wizard will follow the potion's wearer about like a little lost puppy, and will remain under her spell until it is fully washed off the skin.