Thank You, Dishcloth Pal!

I just wanted to post a public thank-you to my All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Pal for the thoughtful box o' goodies that I received yesterday!

Here's a picture of what was inside:

3 skeins of Peaches N' Cream yarn in festive, Halloween colors. 2 fantastic knit dishcloths, which happen to be 2 of my most favorite patterns ever! Lovely scented candles (on the left) in yellow and green. Body wash in a gorgeous, light fragrance. I adore it and can't wait to use it. And lots and lots of super edibles, including a unique candy bar, chocolate-covered pretzels, toffee bars, and those candy Halloween pumpkins that I LOVE. I already ate like 20 of them. D'oh! The little yellow candies you see are just a FEW--- and I mean a meager few---of these cute smiley-faced gumballs that were in the package. I have enough bubblegum to last me until, oh about 2017. Don't believe me? Observe:

See? I don't lie, y'all!

The only thing missing from the package was my pal's identity! The box had a return address in Indianapolis, IN. So I just went to the AHEDE page and went through everyone's blog until I got to somebody from Indianapolis! So, Maria M. I think it's you! Thank you so much for all the treats! I hope your pal treated you well too!

Say It Isn't So!

It's not October 20th already?!?!? JEEZ. There must be some mathematical theorem that is something like: The ratio of increasing age and rate of passing time both increase at n to the power of 1000.

Anyway, I sent my Dishcloth Pal's package out last weekend and she received it on Tuesday. (Thanks, Columbus Day. RAGE.) YAY for when the Post Office works properly! My downstream pal was Grace Y. Grace is a lovely lady who knits the most gorgeous shawls I've ever seen. Check out her blog when you get a chance!

Now that I can, I wanted to post a picture of one of the cloths I knit for Grace. Since she loves red and heart patterns, I didn't want to post any pictures until after she received the package! Try to keep the suspense up! So here it is:


Let's see what else? Oh! Here's a recent picture of my niece, Aubrey. She's so big. If her hair was not still so scarce, she'd look much older:


Now I am feverishly working on all that "holiday" knitting that I want to get done. I intend on knitting a bunch of hats for gifts (mostly for co-workers) and I am more than 1/2 done a scarf for this guy at work. I swear to God, I can't see another winter go by watching him wear that...thing...that he wears as a scarf. First of all, it's CROCHETED. Crochet + man = DOES NOT COMPUTE. Second? It's light blue with a RED border. I don't care if his great-grandmom crocheted it for him. No respectable male (A professor, no less) would be seen wearing that thing for anything other than a GOOD LAUGH. So I am using this fantastic, hand-dyed wool yarn that Nicole got for me when she was in Ireland. It's gorgeous. It's dark green with flecks of brown and blue in it. Perfect for a MANLY scarf. I'll post pictures when it's done.

Weekly Topic #5- All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Exchange

If you could go anywhere at all to enjoy a wonderful fall vacation - where would you go and why? Somewhere you've been? Somewhere you've heard has amazing fall colors? Somewhere that's LESS fall-like than where you are? Post and tell us about it and then post a comment here to let us know you've posted!

Hmm...this is a tough question for me because there are so many places I'd like to visit. I've always wanted to go to San Francisco. I imagine that fall there must be beautiful. I also want to get to Italy. I'm not really sure what the fall is like there. But I think I would have a wonderful time there, no matter what the season. Lastly, I've been to Japan; spent most of my time there in Tokyo. We went in the summer, though, and it was sweltering and it also rained a lot. I'd like to go back there during the fall and visit an onsen and see some more rural places. I think the fall would be a great time to do it.

Weekly Topic #4 - All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Exchange

So, for this week's topic - we have a little quiz. You need NOT get the questions correct for it to count - just post the answers somewhere in a post this week.

Q1: Where did the idea of Jack-O-Lanterns originate?
A) Scotland
B) England
C) Ireland. I'm going with this because it's Jack "O'Lantern." I don't know of anyone else that uses "O'" besides the Irish.
D) Wales

Q2: Halloween is the 2nd most successful commercial Holiday - what's the first?
A) Christmas. Just guessing this one, but it seems like it's the most commercial!
B) Valentine's Day
C) New Year's
D) Easter

Q3: What is the intense fear of Halloween called?
A) Hallowphobia
B) Samhainophobia. I'm pretty sure it's this.
C) Ghostophobia
D) Mortephobia

Q4: The mask worn by Michael Meyers in Halloween (the Movie) was actually a mask of who?
A) Leonard Nimoy
B) William Shatner. This I know for sure! I saw a TV special about it.
C) DeForest Kelly
D) No one - it was an old hockey mask

Q5: In 2004, what was the most popular Halloween Candy?
A) Candy Corn
B) Snickers. Just a guess, again.
C) Dum Dums
D) Milky Way

And finally - tell us what YOUR favorite Halloween Candy is! I'm a Candy Corn person myself - can make me SO sick to my belly, but man I love it! Just the plain old kind though - not the many other flavors and colors there are today!

I love chocolate. And I do love me some candy corn. As for kinds of chocolate? Well, Take 5 bars totally ROCK. I don't know if you've ever tried them, but I highly recommend them.

I Promised You Photos...

...and here they are:

This is the scarf I am knitting for the Red Scarf Project. I should be finished by the time I have to go to knitting tonight and hand it off to the person who will do a group donation (thanks, Ruth)!



Here's a close-up, so you can see the pattern. It's stupid easy; just the way I like things!




Next, here is one of the dishcloths I knit for my Dishcloth Pal! It's one of my favorite patterns (I linked the pattern in the questionnaire): Clover Tweed.



Now the next photos are of the purchases I made at Knitter's Day Out. Surprisingly, I only bought TWO SKEINS of yarn. I know, I amazed myself. But I also bought needles and a t-shirt too. AND. One of the yarn purchases seen below inspired me to buy more skeins of the same colorway so that I could make a Clapotis. I think. Maybe. The yarn is just too gorgeous for socks. Colinette Jitterbug. Yeah. I know. I was in trouble the minute I laid eyes on it. But I did manage to find the other 2 skeins I bought at some yarn shop in Canada for only $14 a skein (as opposed to the $22 I paid for it at KDO. Maybe it's a good thing they only had one skein left! URK.)

The other yarn is a local hand-dyed wool. I purchased this from a different vendor. But again, she only had one skein as well. I see a hat or a small scarf in this. It's the yarn in the back. I just loved those colors.

The picture really does neither skein any justice.




And here are the hand-turned knitting needles I bought. These are size 7. I love the nice sharp points on them!






























And here's a picture of the mini, top-down raglan sweater that I learned to make for a stuffed animal! I chose this bright orange yarn to go onto a funky beanie-baby type frog. I didn't finish the arms, or pick up around the neck to finish that part off, but you can get the idea of how it's supposed to look!

Weekly Topic #3 - All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Exchange

Every holiday has oddball things available to use for decoration, have in the house, or wear - some things are stranger than others. What's the oddest/strangest/weirdest Halloween decoration you have ever gotten for your home? Or, if you've never had a "wow, did I REALLY buy that?!" moment - what's the strangest Halloween decoration you've seen somewhere else?

Well, to me 75% of the Halloween decorations out there are super bizarre. In particular, I really dislike the horror/dismemberment/blood & guts type of Halloween decorations. It makes me wonder why people purchase these things to DECORATE their living spaces. I just don't see the appeal of skulls with eyeballs hanging out of them, or chainsaws, replete with a generous helping of fake blood and body parts, or life-size cardboard cut-outs of Freddy Kreuger or Jason Vorhees, or Michael Myers. Anyway, one example I can think of: I saw in a drug store (like a CVS or Walgreens), this "bowl," which was supposed to be a "have the kids take the candy for themselves when they trick-or-treat" type of thing. Except...attached to the bowl at one end was a dismembered hand, nice and bloody, bone sticking out the back. And whenever anyone got within 12 inches of the thing, the hand would spring down and sort of slap/grab you. How delightful for the 6-year old who wants a Kit-Kat. :-/

Weekly Topic #2 for All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Exchange

So here's this week's topic:

Here in Atlanta, it's finally cooling down, and beginning to truly seem like fall. I sit now with windows open, and the air is cooler than usual, and trees are beginning to change. For me, cool mornings, crisp evenings, and trees in red, gold and orange glory are the very best parts of Fall - What are your favorite parts of fall? How do you know it's truly arrived where you are?


Well, it's still kinda hot up here in Delaware, believe it or not! This week will be in the high 70s, temperature-wise. ACK. But I love that first really crisp fall morning. I love being able to put on a sweater and jeans everyday. This weekend was a mini preview of that, as Saturday morning it was a chilly 50 degrees up in my neck of the woods (we left at 6:30 am to go to KDO; will post about that soon). It was great---short-lived, but great!

The other thing I love about fall is school supplies. No seriously. I love the smell of school supplies and stationery. There is just something about the scent of new pencils and crayons and copybooks, etc. When I was a kid in school and we'd go to like the K-Mart, I'd make a run for the stationery section of the store and ooh and aah all over the packs of pens and markers and erasers...sigh...I miss my Trapper Keeper :-(.

Weekly Topic #1 for All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Exchange

Check out the blog of one person you DO NOT KNOW yet who is participating in this round of the swap, and then post on your site linking to their blog and sharing a little something about them - perhaps you two share a love for wooden needles, or are both first-time swappers! Or perhaps you're both into Pumpkins over Witches for Halloween time! Just a quick blurb, but take a look around their blog and get to know someone new! It's nice to leave a comment when you're there, too - we all love some comment love.

I chose Joann P. over at Cape Sox Knitter, mostly because of her answer to question #5 on the questionnaire!

"5. I love "stuff". I have all sorts of notions. I love to try out new things. I am also a "bag addict". I buy new project bags all the time. Just can't help myself!"

This oh so totally, utterly like me! I am constantly picking up unique, new notions and just...stuff...for knitting! I am addicted! And also, I have about 5787903465 different bags for kitting. Just like Joann, I am always grabbing a new, funky project bag somewhere!

The other reason I chose Joann is for her love of cotton yarns. And boy has she tried a bunch! But what stood out to me was the Plymouth Fantasy Naturale. Oh man, I LURVE me some Fantasy Naturale. It's a super duper cotton yarn. It's mercerized and a little heavier than the generic "Sugar N' Cream" yarns. It's soooo smooth.

The best thing to make with this yarn is the Fantasy Naturale Market Bag. I've made about 6 of these. LOL It's a free pattern from Plymouth. Here it is.

All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Exchange Questionnaire

1. Do you knit or crochet? For how long?

I primarily knit. I've been doing it for a little over 4 years now. I can crochet, but I'm not very good at it because I don't do more than a crochet chain every once in a while! It's something I hope to work on in the future.


2. What sort of needles or hooks do you enjoy using the most? Are there some you've been dying to try out and haven't?

I like using Bryspun straights and Addi Turbo circulars. I'd like to try the KnitPicks Harmony wooden ones.


3. What kind of projects do you most enjoy? Small things you can take with you, or big complex ones that are just gorgeous when they're done?

I think I like smaller projects where I can get "instant" gratification, if there is such a thing in knitting! Things like scarves, hats, dishcloths, baby sweaters ---bath mitts are my absolute favorites! I tend to lose steam on the bigger tasks.


4. List one pattern for a dishcloth that you love to make, or just tell us about one you've made or received that you loved.

I absolutely love this pattern: http://www.jimsyldesign.com/dishbout/kpatterns/lacymockcable.html

And I love this one too: http://skullcharms.blogspot.com/2008/06/free-pattern-clover-tweed-dishcloth.html


5. What are your 'must have' notions? Are there any notions you need or can never have enough of? Any that might make you cry if you owned more?

Must haves: dangle-free stitch markers. I don't know how I ever lived without them. I have recently found the need for stitch holders and I have precious few of them right now! I think I lost a couple :(. Too much of anything is never too much! :-) I am happy to receive any kind of notions.


6. What are your favorite yarns to work with? Any you hate or are allergic to?

I love merino wool, cotton, alpaca, & bamboo. I don't mind acrylic if it's mixed with something (cotton/acrylic blends are actually really nice)! I'm not a fan of mohair or any of the furry, eyelash, ladder, novelty stuff. Also, I don't really care for "thick & thin" wool yarn. I find it very difficult to knit with.


7. What colors do you like to use in projects? Any we'd never catch on your needles?

Here's my short answer about colors: Anything but teal.

To elaborate: I like lots of colors! Really, it's more like what colors don't like me! For instance, I love yellow and orange, but they look hideous on me. They are great colors for dishcloths, though and for accessories. I like heathered, natural colors the best. I'm fond of plum, green, all kinds of blues, grays, terracotta, coral, purple, red, taupe, browns and mocha. Nearing the bottom of my list are pastels. Not a huge fan of burgundy either. And --- to reiterate --- I hate, hate, hate teal. Teal should be obliterated from all human existence.


8. Any cottons you'd like to try you can't find by you, or just haven't gotten around to getting?

I've tried tons of cottons and I enjoy them all. Cotton is just such a nice fiber to work with. Always fresh and crisp. I will say that I prefer worsted-weight cottons to the bulky-weight ones.


9. Do you like to use bar soap or shower gel more? What kinds of scents do you love? What kind do you hate?

I generally gravitate towards shower gel, but I'd love any fancy-schmancy soap! Scents: fruits (particularly pear and citrus), green tea, oatmeal & honey, cucumber, lavender. Bascially, fresh and natural scents. I absolutely CANNOT STAND patchouli and I'm not really a big fan of cinnamon all by itself.


10. What's more 'Halloweeny' - Ghosts, Pumpkins, or Witches?

I gotta go with Pumpkins. :-D


11. What's your favorite Treat to get? Sweet or Salty? Anything you're allergic to or just hate?

Oh, bring it ALL, baby! No Twizzlers, though. YUCK. Chocolate, of course, is the BEST. Love me a chocolate-covered marshmallow or pretzel. Fudge is awesome. I love pistachios too. Look, if it's high in calories and fat, I'll probably like it. ;-) Since this is Halloween-themed, I thought I'd mention that I love candy corn and those small pumpkin-shaped candies (which essentially taste like candy corn). YUM.


12. What was your favorite Halloween Costume as a kid? As an adult??

As a kid, hmmm...let's see...my grandmom would always put together neat costumes for us. But one year, when I was about 12, I ventured into the world of costume-making on my own and came up with a pretty convincing Charlie Chaplin. I'd have to say that is my favorite. I can't even remember the last time I dressed up in a costume as an adult, so that is an unanswerable question for me!


13. Are you on Ravelry? What's your ID?

Yes'm! Id is: mirthful


14. Anything else you'd like to be sure your pal knows?

Well, look upon my blog for 5 seconds and you'll probably figure all this out anyway but:
I am a cat freak. I have 6 of them. They are my furry children.
I am a huge fan of MST3K.
I love to collect little hand-sewn, stuffy animals or little carved wood ones or little ceramic ones. I am a video-game geek and just a gamer geek in general.
I think that's about it!

Home Again, and Thanks!

Well, I made it home in one piece. Overall, Donna and I had a great time in Ocean City. However, may I just point out how much I hate driving in New Jersey? Particularly CIRCLES. Who thought those were a good idea? Sheesh. Whoever it was should be frying for eternity in hell.

When I arrived home today I found a package of goodies awaiting me from my Dishcloth Pal! WOO! My secret spoiler was Ann Marie H. Here's a picture of the lovely, thoughtful goodies contained within the parcel:

The yarn above is 2 skeins of Pakucho Organic cotton. I really like the colors: sage green, and an almond brown. The other skein is 100% bamboo yarn in a lovely colorway that reminds me of seashells on the shore. It's so soft. I love just holding it in my hand!

On the left there are three divine soaps, all handmade my Ann Marie! Two are Cedarwood and Lime and the other is Orange and Lavender. They smell terrific! I can't wait to use them! Also in the package was an absolutely beautiful washcloth (seen in the back).

Thank you so much, Ann Marie! I absolutely adore everything!

Weekly Topic #4

Here's this week's topic: Go check out one other person's blog who's answered some of the weekly topics.. find someone you have something in common with, who posted a really cool cloth pattern, or who 'calls' to you for some other reason, and post about them on your blog sharing why!

Ok, first of all, I have to say that I really enjoyed the swap this go-round. I think because we were a small group, it made it much more cozy. I've been poking around on a lot of blogs of the other participants. So many talented people out there!

I think the other blog that speaks to me most is Carola H.

We both knit so that we don't kill people. And we both have like a zillion cats. And we both clearly have an obsession with yarn. LOL Also, she's a damn fine knitter and a crocheter! I love the knitting notions case she made.

Happy Birthday(s)

So yesterday was Todd's birthday (June 30). He is 37 years young. We took the day off from our respective jobs and spent the day doing a whole lot of nothing, which is a nice way to spend a day off. Although we did manage to get in a little cleaning, so we're not entirely derelict.

Today is Hercules' birthday. He's 4 years old. It seems like yesterday when we picked up off the street a scrawny, 6-month-old kitty on a bitterly freezing morning in January 2005. I think he's much happier with us and the rest of the Waters brood. He loves Todd best of all, too. It's kind of cute.



Also, Marsha, you will be happy (and amazed) to know that I remembered to say "rabbit, rabbit" today when I woke up! Woot!

I sent off my package to my Dishcloth Pal on Thursday. And in an amazing feat (the planets must have aligned), she got the package on Saturday! SCHWING! So I can tell you that my downstream Dishcloth Pal (my spoilee) was Michelle F.! I really had a blast this time around. It was great spoiling Michelle and getting to know her better. And now I have another knitting bud. :-D

Oh and! I finished my Grrr washcloth! I'll get a picture up here soon! It turned out really well. It's SO cute!

Weekly Topic #3

Well now that Summer has OFFICIALLY begun.. what do you do to beat the heat? A nice tall glass of lemonade? Frozen Coffee? A dip in the pool? What's your favorite way to keep cool this summer as things heat up?

Since I don't have regular access to a pool during the summer (only when we go to Virginia), and I can't swim anyway, I prefer to stay indoors with the air-conditioner. I do love some fresh made iced tea, too. Unsweetened. MMMMmmm. Nearly every morning when I come to work, I hit the coffee shop here for some iced coffee, too. Not the greatest iced coffee in the world, but totally palatable!

Knittin' n' Stuff

So I have returned from an altogether TOO SHORT vacation in Virginia. I accomplished all the knitting for my Dishcloth Pal while there! Woo! I hope that she likes everything. Here's what I knit:

A ball-band dishcloth, using Peaches n' Cream in the ecru and earth colorways. Kinda got some weird pooling of colors here. But up close it looks totally fine:













A bath mitt (of course), in Red Heart's new cotton line called Creme de la Creme. The colorway is jadetones, which looked more teal on the internets. I'm a bad judge of teal, since it's a color that I steer clear of.) It's definitely more on the emerald side, but I think it should match my pal's bath ok enough (she said it was teal green and white):












A new pattern dishcloth! This is called a smocked dishcloth. The cotton yarn I used for this is Village Craft in pistachio, which I got from Herrschner's online. I love how this looks! I see many more of these in my future:













I also finished a pair of socks that I cast-on at Christmas time. My mom saw me finishing these up and fell in love with them. So they are going to her next time I see her. The heel bit on these socks is a little wonky/short. But, they fit her just fine, so all's well that ends well, I guess! :-) Here they are:

















So next on the list of knitting is a Grrr washcloth. I am about 1/3 done with this! Don't have a picture yet, but I love the way it's turning out! I'm using some leftover Lily Elite Cotton in a lovely yellow color. It's a shame that Lily discontinued this yarn. It's absolutely divine to work with. It has an extra soft and refined finish too.

Yesterday at work, my department received an e-mail from a professor in the department stating that his wife was having a baby next month and they know it's a boy. So I am going to try to crank out a easy, quick-knit baby blanket. I have a few patterns in mind. I bought some Bernat Denim Style yarn, which is a 60/40 acrylic/cotton blend from Joann.com. It should be coming in a few days.

Then I really need to get started on the messenger bag I designed. I mean, really. I wrote up the pattern about a month ago and even bought the yarn (just good ol' Peaches n' Creme). So I should get going with that. I'll post more info about this pattern later, but basically it's going to be orange-red with a black intarsia on the flap. The intarsia image is Spike from Cowboy Bebop. Yeah it's going to be super cool, if the pattern actually works. I think it will.

Oh God, I forgot that pinwheel sweater. Dammit. That has to get done. HAS TO. Maybe when I go back to Virginia next month I will bring ONLY that with me. Force myself to get it done.

So here's a couple of pictures of my niece, Aubrey, from last week:







In the froggy baby pool. Her happiness here was short-lived!















Making the rounds in the living room! She walks so well, too, and she's only 10 months old.








She's a cutie! But we're still waiting for her hair to show up! LOL

And here's a video! I think! Yes, she's holding a dryer sheet! She loved that thing. That's my nephew, Ethan, on the sofa. NO, that's NOT a real gun he's holding. It's a wooden one that my brother-in-law made when he was in shop class in high-school. Ethan thought it was just the coolest thing ever. Hey, he's 13.

Dishcloth Exchange Weekly Topic #2

Living in Atlanta, I know Summer has truly 'arrived' when it begins to get humid. Blech. When I was a kid, I knew Summer was starting the easy way - School was out!! Share with us how you know that summer has truly 'arrived', or something that signifies the start of Summer in your world.

For me, it's a couple of things. First of all, that first 90+-degree day really sends home the message that summer has begun. Sometimes this even comes in May. A few years ago, one of my closest friends got married on May 7. The week prior to the wedding it was about 60 degrees all week long with drizzle. I don't know what happened, but on her wedding day, it was 97 degrees! But, anyway, it always means summer to me if it gets that hot outside.

Unfortunately, another herald that the start of summer is upon me is bug bites. And that happens in a big way. At the start of the summer I get --- not kidding --- about 30-40 insect bites on me. Yes, at one time! I just came back from vacation in Virginia and I got no fewer than 35 bites, 18 on my left foot alone! ACK!

Dishcloth Exchange Topic #1

So for this week's topic, make a post on your own blog sharing YOUR favorite pattern(s) with us! Don't have a favorite site? That's fine! Show us a photo of one of the cloths you have made and really loved, even if it was just a made up pattern!

Well, I absolutely love the Dishcloth Boutique. Some of my all-time favorite patterns for cloths are from that site. I love it that they are all free, too.

One of my all-time favorite patterns is the Lacy Mock Cable. Here's a picture of one that I made for my mom.


Also in that picture is another of my super favorite patterns, the Ball-Band. I knit that black & white one above for a Dishcloth Pal last year.

I love knitting bath mitts too. I think every Dishcloth Pal I had got a bath mitt as well as a cloth. Here are pictures of a couple I made. I got this pattern on the back of a label of Bernat Handicrafter yarn. I think you can get it free from their website:



The best thing is, this mitt comes out great no matter what yarn you use. The picture on the left is some funky Classic Elite "Sea" cotton. On the right, is yarn I got from Elann.com in a linen/cotton blend.

Some other dishcloth patterns I am dying to try:

The Garter-lac dishcloth
The Optical Illusion dishcloth (I think this is SO COOL looking!)
The Lizard-Ridge dishcloth
The Wheatfields dishcloth
The Bobble Sheep dishcloth (how cute is this?)

I also want to try this dish scrubbie!

This was a great topic! :-)

Just Checkin' In

Happy June, everyone. I absolutely cannot really believe it's JUNE. Where is the year going?

So, I am all signed up and ready for the Summer Dishcloth Swap! I can't wait to get my match so I can get started knitting up the cloths! I am really looking forward to a departure from that blasted pinwheel sweater. Oh it's coming along well enough. I think. It's just that knitting a round of nearly 400 stitches, then purling a round of nearly 400 stitches (and you all KNOW how much I love purling) over and over again is starting to wear on my sanity.

Knitting a quick, cool, funky dishcloth is just what I need right about now. And, of course, a bath mitt is in order! I love knitting them. Fast and the end result looks fantastic.

I've also cast on a new pair of socks. These will end up being sort of tiger-striped. With all the cats in my house, I thought it was fitting. ;-)

Next weekend, Todd and I leave for Virginia for a week. It will be nice to get away. We'll be gone June 14-21. My sister Helene and her family will also be joining us. I can't wait to see them. I haven't seen them since March. I hear that Aubrey is walking now! She's only about 9 months old. They are so cute when they are that little. Let's hope I can get my camera battery situation figured out.

Which reminds me, I gotta call the cat-sitter....

Keepin' Cool in Summer Questionnaire

Here's my questionnaire for the Keepin' Cool in Summer Dishcloth Exchange

1. Do you Knit or Crochet? For how long?

I knit and crochet; but I mostly knit 99% of the time. I've been knitting for about 4 years.

2. Do you enjoy using metal, wooden, or some other kind of needle\hook?

I enjoy all kinds, with bamboo being my least favorite. Love Addi Turbos, especially for socks.

3. What are your favorite types of yarn? Any you just can't stand?

I know everyone says they hate acrylic yarn. Straight-up acrylic is pretty much horrible to handle. But I find it's actually pretty fantastic when combined with other stuff. For example, I love 50% cotton and 50% acrylic yarn. It's soft and lovely to work with. Other favorites are merino wool, alpaca, and cashmere. (No kidding, right?) Not a huge fan of mohair, I find it way too itchy.

4. When it comes to cotton, are there any brands you'd love to try and haven't?

I've tried a lot of cotton. Let's just say, I haven't met a cotton yarn I didn't like. :-) I'd love some soft, organic stuff.

5. When you make Dishcloths, do you use them yourself, or tend to give them as gifts?

I have mostly given them as gifts. I have been known to use one as a washcloth now and then. I must add that Corinne, my dishcloth spoiler last round, made me a fabulous coral washcloth that matches perfectly in my bath; and I have used it; and I LURVE it.

6. Do you have a favorite color? Any that you dislike?

I like lots of colors! Really, it's more like what colors don't like me! For instance, I love yellow and orange, but they look hideous on me. I like heathered, natural colors the best. I'm fond of plums, sagey greens, blues, gray, terracotta, coral, browns and mocha. I like red, too. Nearing the bottom of my list are pastels. Not a huge fan of burgundy. And I hate, hate, hate teal. Teal should be obliterated from all human existence.

7. What color(s) (if any!) are your kitchen and bath decorated in?

My kitchen is sage green and black with oak cabinets. I've tried to include touches of red and plum in there to break it up. I have a couple of baths. One is done in a seashell theme, and that's coral, cream, beige, with touches of pink & light blue. The other bath is basically black & white with some taupe color in there. I'm thinking of changing it, though! Inspire me with a washcloth! :-)

8. What are your favorite scents around the house?

I like fruit scents, mostly, particularly pear and citrus. The smells of baking/coffee are always nice. I can't do candles (as much as I like them) because I have a bajillion cats (ok, 6) and they will either burn down my house or devour the candles.

9. What is your very favorite thing about summer?

Hmmm...I like that it stays light outside until like 9:00 at night.

10. What is your least favorite thing about summer?

The humidity. I can't deal with those steamy, hot days. I feel like I am sitting in soup.

11. Do you use soap or body wash in the shower?

I tend to gravitate towards body wash. But I'd welcome any cool, fancy, handmade, etc. soap!

12. What scents do you enjoy in the bath?

I like scents that are earthy and natural. I love green tea fragrances and citrus scents. Like oatmeal and honey, too. Cannot stand patchouli or cinnamon. Most florals are overpowering for me.

13. What is your favorite dishcloth pattern?

Well it's a toss-up. This and this are my utmost favorites.

14. What sort of treats do you enjoy? Sweet or Salty?

Oh, bring it ALL, baby! No Twizzlers, though. YUCK. Chocolate, of course, is the BEST. Love me a chocolate-covered marshmallow or pretzel. Fudge is awesome. I love pistachios too. Look, if it's high in calories and fat, I probably like it. ;-)

15. Imagine today is one of the hottest days of the year - what do you do to keep cool? Or are you one of those folks who loves the hot weather?

Stay inside, for one thing! I'd probably have some sorbet or lemonade.

16. What sorts of hobbies do you enjoy besides knitting or crocheting?

I like to cross-stitch and needlepoint. I can sew a bit (like curtains, pillow covers, etc.). Decoupage, paper quilling, oil-painting, pastel drawing, scrap-booking, silk-screening, photography, pottery/ceramics, origami, jewelery making, beaded fruit--- you name it and I've at least dabbled in it. Hell, I used to even make rosary beads. I'm a fairly artistic person and I like to draw and occasionally paint. I'm big on home improvement, so I do a lot of wallpapering, tile grouting, house painting, linoleum laying, etc. I love putting together Ikea furniture. How lame is that? :-P

17. Do you collect anything (besides yarn!)

Well, I often get obsessed with things. I like stuff. So it's more like "what don't you collect?" For now, I seem to be accumulating Pirate cards, animal figurines (particularly carved wood or stone ones), anything Mystery Science Theater 3000 related, Cats By Nina items, anything cat-related, jewelry, knitting books/patterns/magazine, seashells, rocks, fossils, raw gemstones, Sanrio items (like Hello Kitty, etc.), artwork by Kay McDonagh, stamps, magnets, yadda, yadda, yadda.... Oh, and cats. ^.^

18. Are you on Ravelry? If so, share your ID!

Yes! My id is: mirthful

19. Do you have any allergies?

No allergies that my pal would need to know, unless they planned on sending me some drugs. LOL (I am allergic to Sulfa drugs.) However, I do have a STRONG aversion to Indian food, particularly curry.

20. Do you have any pets?

I have 6 evil hell-beasts, er, I mean cats: Sophie, Hercules, Titus, Ophelia, Luna, and Mr. Chesterfield. Ok, well, 5 are evil. Mr. C is positively loverly.

Updates and Other Things

So, if you haven't guessed, I absolutely adored Speed Racer. So much so, that I saw it 3 times. Even Todd liked it and he hates everything. Here's a true testament to how awesome a film Speed Racer is:

Nicole and I saw it for the second time together last Tuesday. Todd, believing that we were utterly insane, went to see Iron Man instead. So Nicole and I stuffed our faces with popcorn and had a screaming good 2nd time around in a nearly empty theater. Our movie ended about 5 minutes before Todd's. We waited out in the lobby for him. He comes out. We're still all goofy and giddy from Speed Racer. Todd's looking rather morose for someone who's just come out of a celebrated blockbuster. I ask him how it was. Todd says, "Eh...it was ok. Robert Downey Jr. was good." Nicole and I were like two twittering birds on crack going on and on about Speed. We get outside and walk to the car. Todd pipes up, "Honestly...I liked Speed Racer better." O_o. I was like "WOOOO! You are getting laid tonight for admitting that!"

nb: He didn't. I was too tired. ;-)

Anyway, I have no idea why this movie is getting kicked in the nads so hard by critics. It's really fantastic. I saw it the 3rd time this Saturday past with Donna, my sister. She LURVED it. About 3/4 of the way though, she turns to me and says, "Oh, man...DVD!!!" Yeah, this one's a keeper. Totally.

Something I must say about Donna: she pretty much despises all of young Hollywood. Mention any young actor to her and she starts gagging and complaining about what a hideous douchebag he is. Her most hated? Leonardo DiCaprio. He's like the anti-Christ to her. I think he's darling. But that's just me. Although I never saw Titanic, and have no such intention either, I liked him in pretty much everything else I've seen him in. LOVED Romeo and Juliet. And I loathe modern adaptations, or rather, ABOMINATIONS of Shakespeare. Usually.

I digress. So Donna hates everybody. She thought Emile Hirsch was cute. She thought whoever the dude was who played Inspector Detector was cute. She agreed with me that Matthew Fox was hotter than 1000 suns and easily understood why I would pay 3 times to see that "in underwear, fighting ninja" scene. In fact during that scene, I looked over at her and she simply uttered, "Damn." Yeah...he's...wow....

Ok, enough.

Alrighty then, what else? Here's an updated peek at the pinwheel sweater. I made the armholes using what someone on Ravelry called the "afterthought heel." Instead of putting the stitches on holders and starting new yarn, I just used waste yarn to knit back and forth where the arms are going to be, then continued with the same ball I was using. Seems infinitely easier. Here's the picture:



So there are 41 stitches in each of the 8 pinwheel panels for a total of 328 stitches. Yeah, the knitting is getting tedious. But, there's a light (Over at the Frankenstein place. Burning in the fireplace) ahead. Once I get 43 in each panel, I switch to garter stitch to make the border/collar part. The increases get less frequent (every 6th row instead of every other row), but I should end up with 50 in each section in total, 400 stitches. So, I am almost there!

Also, here is a picture of the scarf I made for Todd. This is from the Last Minute Knitted Gifts book.

Lastly, I heard back from the moderator of the Dishcloth Swap. She was debating on having another and asked for some feedback. I learned yesterday that she is indeed hosting another one. Sign-ups begin at the end of this month, so I am going for it. I'm just glad that she's ok! :-)
Swaps are tricky beasts. I couldn't imagine hosting/moderating one. WAY too much work.

Thanks, Dishcloth Pal!

A great, big thank-you to my Defeat the Winter Doldrums Dishcloth Swap Pal for the lovely package I received yesterday!! My pal was the fabulous Corinne B. over at Craftyloca! Here's a picture of the contents:


Here are some highlights: First of all, that washcloth is the most gorgeous shade of coral. It matches perfectly with my bathroom!! Also, it's super soft and very large. I can't wait to use it! Corinne also gave me the remainder of the yarn she knit with. I think it might be enough to knit a little scrubbie puff thing! The washcloth was in that beautiful mesh bag you see in the middle of the photo. It's so pretty! Corinne, did you make the bag?

The purple yarn is Plymouth Fantasy Naturale, which is my most favorite cotton yarn EVER! I love this yarn! And I don't have any yarn in that color, so this will be fun to knit with! I love stitch markers, and these are truly beautiful! They look like hand-made, hand-painted glass. The candle smells terrific, too!

In the back underneath the Fantasy Naturale is this cute little "balloon bag!" I can't wait to use it for some of my knitting supplies! I love the bright orange color too.

Thanks so much Corinne! I absolutely adore everything! :-)