NEW Super Sox Box Swap: Join In!

Here's my plug for a new knitter's swap that I'm coordinating...the Super Sox Box Swap.
It's a knitter's swap that includes a handmade sock knitting bag, yummy yarn to knit one pair of adult socks, a sock patterns, a knitting gadget, and 3 treats for your secret pal. The rules, information and questionnaire are at the swap blogsite. Please take a look. YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE A BLOG TO JOIN IN!:)
This swap hosting is new to me, so bear with me! Thanks!

My Thoughts Today on My Morning Coffee and Housework!

Felted Bag Exchange

1. How long have you been knitting or crocheting? How did you learn? Since a young teen, from my very crafty grandmother. I've recently in the past few years started knitting again, and started knitting socks this year and I'm now a sockaholic, I think....I love socks. I've felted a few fun coin purses and a Booga Bag from Black Sheep Bags. In Noro, color 95. :)
2. What are your favorite yarns to knit\crochet felted bags with? Noro Kureyon, Cascade 220 are the only 2 I've tried so far.
3. What are your favorite needles to knit\crochet with? Birchwood, Rosewood. I only knit. Short wooden dpns are my favorites.
4. What are the last 3 bags you knitted\crocheted (include URL for Yahoo! or flickr album or your blog if you have them!)? You can also link to patterns if you don't have pictures of your finished objects! See Booga Bag pattern above!
5. Do you carry the bags that you make, give them as gifts, or both? It's mine! The one and only felted, so far. :)
6. What is your favorite felted bag that you have made for yourself? Booga Bag.
7. What are your favorite colors? Do you like bags in these colors or choose other colors? Most of the Noro colorways, jewel tones, pinks, teals, purples, reds, blues, etc. Black, too. Currently my favorites are the pink and brown colorways..it reminds me of chocolate covered cherries. Can you tell I'm hungry while answering this questionnaire?
8. Chocolate: White, Milk, Dark, or not so much? milk chocolate, Yumm-o!
9. Coffee, Tea, or Milk? coffee-aholic!
10. Do you prefer sweet or salty treats? What kinds? sweet. :) chocolate or Swedish Fish. Cookies are a favorite, too. My new favorite: Nonni's biscotti!
11. If you went into Bath and Body Works and could only come out with one item, what would it be and what would it smell like? Chocolate Mocha Body Cream or Cinnamon Bun Body Wash!
12. Do you enjoy any other crafts or hobbies? Do you collect anything? I quilt, but not for the past few months. I knit. I collect costume pins to wear on sweaters and my favorite brown corduroy/ jean jacket, and yarn. Yes, I collect yarn. Sock yarn. Don't tell hubby how much!
13. Are there any bag patterns you have not yet knit, but hope to someday? Some Noni felted bag patterns (Adventure Bag and Night Garden) and a cute bag from SWTC...the Itty Bitty Bucket Bag.
14. What is currently OTN (on the needles) for you? Socks, socks, socks...and a Booga Bag.
15. What is your most recent finished object before that? socks for my son.
16. What's cutest: Puppies, Piggies or Pixies? Puppies (mine is 10 wks old!)
17. Do you enjoy reading? Books, Magazines, or both? both
18. Do you have any children? (kid-kind or pet-kind apply!) 3 sons, a puppy, and a geriatric shepherd.
19. What are some of your favorite yarns for other projects? For socks, see blogside bar...Koigu, Fleece Artist, Colorfullife.etsy.com (great yarns!), most superwash fingering Merino yarn.
20. And for the final question, one I see debated all over: Novelty Yarn: Love it! Hate it! or It depends! Sorry, but I dislike it. Natural fibers are my lovies!

Monkey Swap 2 Questionnaire 4/07

Monkey Sock Swap TWO Questionnaire

The basics:
How long have you been knitting? Since a teen, but seriously for just the past few years. Currently addicted to knitting socks.

Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep? intermediate

The measurements:
Shoe Size: Women's 10
Foot circumference: 9.5 inches
Foot length: 10.25 inches

Yarn Preferences: superwash merino type, or any natural fiber. My favorites are listed on the sidebar on my blog. :)
What colors do you love? jewel-toned or autumn colorways. Brights are great, too. So are summer beachy colors... I like everything except white, I think. :)

Do you prefer solids or variegated? Either.

Do you prefer wool, cotton or acrylic yarn? definitely wool or natural fibers.

What colors would you never wear? white, or neon colors.

Knitting Gadgets
Favorite needles. Plastic, metal, bamboo or wood? I like wooden dpns, and I'd like to try circs for sock knitting somethime.


Are there any knitting accessories you don't have in your collection but would like? I think I'd like to add circs to my stash to try magic loop, perhaps. Haven't tried that, yet.

Would you be willing to have an international Monkey Pal or do you prefer one in the US? Either is fine.

Do you have any allergies? No

Mr. Duck babysitting Annie the Pup and Socks, my WIP

Above is Mr. Duck (yes, he lives here...Mr. and Mrs. Duck, and a geriatric chicken, Sonja). He often peers through the back slider doors...hoping for a handout...slice of bread,popcorn, anything...and he is loud, and leaves poop at the doorstep...yuck! So, I refuse to feed him at the door. Sometimes he taps the glass, like he's at a drive-thru window. Here, he's peering inside, watching Annie, the new pup. Annie is definitely smaller than the duck right now!
Here is my progess on the Oceania sock, mentioned earlier this week. I didn't put the sock on a blocker, so it's not beautiful, but I love it.
It's a sunny day here, at the moment. I wanted to go take my yarn stash (while hubby wasn't home), pile it into huge wooden baskets and etc...and realized that this task was monumental...and instead, I need to hide my stash. :)
Nap time is next, as I went to sleep after 1 am, and up at 4:17 am with this blasted tooth. Vicodin is my friend. By the way, seriously, I'm only taking the Vicodin because of a tooth extraction yesterday. Perhaps I shouldn't kid around about stuff like this. Sorry. :)
I could really use ice cream right now. I wonder if my 18 yr old would bring me some on his way home from school. Hmmm..

Wednesday Ramblings While on Pain Meds

Not much today...I had a tooth extracted (not my first) and after the wonderful Novocaine wore off, and even after the 2 Vicodin...I'm NOT a happy camper!!! Not even close. :( I've got an ice pack on my cheek, and although I'm an RN, I'm not a good patient. I'm a ninny. Truthfully, I know that all is fine and this is just a little thing, and I'm grateful to my Lord for all He has done for me, but I'm just in a bit of a cranky mood and have PMS, I think. :)
Actually, it's a nice, quiet evening. All of the family is at church tonight, where I'd love to be, but I'm home in my jammies, taking pain meds and using an ice pack, and actually enjoying the peace and quiet. I hate missing fellowship with my church family, but this is the best place for me tonight.
The weather here in NH is OK, but the flooding has caused havoc in our state for many...still without electricity, phone, and water in their homes...deep, and some have been evacuated. Most of us have had no school this week, but since we homeschool, school presses on! :) The town crew surprised me tonight by quick patching our lower driveway, so we can pass over it safely, and hopefully they'll be back in a few weeks to address the drainage problem and give a more permanent solution to the washed away driveway...we have a little bridge to go over to the road...I'd like to be able to travel from my home to the rest of the world! :) Of course, all of this rambling is nothing compared to the VT massacre that I'm watching on Fox News right now. I pray that God will comfort the families and students.
Annie (our baby Schnoodle) is adjusting well to life in our home. She has an exercise pen (3ftx6 ft) in the kitchen corner and seems happy. Sleeps well at night without whining. Eliminating and voiding on the pads like a good little girl....plays well with the kids...Toby is still a bit wary of her...and she goes to the Vet on Friday for her check-up. I can't believe I have a puppy just 2 weeks after Hannah died, but I love this little love bug, and feel like it was the right choice...I pray that we have a good 14 years or so with Annie!
While I'm rambling on...how about knitting? I'm on the foot of my Oceania blue socks (see color in a previous post this week) and hoped to knit tonight, but this tooth is a real bugger. In fact, I'm going to go try to sleep a bit. Sorry for no pictures tonight!
I received a wonderful box from my Bookmark Exchange pal, Jill, and I'll post about it tomorrow. Thanks again, Jill!

Introducing Annie Ruth

I am proud to announce an addition to our family! Annie Ruth. She's a 9 week old Schnoodle (half Schnauzer/half Poodle) and a joy to have. Of course, she's been with us for only 14 hours!
She's gentle, loving, eager to play, wees on her housetraining pads (can't go outside yet, we still have wet nasty snow, rain, flooding, etc...), and seems to enjoy her puppy playpen, along with a comfy bed (cat bed, really) a soft stuffed dog (we call her lovey "bunny", don't ask why), and everyone in the human family has done well in not smothering her, and allowing her to rest and sleep. When awake, she's ready to play, without being obnoxious.
Her coloring is black, with white on her chest and paws. Very Schnauzer-ish mannerisms. I like that. I know that "Annie" is close to "Hannah" (may she rest in peace), but she LOOKS like an Annie! Toby isn't sure what to think of her. He knows she's not a rodent or toy, and seems either bored by her, or realizes she's a puppy.
So, I welcome Annie to our family. :)

Deja Vu Flooding...NH Style

Here we are, surrounded on top of a hill in the middle of NH, and we're flooded! Or, at least, our land is. See pic. At least this time, our basement is dry and not calf-deep. See the "brook" in the photo? We have no brook! It's water off from the housing development behind us, I think. Oh, and the driveway has a gully, the driveway gravel is at the bottom of the lawn, and the ducks are having a ball in the pond (that doesn't exist, really). However, I AM grateful to the Lord for no flooding inside, the electricity, no school today, my healthy family, and everything else. :) No griping here. My poor neighbor has water up to her knees in her cellar, and it's coming through her first floor walls. She'll be over for coffee and warm goodies later, I pray.
Sam's socks are finished, they're a plain, basic stockinette leg in his favorite colors. I finished them at 9pm last night, and he wore them to bed. I can't get his new socks off him!
On the needles now: a Spring treat of All Things Heather hand dyed "Oceania" superwash Merino in Sock Weight. I'm using size 2 dpns and still selecting my leg stitch pattern from SKS for my gauze. Probably something lacey. I love this color!

SP10 Quest for Yarn...

Hmmm...what has been my wildest quest for yarn? Stalking shops, eBay, Etsy, or my best friend's stash...nope, it hasn't been a global quest for any exotic yarn. Most of my "must have" yarns have been found and bought, or given to me. However, early on in the yarn stash search, my desire for Blue Moon Fiber Art's Socks That Rock yarn led me to buy many (MANY) of their colorways, in various weights...online in their shop, eBay, and now...through their RockinSockClub...where a box almost magically appears on my doorstep every 2 months, with a luscious skein of a new yarn, some goodies, and a new sock pattern. Instant, and ongoing, gratification! So...a quest for ONE skein of yarn, led to a $210 commitment to a sock club. Ha ha. Hubby doesn't quite know the extent of my fiber addiction...yet! :)
Of course, I still go to LYS for my hands-on "fiber fixes". That is a must. Joining the Blue Moon Socks That Rock club has just ensured a steady supply to meet my needs. :)

My First Hand-Dying Yarn Class...I'm hooked

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to take a yarn dying class at Yarn and Fiber in Windham, NH...with Cheryl Potter of Cherry Tree Hill Yarns!!! Whoo Hoo...it was a fun, educational, and eye-opening 3 hr. class. :) And...I came home with a skein of my own creation in Supersock 100% merino fingering weight. Wow! I learned a lot on how dyers create their colorways, and then we did an exercise on how to take an experience, place, event, feeling, attitude, etc...and translate it into a colorway! Cheryl is a great instructor, and I was very pleased with the free-feeling of creating my own colors and bringing the skein home. I think I'm hooked. I started to make a coffee colorway....all sorts of coffee, expresso, cream, etc...a java type theme...but I inadvertently ended up with mulberry, some burgundy, wierd blues, etc...and now it is called "Coffee and Cobbler"...I think of my morning coffee and a bowl of homemade berry cobbler. I can't wait to knit it. First, socks for Sis' birthday and then for Mom for...Mother's Day, of course. I began Sam's camouflage "army socks" Wed. night, and I'm just about finished with the second sock, with only an inch to go on the toe...these socks were a breeze, straight from Sensational Knitted Socks...I used Fearless Fibers Sportweight "Duck Season" colorway, and on size 3 needles, cast on 48 stitches, and it fits my 8 yr old son's 8 inch long foot perfect. He's so happy that he's shown everyone we've seen, including our Pastor this morning. I bring my sock sack with me everywhere I go, in case I get a few extra minutes to knit. It's amazing how much knitting can be done everyday while just squeezing in a few minutes hereand there!
I also have met my next little girl, I think. NO, not a human daughter...a Schnoodle...half Schnauzer, half poodle. Sigh. She's 10 weeks old, black and salt and pepper with some white patches on her paws, yet cut as a Schnauzer. Sigh again. She's a love bug. I didn't mean to fall in love with her, although I have. If she joins our family, her name is...
Annie.
Annie looks like an Annie. That's why. So...stay posted, because I will certainly post about whether or not she comes home with us tomorrow. Call me nuts. I need to pray about this. Hubby is no help. He's an animal lover, too...but more level headed, I think. We'll see. I miss Hannah so much. I don't want to get a dog for the wrong reasons, and it has been 13 years since I had to train a puppy!
Weather Report: Snow, snow, snow. Nor'Easter, so they say, here in New England.