Convoluted String

I did just receive the most amazing and impressive and totally overwhelming package from SweetPea16!  I have been totally knocked off my feet by this lovely, lovely box of goodies.  Here are some photos.

The fabled yellow box and a quick peek at the total contents:

Close ups of the non-fiber goodies.  A notebooks - a whole gosh-darned notebook - of lovely lace patterns (one of which is already on the needles, more on that later), two sets of circs for lace knitting, a kitchener stitch dogtag, a mini sock blocker (with a pattern for the mini socks - also on the needles…), a very cute sheep bank who will hold my stash money for me, a gorgeous double-stick shawl pin, and (best of all) postcards and stickers made from  Eva’s own photographs.  I’ve already framed my fave and have it on my desktop as I type.  Don’t tell my mother, but I took her photo’s frame and now I’m looking at wool instead of her…

The Fibery goodness: Knit Picks Shadow in Vineyard (because my swapee knew I hadn’t used it yet), two fab sock yarns: Regia Medina in blues, browns, and greens (It is the Jazz Stripes colorway.) and (something I’ve never seen before) Wollbutt (snort!) in amazing seaglass colors - just perfect, Eva, as well as two different lux lace yarns from Colourmart - one angora-wool and one cashmere-wool!, and ***best of all*** some of Eva’s own handspun. Wait.  You need to see a close up of this:

It is amazing.  Beautiful blues and greens with just the hint of sparkle.  It’s the one I’ve already cast on, of course, in one of the lace patterns Eva sent.  I was torn between just admiring it in it’s skeined-up goodness or getting in my fingers.  The fingers won out.  Eva thinks it is not soft, but oh, is she wrong.  It feels just divine.  It will soon be Seafoam Lace as the colors just cry out for a sea-ish kind of lace, don’t you think?  It is the most generous gift - to send someone your own handspun - and I will cherish this fibery goodness.

Thank you so much, Eva.  Now, let’s get going on the lace mini-kal, shall we?

Favorite Color Swap Questionnaire

1. What are your top three favorite colors? Hmmm.  I think maybe the colors of pebbles at the edge of the beach.  Deep slate blues, grays, sea-glass green.  It’s so hard to pick a favorite because it changes with the project, the time of year, my whims and fancies…

2. What crafts do you really enjoy? I knit, and weave, and spin (a little - I’m learning still).  I also have been known to throw a few pots and do a little stained glass work as well.

3. What products do you really covet? I love fibers from small local producers.  Oh, and I have been searching high and low for those beautiful ebony double pointed knitting needles from Germany.  I used to have a few in sock needle sizes, but they have fallen by the wayside - lent out to other knitters, the casualties of crazy patterning, or lost among the seat cushions.  I can’t find them anywhere in the US, but they must still be available, right?  Non-knitting, I love teas and spices that are regional. 

4. What other activities do you enjoy besides your favorite crafty things?  I garden and I cook.  I love kayaking and hiking too, although I don’t get to do that as often as I’d like.  I read a lot - I love mysteries from authors like Henning Mankell and Martha Grimes, and science stuff - physics and ecology.

5. Is there anything you collect? Not really, although the house does seem to be overrun with yarn and roving, so I guess you could call it a collection if you were feeling generous.  I do have a lot of things around that have ginko leaves on them for some reason.  It didn’t start as a collection, but it may be turning into one…

6. What is your zodiac sign and/or Chinese zodiac symbol? I am a Taurus and I was born in the year of the ram.

You Were Born Under:

Your most comfortable inside your head - and often daydream the day away. You have an artistic temperament that makes you seem creative to some, eccentric to others. You avoid conflict at all costs, and you have a difficult time with relationships. Attractive and with good manners, you tend to shine in social situations.      You are most compatible with a Pig or Rabbit.

7.What are your favorite… …scents/smells? …types of music and/or bands? …authors? …animals? …places to shop? …season? …yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies? …candies or goodies?
Oh, scents and smells?  I’d have to say peppermint, lavendar, citrus, anise. 
Music - almost all kinds.  I like some opera, folk, some alternative pop, fado, some dancehall reggae. 
Authors? I really like sardonic and complicated characters.  I like mysteries and hard science best, but read almost everything.  My latest favorite is the Swedish author Henning Mankell. 
Animals?  Fiber producing ones, for sure.  Also, I’m a dog person more than a cat person and I have an enormous affinity for tortoises and elephants.
Places to shop? I’m an awful shopper.  I like Etsy because I like the ethics of shopping from small producers and I love handcrafted stuff.  Other than that, I like to visit farmer’s markets more than stores and like art/craft galleries more than malls.  Of course, I will go into any yarn store I can find.
Season?  Definitely autumn.  I love the russety colors, the crisp air, the harvest vegetables and fruits.
Yarn/fabric/paper/other craft supplies? I love anything crafty - but I greatly prefer natural things, glass beads, wool and linen, thick pulpy papers, and the like.
Candies or goodies?  I like salty things and chocolate, candied orange rinds, teas and coffee, oh and jams and marmalades. 

8. Do you have any wish lists?  No, not really.  I have lots of projects I want to make someday, etc. but no wish lists.

9. Are you allergic to anything? I’m not allergic to anything, but I’m not fond of strong perfume-y smells.

10. Do you have any pets? What are they? I have three dogs, a 2-year-old Weimaraner named Henry and two very old rescue dogs, a whippet named Oliver and a border collie mix named Jewelle (My daughter’s dog/name.  I tried to get her to name her Joule - same pronounciation, but an entirely more apt meaning…)

11. Please include anything else you would like your secret pal to know about you- anything that would be helpful in finding you little gifts that you will really enjoy. Also, if you have a Ravelry ID, please include it here. Ravelry ID: ConvolutedString.  Other than that, what can I tell you?  I was either meant to be born in some hippie commune somewhere or was meant to be a Canadian, I think.  I am a big recycler, have a share membership in a local farm, and believe in working for peace and equality.  I can’t think of much else to say…

I don’t blog.  Really.  But I do knit.  A lot.  And I do like to look at the blogs of other knitters for ideas and inspiration.  So, while I may not post often or well, I will attempt to post when I am working on something that I think may be interesting to others.  Or perhaps just when the mood strikes me.

 Right now I am excited to participate in Favorite Color Swap 3 and am eager to meet my swap partners both upstream and down.

 Color is something that I am fascinated by.  I love combinations that just feel right, although I could never explain to anyone else why that is so; eggplant and cocoa brown with a little blue thrown in, say, or a deep rust. 

I think that I am drawn to natural colors, greens and browns, with a splash of something bolder thrown in for interest.

A sycamore tree’s bark in the fall

Some beautiful hand-dyed roving from Butternut Woolens

A a current sweater sleeve, wool from Philosopher’s Wool