Christmas Around The World Questionnaire!

1. Are you religious?
Yes – Scots Presbyterian

2. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider yourself a Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced?
I have been knitting on and off most of my life, I would say
over 30 years, I would consider myself Intermediate to
Advanced.

3. Do you have any other hobbies besides knitting?
Movies – especially the 30’s and 40’s
Dogs
Collecting sock yarn

4. Favorite color(s)?
Fall brights, oranges, browns, deep reds, berry colours, deep
blues, and purples. I am not fond of pastel colours.

5. Do you collect anything?
China teapots, rabbits, sock yarn, stray animals.

6. Are you allergic to any fibers or animals?
No allergies

7. Do you have any pets?
Yes, 4 dogs and 1 long haired cat.

8. Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate?
Tea drinker, but not flavored, plain simple black tea with milk.

9. Cookies or Sweets?
Cookies

10. Do you knit socks?
Doesn’t everyone – they are my passion.

11. If not socks then what? (tell us about your favorite knits)
I also knit sweaters, mittens, hats, scarves, blankets, baby items

12. Do you put up a Christmas tree? If not then what do you do?
Live Christmas tree, every year.

13. Favorite holiday treats?
Shortbread, ginger cake, fruit cake (with lots of brandy).

14. Favorite holiday smells?
Ginger, cinnamon, pine, mincemeat.

15. Do you celebrate Christmas in a traditional or unconventional way? Please elaborate.
Very traditional, snow, tree, carols, fire, punch, red, green,
silver, Rudolph, Christmas Carol, Wonderful Life – that kind of
Christmas

16. What are your favorite holiday traditions?
Buying the tree the week after Thanksgiving, making punch
from the same recipe each year, baking shortbread, making my
own fruitcake and mincemeat

17. Finish the sentence: “For me Christmas is all about....”
Family and friends.

18. If you were a Christmas ornament you would be…….?
I would be “Holly Cow”, 24 years ago we bought an angel cow
dressed in a holly dress, with wings and a halo, she has been the
ornament on the top of our tree ever since.

19. What was your favorite gift you've ever received? Or given?
My husband gave me a string of pearls for our first Christmas.
The favorite gift I gave was an entire set of Royal Doulton China
to my parents for their 25th wedding anniversary. (They were
married on New Year’s Eve) – my mother couldn’t stop crying.

20. When do you start your Christmas?
We always start putting up decorations on the 7th of December.
That’s the date we decorated the house and the tree when I was
a child and we keep the same tradition.

21. Do you send Christmas cards? Do you make them or buy them?
Yes, we buy them, but it takes me ages to pick out just the right
ones.

22. What is your favorite Christmas dish?
Brussel sprouts – you have to be from the UK to understand.

23. Carolers are at your door. What do you do?
Open the door, join in, then ask them in for a drink.

24. When do you open presents? Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
Christmas morning.

25. Do you celebrate with family or friends or both?
We celebrate Christmas with family. New Year’s we celebrate
with both family and friends.

Christmas Around the World

I received my invitation this morning for the Christmas Around the World Swap and am now waiting for my questionnaire and my swap pal. The swap parcel is to come from your stash and should include traditions from your childhood and native country. This is my fourth swap for the autumn/winter, and before I over extend myself, it will be my last.

HSKS Questionnaire

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?

Ravenclaw

2. List your favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length. Or would you prefer circulars?

Crystal Palace dpns, 1(Us), 6"

3. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?

Surprise me, what ever brand my swap partner chooses will be fine.

4. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?

As a purist I should say the book, but I like the colours from the films better.

5. Do you have any allergies?

Yes, I'm alergic to no more Harry Potter books!

6. If you are swapping scarves - what is your desired length for the pattern? This will help your partner find the pattern that is just right for you and buy yarn accordingly.

Doesn't apply, not swapping scarves.

Feeling left out................

I have received two of my three swap partners and am enjoying talking with them. I can't tell you who my Monkey Pal is as that's a secret but I have send a couple of annonymous emails and been lurking on her blog. However, I can tell you for the HSKS3, I will be knitting Chrissie, and my package will be going to Singapore. I am feeling a little left out however, as I don't know who will be knitting for me as I haven't heard from either my monkey or swap pal. Perhaps they are enjoying an end of the summer holiday and haven't received my name yet.

The Secret of the Stole has 573 participants are present and it still have over a month to go before it begins. The yarn and bead specifications are posted now, giving you some time to find the perfect yarn and the perfect bead combination.

If you enjoyed MS3 or missed MS3 and wished you hadn't then the Secret of the Stole is just what you have been waiting for. Begining October 5 from a pattern created by Nautical Knitter, it's getting wonderful buzz, a mention on the Daily Chum, has pushed the membership to 170 (now its 333) at present. If you are member of Ravelry there is a KAL Group you can join. (Starts October 5th - finished in time to wear for New Years Eve)

Monkey Sock Swap THREE

Questionnaire

The basics: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? I could probably knit socks in my sleep.

The measurements:

Shoe Size: 7 1/2 - 8

Foot circumference: 10" (widest part)

Foot length: 9"

Yarn Preferences:

What colors do you love? I love fall brights, berries, reds, oranges, browns, purples I am not a pastel girl no lilacs, limes, or pinks.

Do you prefer solids or variegated? I like variegated sock yarns, not a huge fan of self striping.

Do you prefer wool, cotton or acrylic yarn? I prefer wool, I am not a fan or cotton, acrylics or bamboo.

What colors would you never wear? Anything pastel.

What are your favorite brands of yarn? Yarntini, Vesper, Yarnahoy, Sunshine Yarn, Yarn Pirate, Hand Maiden, Briar Rose, STR, Sweet Georgia, Shelridge Farms, Dream in Colour, Knittery, Van Calcer Acres, I am a huge fan of indie dyers and am always on the look out for someone new.

Are there any new brands you would like to try? Wollmeise, Lime and Violet, Gypsy Knits, Three Irish Girls, Lavender Sheep, Yarn Love.

Cookie A. Patterns:

Which of her patterns have you already knit? Monkey and Pomatomus

Which pattern(s) would you like to knit and don’t already own? Flicker, Mona and Twisted Flower are just beautiful.

Other pertinent information:Would you be willing to have an international Monkey Pal or do you prefer one in the US?

I don't have a preference.

Do you have any allergies? No

Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals? I don't smoke but I do have four dogs and a cat.

Are you on Ravelry yet? Yes

If you don’t mind having new friends, what is your Ravelry name? Knitlesstolife.

Sign ups for

Monkey Sock Swap 3

close on August 31st.

Swaps

If you are looking for a new knitting swap or have never tried a swap and have always wanted to, I have just signed up for three that you mind find appealing.


Harvest Sock Swap 07 , and has a knitting twist that I have not seen before. Sign ups will close on September 18th.

Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap does not involve sock knitting but putting together a sock kit (yarn, needles pattern) in Hogwarts house colours. Your crafty contribution is the House Bag, which can either be knitted or sewn in choosen house colours. Sign ups will close on August 29th.

If you are a Monkey Sock Knitter, or are thinking of joining the thousands who are there is even a Swap for you, but sign up fast it closes on August 31.

If these aren't up your alley check out Knit-Alongs and Swaps for existing and upcoming events.

Ravelry

I received my invitation on Friday and have been playing with it every since. It is very addictive and you can easily lose a few hours without even knowin it. If you love to knit or crochet and are not on the list for an inviation you need to be. Ravelry is truly amazing!!

Go with the Flow

They arrived my Sockapalooza Socks!!!

Knitted by the wonderful Elizabeth, of Calgary. How great to have another Canadian knitting for me. They are Go with the Flow from Interweave Favorite Socks, knitted in Lorna's Laces Mixed Berries colourway. I thought they looked a little narrow in the foot before I put them on, but as you can see the first perfectly, the heel is snug (just the way I like it), absolutely the perfect length and width in the foot and just the right stretch around my calf. Elizabeth is a lovely knitter, I could not have wished for prettier socks.

Elizabeth was very generous and included a cute canvas knitting tote, with a great front pocket, the colours match the sock really well, and a great tin of Simpkins Sour Cherry Drops, the perfect travelling or knitting sweet. I love my Mountie postcard, almost gives a girl Scarlett Fever. My wish is that Elizabeth is as thrilled with her sock pal socks as I am with hers.

From This................To This

I took my own advice and turned this yarn into


these socks. I bought this yarn from Yarnahoy, through her Esty shop, the colour is Indigg, but I think it looks more like summer ices. This would have been my choice for sockopalooza except for the orange. It's 100% Superwash Merino. Yarnahoy is also available on Woolgirl, the sock is wonderfully soft and the colours are a huge wow factor.

Islay just had to get in the picture,

she wants to show her new hair summer cut.

The pattern is Grapvine from More Sensational Knitted Socks, the indigo and purples made me think of full ripe grapes on the vine. They are almost identical twins, off about two rows but I really like they way they turned out.

The yarn is a self-striping and using a slip stitch toe decrease creates a faux fair isle effect. I like the pooling around the ankle bone, it creates a definite right and left foot.

Eye of Partridge heel, creates the faux fair isle heel. The feet well, not to snug on the leg or the foot, and even though this is 100% merino yarn there is a slight springy stretch for comfort. When I blocked they bled ever so slightly, a little light pink, now do I keep them for me or put them in the Christmas present sock drawer. If you look on the blog roll you will see that joined the Christmas KAL - so much knitting and so little time.

If you are looking for sock fun the August pattern on Socktopia is going to be a mystery sock. Every Monday (starting with this coming Monday), a section of the pattern will be released until by the end of the month you have your finished socks .

It seems that cable socks are the fashion for the coming winter season, Six Socks KAL has released a lovely cable using Rowan 4ply soft, Pick Up Sticks sock club for August is a lovely green cable, and Interweave arrived in the mail yesterday with a large section on cable and patterns for cable socks. It just goes to show that everything old is new again.