All Hallow's Eve Dishcloth Swap Box

I have been majorly spoiled by my swap partner for the All Hallow’s Eve Dishcloth exchange. My spoiler was Alaina P. and she did a great job! Look at all the great stuff my swap partner sent me, isn't this great! The yarn in the picture below is Blue Sky and it is so soft I can't believe it, and it is laying on one of the two dishcloths, aren't the colors wonderful, so fall-like.
Here is the second dishcloth that was in the box, it is a beautiful pattern and I love it. Note the cute tissue paper that Alaina used, I couldn't find anything that cute.
This cruddy picture is the one for the darling stitch markers, sorry it is soooo bad. However the stitch markers are so cute, it has two bats and two ghosts. I love them, just wish the picture was better.

This pix had the cute little dish towel on it, that I used on Halloween. The box also included candy (Starbucks’s tasting candy) yummy; a magnetic notepad with snoopy and a pumpkin on it; shower gel (vanilla, my favorite) and Burt’s Bees Beeswax lip balm. There was also a candle that smells like cloves, it has an elusive aroma that is great, not too cloying.




Alaina had a postcard in the box (very good idea); and she is so ingenious- the box was actually a box for photo storage, with the cards that I can find so many uses for. Knitting or pix? This will be the question.


Thank you Alaina, I love the package!

Topic #4 AHEDE &. . .

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?
C) Ireland

Q2: Halloween is the 2nd most successful commercial Holiday - what's the first?
A) Christmas

Q3: What is the intense fear of Halloween called?
B) Samhainophobia

Q4: The mask worn by Michael Meyers in Halloween (the Movie) was actually a mask of who?
D) No one - it was an old hockey mask

Q5: In 2004, what was the most popular Halloween Candy?
A) Candy Corn

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!

Chocolate is always my favorite candy, doesn’t matter if it has nuts, nougat, caramel or anything else in it, I just love chocolate.

Guess what, I found my knitting needles and all the paraphernalia that I normally keep together! I was so happy; I hated the thought of buying all of that stuff all over again, with so much money tied up in it. It’s funny, when I started knitting, I did not think about the cost, just that it was something to keep my hands busy, but now when I had to think about replacing most of my stuff, I was in a panic.

I went back to work today, but I was so rested after five whole days of not working (I did not even turn on my work computer) that it’s okay. My daughter’s boyfriend and I built most of the computer desk that we put in the loft area. It wraps two walls, but my daughter and I will have room for all of our computers and not be constantly bumping into one another. I need to put some finishing touches on it and then we will be able to unpack another 20 boxes. Ohhhh boy!

Topic #3

For the All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Swap:

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?

I think this topic is weird; after all, isn’t Halloween when we can get all weirded out and decorate to the max? The decorations for Halloween are supposed to be different, strange, and unusual just to meet the Halloween-type expectations. I do have to say though, that I once had a neighbor who had a horse pasture in front of their house that they decorated so much, that you could not see the house, and they let people drive through it (just like a Christmas exhibit, except for the colors, music, and type of decorations.) I just don’t have the energy to put that many decorations up or to take them down; if I did that, they would probably be the still out when it came time to decorate for Christmas. :-)

Topic 2

For the All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Swap:

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?

I haven’t been here long, but the nights have turned very cool, the days are shorter and the trees are already losing their leaves. My mums have bloomed, and the AC was shut down several weeks ago (and I can open my windows for the first time in years, allergies are not as bad here as they were in GA). The light in the sky always gets a special glow in the autumn, my favorite time of year (yes, even before the springtime). If I were an artist, I would stand outside in the middle of the day and paint in an attempt to catch that special light, as it is, I can only sit and appreciate the light.

All Hallows Eve Dishcloth Swap Questionnaire

It is time for another seasonal discloth exchange, go here if you want to play, they are usually a lot of fun :-)

Knotting Yarn
1. Do you knit or crochet? For how long?
I have knitted for 5 or 6 years, I can't get my fingers around crochet, though I have been trying.

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 love Knitpicks Options, but I also like Addis, however I normally use bamboo for washcloths.

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 like both kinds of projects, there is room for both in my life. I like to work on the complex projects when I am sitting around in the evening, but small fast projects are great for when I am on the go, or in waiting rooms.

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 just received a cloth from Angela in Dish Rag Tag that was beautiful, it was a soft pink and white, and it worked the pattern so well.

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?
I always love stitch markers, the prettier the better, I will normally look for the prettiest or the oddest ones I have whenever I need them.

Petting Yarn
6. What are your favorite yarns to work with? Any you hate or are allergic to?
I am not allergic to any yarns, ones I dislike are acrylic, but I do use it out of necessity, and it works better for some projects. My ultimate favorite yarn is alpaca; I like it so much that I would like to have an alpaca ranch as a second career.

7. What colors do you like to use in projects? Any we'd never catch on your needles?
I like happy colors and I notice they knit up faster for me; I dislike working on dreary colors, especially in the winter when the weather gets dreary. I love yarns that are the color of the ocean, pastel pink, red, yellow, greens. . .

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

Halloween, Fall, and General Stuff
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 like gels, with earthy scents, not flowery, musk, vanilla, cinnamon.

10. What's more 'Halloweeny' - Ghosts, Pumpkins, or Witches?
Witches, though I was pumpkin for Halloween one year when I was 6 months pregnant.

11. What's your favorite Treat to get? Sweet or Salty? Anything you're allergic to or just hate?
I love Turtle Chex mix and milk chocolate, but I also like old fashioned candy, licorice bears, root beer barrels, etc.

12. What was your favorite Halloween Costume as a kid? As an adult??
A special clown costume that my mom made for me, one side was stripes and the other was polka dots and I loved it. I used it for pajamas when Halloween was over. As an adult, I would have to say the pumpkin costume or when I dressed up as the old woman in the shoe.

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

14. Anything else you'd like to be sure your pal knows? I like to read as well as knit, in fact sometimes I will read and knit at the same time. You can find out lot of stuff about me if you read my blog :-).

DOT Dog Days of Summer Swap

Wow, I got the most wonderful swap package from my secret pal at Dogs on Thursday. She made both of my dogs blankies, which they both love
(see the pictures below of Lola sleeping in her’s)
and of course Jack thinks the blankies should be his.
She also included the most luscious yarn, Araucania’s Nature Wool that is soft and wonderful (but my batteries in my camera died as I was getting reay to take a pix of it, grrrrr). There was a darling key chain,
vanilla cookies for dogs, chocolate tea and Turtle Check Mix for me. In addition, Criquette did not forget the cats; she sent Jack and Jill a pack of snacks (that they got in a fight over) and Onyx a box of white cheddar crackers that I made her share with me. :-) then there was this huge glove / groomer that works on all of the animals, which is great!
Thank you Criquette, I appreciate everything you sent and I loved your wonderful letter to me.