348/366

348/366, originally uploaded by hannah8ball.

This has been the week of happy mail! Today I got my Coffee & Chocolate swap package from the lovely Sheri. And oh my, was I spoiled! Lots of yarn, handknit socks (that fit PERFECTLY!!), coffee and tea, an awesome coffee cup with a sp0on (and a slot for the spoon), stitch markers she also made, and of course, chocolate. YUM!

More pics are posted here.

198/366

198/366, originally uploaded by hannah8ball.

Got my swap package today! Lots of lovely yarn, beautiful dischloths (one is HUGE!), flashing duckies (the little one LOVES them), some yummy soap, and a pattern book. Phew! Thank you so much, Anne!

185/366

185/366, originally uploaded by hannah8ball.

A quick shot of my dishcloth swap dishcloth before I send it out :) I hope she likes it.

Dishcloth Swap: Favorite Patterns

First, let me just say that I can't believe its only been a week since I last posted. So much has happened, it feels like two weeks should have passed. (Let me add that pictures are being processed as I type this, so expect to see them uploaded (and back dated) soon).

AC went out on Sunday morning. Thankfully, we had a (relatively) cool Monday, but it wasn't truly fixed until today. That's a very long time to be without cool air... in Texas... in June. And then we had planning meeting at our house (and we had a good sized group!), and then I had discipleship group, and then it was today. Phew! So, yeah, busy week.

But I digress, back to favorite dishcloth patterns.



I love dishcloths, mostly because I get bored very easily. So dishcloths are quick little knits that are done by the time I get tired of a stitch pattern. So, I make lots of them :)

My favorite stitch pattern (pictured above) is one by my favorite dishcloth designer, KT. This one is the opening hour pattern. I love the texture, I love the way this looks. I love the way this is a very functional, lovely washcloth. It was fun to knit, and well received as a gift. Definitely a winner :)

Well, I'm off to bed, it's now past 11... Have a good night!

Dishcloth Swap Questionnaire

1. Do you Knit or Crochet? For how long?
I crochet-ish. My mom taught me, but I hardly use it. Not enough time. But I do knit, pretty much every spare second. I've been knitting since Labor Day 2006, which makes this my second year. Wow.

2. Do you enjoy using metal, wooden, or some other kind of needle\hook?
I'm definitely a wooden needle kind of girl. I also like bamboo if my yarn is too slippery. I'll use metal though if I have to.

3. What are your favorite types of yarn? Any you just can't stand?
I really like pretty much any type of yarn, except the novelty stuff.

4. When it comes to cotton, are there any brands you'd love to try and haven't?
I'd like to try some cotton blends, like Cotton Fleece, or Wool Cotton. And Patagonia Nature cotton looks scrumptious.

5. When you make Dishcloths, do you use them yourself, or tend to give them as gifts?
I use them, and give them away. I love them :)

6. Do you have a favorite color? Any that you dislike?
I like the natural palette of colors, like greens, browns and blues. I also like warm reds and oranges. Yum!

7. What color(s) (if any!) are your kitchen and bath decorated in?
My kitchen is green; my bath is blue/white.

8. What are your favorite scents around the house?
Lavender, citrus

9. What is your very favorite thing about summer?
Being able to leave an air-conditioned building in which I was just freezing, and to get that warm shiver you get when your body realizes it can relax because its warm out.

10. What is your least favorite thing about summer?
The things that it does to my garden. While I love the instant sauna personally, my plants just struggle to survive between mid-July and the end of September.

11. Do you use soap or body wash in the shower?
I'm a bar soap kind of girl.

12. What scents do you enjoy in the bath?
Lavender, rosemary and mint.

13. What is your favorite dishcloth pattern?
Hmmm, for knitting or for receiving? I really like knitting interesting patterns, so something with cables, or interesting lace patterns, etc. work well for me. I rarely do the same pattern twice. As far as receiving, I like it all.

14. What sort of treats do you enjoy? Sweet or Salty?
Dark chocolate. It's not really sweet or salty, but other than chocolate, I don't really snack.

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?
Yeah, so I love the heat. But now that I've lived in Texas for a few years, I've kind of got limits to the love (the 20th day of 100+ degree weather gets old, if you know what I mean). So, to stay cool, I keep the rooms dim and watch an arctic nature movie, like March of the Penguins. ;)

16. What sorts of hobbies do you enjoy besides knitting or crocheting?
I enjoy photography and ceramics.

17. Do you collect anything (besides yarn!)
Books, maybe, but I'm trying to break that habit :)

18. Are you on Ravelry? If so, share your ID!
hannah8ball

19. Do you have any allergies?
Not that matter here.

20. Do you have any pets?
Yes, I has two kittehs.

044/366 - Firestarter

044/366 - Firestarter, originally uploaded by hannah8ball.

I have cast on the Firestarter sock. It's my second pair. Perhaps a bit ambitious, but this yarn (Paca-Peds) spoke to me, it wanted to be a Firestarter. I had no choice but to listen.

Thanks to Ravelry, I was able to translate the euro-chart into something I could understand (even after a glass of wine!), and I'm moving along swimmingly.

Doesn't the stitch marker look beautiful? Plans are to knit 4 repeats of the cable, then to start the gusset as my foot is nearly 9 inches long (which according to my trusty google calculator is 22.86 cm), whereas the pattern calls for a total of 24 cm. Four repeats instead of five should do the trick nicely, I hope.

And I'm loving this yarn. It's soft and gorgeous. And knitting up nicely on my 2.5mm KnitPicks dpns... although I'm drooling after the Harmony wood ones. Perhaps when our refund comes in? (although the husband has said that I don't get to buy anything else knitting related until I finish his sweater... so, add the frogging to the to-do list)

I can't wait to wear these socks!

043/366

043/366, originally uploaded by hannah8ball.

Guess what came in the mail?!! My swap package!!!! Deadlines weren't until 2/25, so imagine my surprise when I had a delightful package waiting for me when I got home.

The lovelyThanh of dogyarnfun was my swap partner, and wow, did she outdo herself! She made me 3 gorgeous washcloths,

stitch markers (now I don't have to use paperclips!!),

and included some yummy soap and some absolutely delish sock yarn (more on that later).

Oh, wait, there's more! She even sent some yummy Rooibos tea! Oh yeah, I'm definitely spoiled.

40/366

40/366, originally uploaded by hannah8ball.

There is something beautiful about the way the winter light washes out the color of things. It's been unseasonably warm here, so we've been taking advantage of it and playing outside every chance we can get!

The time of secrecy is over... I got the job! I can't tell you how excited I am. I get to work in a new industry, in a green industry, for a company that really seems dedicated to its employees. I'm a bit nervous as I've been working at my current job for nearly 4 years, so it's tough to leave the familiar. It is time though, and I can't be more excited about this opportunity! Now I just have to get through these next two weeks :)

Here's a bit of Defeat the Winter Doldrums minutia:

Some of us get the doldrums and others don't. For the ones who get doldrums what helps you get rid of them? For the ones who don't get the doldrums, what helps you keep them away?

I'm not really a winter doldrums sufferer. TX has really short winters, and they are rather mild. And this year, we haven't seen any winter weather at all. There's still a little bit of time for that, but it's looking like we're going to have an early summer. How to stay out of the doldrums? I plan my spring garden. Enjoy the birds who visit our bird-feeder. I sit snuggled up with my husband, a blanket and a hot cup of tea. Not a bad way to pass a cold winter's night.

Defeat the Winter Doldrums Swap Topic: Dishcloth/Dishrag/Facecloth?

Dishrag. Dishcloth. Face cloth. I've seen folks get all fired up in forums when someone refers to their knit or crochet creation as a dishrag, as that's somehow offensive to them! When you're working on yours, what do you call them? Also, is there a difference between a dishrag and a dishcloth? How bout a facecloth? Are they all really the same thing?

My response? None of the above. I call them washcloths. Little Bit calls them "wa-da" :) I think this may be a regional thing too, like some people call the things you put groceries in as either bags or sacks. I'm not one to care much about what you call it so long as it doesn't lie around in your linen closet unused. I think that's what I like most about knitting washcloths. They are small (read: fast to do), can be quite beautiful, but are also quite functional, so long as you use the right kind of cotton. On that note, I don't recommend using Blue Sky Alpacas Organic cotton for any kind of washcloth/dishcloth/whatevercloth as it feels like you're wiping your face with a wet cat. Yuck! It's much better to use this cotton for more yummy projects like baby sweaters and mitts :)

The husband has the computer tied up again today, so picture posting will have to wait until later. I've already gotten a lot done this morning: started our taxes, thinned out Little Bit's toys, cleaned up the playroom and babyroom (yes, she gets 2 rooms of the house!) and started the laundry. Whew! But I've still got more to do, so I'm off to chase my toddler and get my list done. Hope you have a good weekend!

Dishcloth Swap

So, I've seen the swaps around in blogland, but I always seem to be two steps behind and I just get to read about the packages they are preparing or receiving. However, this time, I got in on time! This one is the Defeat the Winter Doldrums Dishcloth Swap. Check it out. There is a contest open through midnight Thursday; and then registration opens up Friday morning. I can't wait!!



This is a picture of one of the many gift washcloths that I gave away this year. This pattern is Opening Hour Washcloth from the lovely Knit with KT. Isn't the texture just scrumptious? I must knit one of these for myself soon.

Here is the swap questionnaire:

1. Do you knit, crochet, or do both?
I knit. My mom taught me how to crochet when she was here last, but I have yet to pick up a hook and actually make something with it :)

2. What types of needles do you enjoy using for making dishcloths?
My current favorites are my Harmony Knit Picks circulars... it makes transporting the project oh so easy. And they are so pretty!

3. What types of cotton do you enjoy using for making dishcloths? Is there any that you've been wanting to try?
I've really been digging the Peaches n Cream cotton... its a bit softer than the Sugar n Cream I had been using... but really, it's all good. I haven't been doing this long enough to even have cotton envy... something to aspire to :)

4. What color(s) are your kitchen and bath decorated in (if any)?
Our kitchen is a lovely dark green with cherry wood (think a deep, summer forest). Our bath is a cozy dark blue.

5. What are your favorite colors for yarns? Least favorite?
I like natural-scheme colors, browns, greens, oranges, blues, etc :)

6. Do you like Winter, or do you count the days until it ends?
I live in TX, so winter is a break from the oppressive heat... I certainly welcome it when it comes, but I'm certainly ready for spring about the end of January :)

7. What's your favorite way to brighten your day when you're down in the dumps?
Spending time with my friends, drinking a delicious cup of tea or coffee (or wine, depends on how bad of a day it was), and listening to good music.

8. What is your favorite treat to indulge in and when your down in the dumps?
a hot cup of tea

9. Do you drink coffee? Tea? Cocoa?
Yes. I prefer dark coffee roasts, I'll try any kind of tea and cocoa - dark again :)

10. If you could take a vacation starting tomorrow and go anywhere for one week and money were no object, where would you go and what would you do?
I would go to Costa Rica and spend a week in the rainforest

11. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should be aware of?
Not that I can think of :)