March Swap - Fat Quarters

And finally.... the last post for today is a picture of the fabric that I received from my swap pal as part of the March swap on the CTnY forum.

I received 3 gorgeous Fat Quarters that coordinate with each other, as well as some pretty beads and buttons keeping with the theme.


Everything was tied up in a pretty red ribbon. The 'sheep' on the tag must be the clue to my spoiler who I think was Franney, but will have to double check.


The little pink and black box is adorable. I'm guessing my pal made this. We've only ever made mini boxes out of recycled Christmas cards so they've never looked that great. I'm really impressed with this little pink and black number so will have to keep it in mind next time I make one.

I was late sending out my package to my swap pal but hopefully it will make it there safely before the end of next week (fingers crossed)!

And now I am officially up to date with all swaps etc..

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Swap: Dishcloth Swap on CTnY

I received my dishcloth a few weeks ago from Franney. And now my pal, Ladybird Linz has received hers.

I forgot to take a photo before I sent it and so I've pinched hers from the Forum. Sorry LBL! It's Yvonne's Double Dishcloth pattern and it's a free pattern available on the dishcloth boutique.


This was my first attempt at the Double Flower Dishcloth which I mucked up. And although my mistake is not obvious to the naked eye (and granted the dishcloth still looks fine) I wasn't happy with it and made another one in the hot pink. I'm glad I re-did it. Honestly, I'm not a perfectionist (much!)


I also enclosed a needle roll for LBL which was actually a prize for a draw I did back in November.




The fabric reminds me of ladybirds which I thought was perfect for this project. I also followed the ladybird/garden theme to the lining where I used a pretty floral print that I purchased off ebay before Christmas!


Inside the needle roll I included a highlighter pen (always useful!) and some wooden card toppers (not pictured).


I used Rowan Cotton Glace in a dark blue/denim colourway for the ties.

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Swaps: Round Robin Exchange, January

I'm taking part in an ongoing Round Robin Exchange on the Crafty Threads n Yarn forum. Each participant has their own little pouch or bag which moves around the group each month containing goodies, being emptied and refilled by the next person on the list and passed on. The aim is to make use of items in our crafty/yarn stash and we're not allowed to spend more than £2 on new stuff for the contents.

This is the little bag I made using Opal Sock Yarn (Petticoat). It's about 4" tall from the base to the eyelets, and the base is about 3" across. The pattern we used was from SpinningFishwife's blog. In my rotten 'lurgy state last week I forgot to photograph the contents of my bag which I sent to Grannysmith. Once GS has received it, I'll try and pinch the photos from her blog!

I received my Round Robin bag for January last week from Cazzie:

a lovely piece of blue fabric with embossed stars; a crochet star flower bookmark; some star shaped shell buttons; and a packet of Milky Way stars.

In the background you can see Cazzie's Round Robin bag which was knit flat in a mitred square pattern. Aren't the colours lovely? I just pinched this photo of Cazzie's bag from the forum, isn't it clever!

Next month I will refill this bag with goodies especially chosen for the next person in the Round Robin.

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Dishcloth Swap

January's Dishcloth swap is under way, the first swap of the year on the Crafty Threads n Yarn forum. Here's the dishcloth that I received from my secret spoiler....


.... together with a generous bar of coconut soap - yum!


I'm having great fun knitting up dishcloths and have just finished my 4th one this month. Aren't they addictive!!! I can't reveal my ones just yet as I don't want to spoil the surprise for my dishcloth swap pal. But all will be revealed soon though!

As per usual, Little Miss CB has jumped on the bandwagon and is churning out her own dishcloth as we speak. Bored with knitting scarves and swatches, she needed something more challenging to work on. And as expected, she's taken to knitting on dpns like she takes to everything else. Is there nothing this child can't do?

She was off sick earlier this week for a couple of days again, this time with an upset tummy. We're not sure what's causing it but it might be a food allergy (namely chocolate :( which she is not terribly happy about). But it seems to be settling down again. Anyway, this is what she did on one of her days off...


Enjoy the photos and I'll reveal my spoiler just as soon as I find out who it is!! ;)

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Swaps: Birthday Swap on CTnY RECEIVED

I received my birthday swap package from my spoiler this afternoon.....



Want a little peek inside??

Ok, you win! Here's the glorious lavender infused yarn, fabric, scarf and cat. Oops, sorry, the cat is mine! The smell of lavender from the talc included is just divine. It was a real pleasure to open the parcel!

Perhaps Mademoiselle Jade thought this lot was for her, as she didn't waste any time trying on the beautiful scarf and hogging the yarn!! Pah.

Of course, opening up presents can be exhausting and what better thing to do after you've been spoiled...

take a cat nap!

Thank you Carolinne for my wonderful gifts. I love them all! Especially the cat!

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Dishcloth & Knitters Swaps

Dishcloths? Handknit dishcloths?! I used to wonder why oh why people bothered with these. What's the big deal, eh? But I've been blogging for almost two years now, and I think I've finally gotten past the initial 'why-oh-why' hump to see that they're actually quite good fun. Especially if you're like me and enjoy instant gratification projects.

Ouch! The words of my dad are ringing hard in my ears, "don't knock what you haven't tried". He used to say that a lot to me when we were growing up. And it's true.

So, with this new found interest in handknit dishcloths, I've signed up for my first dishcloth swap over on the CTnY forum. This is the theme for January, our first swap of 2008.

If you fancy taking part in a dishcloth swap, check out the "DWD" (Defeat the Winter Doldrums) Dishcloth Swap run by Anne of The Bag Lady & The Pro. Signups open for the DWD D'cloth Swap on January 11th 2008. It's only a $20 spend (plus P&P) and the package is straight forward enough: dishcloth(s), yarn, soap & treats. Check out the blog for more info.

Now for some blog love. Anne is celebrating one year blogiversary so why not pop on over there and boost her readership! She's actually having a little competition for everybody who comments so if you do pop over to her blog, don't for get to say that craftybernie sent you! ;)

Oh, and speaking of swaps, let me squeeze one more in. It's the UK swap. A knitters swap exclusively for UK residents. It runs from January to March and the minimum spend is £20. The package requirements are easy enough - 200yards of yarn, yummy treats, something to pamper & and something inspirational.

Check out this for more info. Signups are open on January 7th for two weeks. BTW, you don't need a blog to take part, just an anonymous email address!!

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I hate socks!

I am a sock knitting failure! Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of hand knit socks. I even enjoy knitting with DPNs, the technique of toe ups and working on circular needles. I just don't enjoy making socks. However, I do ADORE sock yarn so there's definitely going to be lots of it in my future - just not for socks!! :)

The CTnY forum has a monthly sock challenge and at the end of the year, prizes for Gold, Silver & Bronze are awarded for the appropriate number of socks completed. These guys are amazing sock knitters - the Gold Prize winner is, LadybirdLinz; Silver went to Harrysmum and Bronze went to blogless Carolinne!.

Oh, almost forgot. There was a Wooden Spoon prize for those who never managed to actually complete a pair of socks. Guess who won that one? Yours truly, me! The amazing thing is that although it's the 'wooden spoon', I actually get some yummy scrummy yarn from the amazing Anni. And here's my button to prove it! I'll be 'wearing' it with pride (or at least my blog will)!

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