Last call for coffee swap

Today is the last day to register and have your questionnaire up for the Spring Fling Coffee Swap. So once again you readers can chose to wade through this stuff at your own peril.

Spring Fling Coffee Swap Questionnaire
Coffee

1. What is your preference? Whole beans or ground?
Usually whole bean, but ground for a French Press is a great thing!
2. What kind of coffees do you enjoy? A rich, bold roast; a light, fresh one, or something in between? Leaded or non?
Dark roast loaded with caffeine!
3. If you were headed out right now to buy some coffee for the house, what would you be picking up?
Either French Roast or Espresso.
4. Do you drink for caffeine, pleasure, or both?
Both. I love the full flavor of a dark coffee, but if I don't have caffeine in time, I will get a headache!
5. Do you enjoy flavored coffees? How about add-ins or flavored creamers?
No and not usually. I will drink it with nice hot frothy milk without flavoring, or iced with milk or half and half. Once in a rare while I will put a bit of real maple syrup or molasses in my coffee, or almond or vanilla syrup. But over 99% f the time I am drinking it "barefoot" (black).
6. A large, lovely mug or a small, dainty cup?
Mug
7. Describe your perfect cup - not JUST the coffee, but how you'd enjoy it!
Well, now that it is warming up and the snow is melting, I am looking forward to drinking coffee out on the deck with my knitting and enjoying my yard and the animals, both domestic and wild. That is about as close to perfection as it comes, at least until it is too hot and muggy. (Perfection also comes in the form of Hubband bringing me coffee in bed.)

8. You're sitting down to enjoy a nice cup in the local coffee shop, knitting bag in hand, iPod all tuned up - or maybe you're there with a few friends for knit night! What treat do you pick up to enjoy with your coffee? A sweet, rich brownie, or something more healthy? How about a salty treat? What goes best with that great cup and company?
Well, my Wednesday night knitting group meets at a coffee shop, so.... Some nights I love the yogurt with berries and granola, other nights I fall for the shortbread cookie.

Yarn

1. Do you knit or crochet?
Knit

2. What are your favorite types of yarns to work with?
Soft, non-squeaky, pretty yarn.

3. What do you have on the needles (or hook!) right now?
A sock that has been giving me grief for months (it is going in for help soon), a dishcloth or two, a scarf, and a sweater. Well, that is what I can remember for now anyway!

4. What are your favorite colors in yarns? What about those that you'd never find in your stash?
As far as yarn goes, I am really open minded. I have soft quite ones, loud vibrant ones, solids, and mixes. I have an amazing amount of whites in a variety of different fibers, but those all have the potential of becoming something else after all. I cant think of anything that wouldn't ever be welcome in my stash. Doesn't always mean it would grow up to live in my wardrobe, but I am always happy to help something grow up to become self sufficient and independent from me!

5. What sort of needles or hooks do you enjoy using? Any you just detest?
I usually use bamboo circulars for most stuff. I tend to drop straight needles and have them roll away at the worst times. I have made all of my socks so far on double points and have been happy with those, but am thinking about learning Magic Loop and/or two circulars. (I am most always up for learning new stuff, especially when I get to choose what it is!)

6. Are there any particular notions you absolute do NOT need? Some of us swap a lot - are you sure that you have enough tape measures to last your lifetime? Enough stitch markers to mark every stitch of a 10 foot wide afghan?
At this point I think I have enough stitch markers for a while. I do keep looking for my tape measure though and it always seems to be in some other knitting bag than the one I have with me; same seems to go for fold-up scissors.

7. You walk into the yarn shop and have exactly and only enough money to purchase 2 skeins of yarn in their 2 for 20 special they have going..The choices are a soft, thick cotton/viscose blend in your favorite colors, slightly variegated..a beautiful sock yarn that's just squishy and sproingy in your hands.. a soft, worsted weight wool like malabrigo.. and a lovely bamboo blend with colors to just die for. Which do you walk out the door with?
As hard as the choice would be, I think I would go for the bamboo blend. I have sock yarn to last several (plus) pairs, several skeins of Malabrigo calling to me to help them grow already, and some cotton yarns hanging out. (Well maybe not cotton/viscose blend, I would have to go look...) I think I might only have one skein of bamboo and I am sure it is lonely and would love the company. (Good thing you didn't ask me about Maizy yarn, nobody in this town even sells it, so I would love to get some of that to try!)
Spring

1. We're starting sign-ups on the first day of Spring - is it already truly Spring-like where you are?
Well, sure, if spring includes fifty degrees to melt snow, then six plus inches of more snow, then melting, more snow, repeat, repeat.... Yep that would be spring around here. I was bulbs coming up in the garden on the first day of spring, and just a couple of days later, they were buried deep in white stuff. I am sure they are enjoying the sun today, and they had best, 'cause they are likely going to get more snow tomorrow night.
2. What's your favorite spring flower? Do you have one?
Daffodils are most excellent. They come in a lot of different varieties and the deer don't like to dig them up and eat them. (As opposed to the other 300 plus different bulbs I planted our first fall here.) I also like crocus and Lilly of the Valley. Just 'cause they are so determined to not let the snow and cold stop them from their goal in life.

3. What do you most look forward to about springtime?
Flowers, deciding what will go in the garden, baby animals about, the return of migrating birds.

4. They've predicted a gorgeous day tomorrow - Sunny and about 65 with a nice breeze - how do you spend your day?
With any luck having a picnic in the yard or on the deck for lunch. Knitting in the sunshine. Running the grill for dinner.

5. The day after, it's going to be cooler and pouring down rain - does that impact your mood? How do you spend that day? what helps cheer you up?
Impact my mood? Nah, that's just par for the course, it will change again soon enough I'm guessing. It is rain after all, not snow (though it could be). I would just spend the day inside, knitting, reading cooking. Or out and about, running errands that didn't get done the day before.

Odds n Ends

1. Do you collect anything BESIDES yarn and needles?
Well, sort of I guess. I have snowflake stuff, but I never intentionally set out to collect it, it just kind of grew. Books, lots of books.

2. Are you allergic to anything?
Cigarette smoke and strong perfume smells.

3. Do you have pets?
Two bassets and one kitten
4. Is this your first swap, or are you an old pro? What are the last 2 swaps you participated in?
Well, I guess I am turning into an "old pro." I have participated in Anne's last three dishcloth swaps and last coffee swap. I have also been in a tea swap and a few others (see side bar).

5. List 3 of your favorite blogs - craft related or not - and tell us why you love them.
Three! Only three?! OK, I'll try....
Shut Up, I'm Counting; just because Cass has a great way of trying to make everything have a positive spin, even in the face of adversity. (And she's got my back.)
Alabama Fiber Dreams because Jessi has inspired me in more ways than she knows.
A Year In Bread Baking. Bread. Pictures. Can it get any better? Talk about inspiration!

I once had a hat,

but it was allowed migrate north last week. Due to this migration, I don't have a hat anymore. Fortunately, it isn't as cold as it had been, but I am thinking I will need a new one for next winter. Said hat will probably migrate back south in May, but will move north again at the end of August. For a bird this would seem like a reverse migration pattern, but then, this hat is made out of warm, yummy wool.
I think I might have a little bit of time to decide on what yarn will become my new hat (until I fall down hard, once again, for a cute face). (No, that hat isn't the one that has migrated.)

It must be spring...

...despite the snow on the ground. The sun is shinning and our pair of Red Tail Hawks that live in the woods by our shed are busy picking twigs from the trees and flying back to the nest with them. Looks like they are thinking of having more babies! (Wonder if they are going to need any baby sweaters?)

Winnie The Pooh quiz

Well, other than the "follow the crowd and let others make the decisions," do any of you think it fits?

Which Pooh character are you?

You choose your friends wisely and even though they may be few in number, they are high in importance.You feel most comfortable when you can follow the crowd and let others make decisions. But that's not to say you can't make up your own mind if you need to.Faithful and true, Piglets make the best friends.
Take this quiz!

One way to spend a snowy couple of days

First you take a nice skein of yarn,
and then you wind it into two yarn cakes.

 

At that point you cast on for a sock. Then you knit some ribbing, and then for the sake of science, you do it all again on the other brand of needles you have "in the same size." After that ribbing is done, you keep knitting for the leg, and when that is done, you go back to the first set of needles and make another leg. If you start this on a snowy Friday afternoon, there might be stopping for the dinner fixing thing and sleep at some point, but only when you are so tired that you are having a hard time keeping your eyes open. Then on the snowy Saturday you finish the second leg and move on. From there you make a heel flap, and then a second one, turn a heel, and then another and make a gusset.

Then you get to make another gusset, and you are all ready to knit a foot or two. Once again you might be interrupted with the dinner cooking, and making a cherry pie for a friend; leaving you here, all ready to knit a couple of feet and toes. But I am certain there will be a finished pair of socks come bedtime on Sunday.

 

There was some admiring of glaring at the six plus inches of snow we have gotten since Friday morning. After all, Thursday at noon we could see the grass greening up in the yard and the beginnings of bulbs coming up in the garden.

YES!!!!!

BULLDOGS RULE!!!!
OK, as most of my family knows, I don't usually get very excited about sports, but there are exceptions. The last time I got very excited was when the girls high school football team had an undefeated season. For the record, I never even saw a football game in my life until DTE was a sophmore in high school and in the marching band. Isn't really about the band?
Soccer? I have seen lots of soccer over the years of three kids playing from the time they were each four years old. Soccer I understand. I think Hubband got tired of trying to explain football to me even after several years of going to see the band.

Wee Tiny Sock Swap

Yarn Miracle has just opened up her annual "Wee Tiny Sock Swap." This is pretty easy, all you have to do is knit one (wee)tiny little sock (she even gives a pattern) and mail it off in an envelope. Fast, easy, and no SSS.

Frozen Four is down to "Frozen Two"

Bulldogs and Badgers will batle for NCAA Title Saturday at The DECC afer 3-2 UMD win over New Hampshire.

X of Minnesota Duluth (center) reacts after defeating New Hampshire 3-2 in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinal game at the DECC in Duluth Thursday. The Bulldogs will face the Badgers in the championship game Saturday. [Derek Montgomery/News Tribune]




DTE says

The team won in an AMAZING game. [There is a] Picture of us being excited about scoring.... not the greatest pic but oh well. Our girls are amazing. There was almost a whole minuet of us being down by two players. Our goalie is really good.

The girls and goalie being really good and amazing probably has somehing to do with them being ranked in the top four or so in the nation on a regular basis.

I thought the picture was just fine.

UMD pep band members DTE(from left) X, and Y cheer after Minnesota Duluth scored its first goal against New Hampshire during the NCAA Frozen Four Womens Ice Hockey National Championship semifinal game at the DECC in Duluth. [CLINT AUSTIN/NEWS TRIBUNE]

Wishing for a new tool

Have you ever wished someone would invent that cool new tool?

The one where they take one of
these

and combine it with this?

It looks to me like there is enough room in the ball winder to stuff a computer chip inside and space for a digital display on the base. Until someone markets such a thing, I will have to resort to a multi-stage approach to achieve what I need want.


This is the deal, someone gives you a nice skein of yarn and you just want to knit a pair of socks. That skein has to be wound into a ball first, and because you would like your socks to end up about the same size, it would be really nice if you knew when half of the yarn skein was in the ball.
What you do is wind the whole skein into one ball and then put it into a bowl on your scale (luckily the scale I have has a wonderful tare function for the bowl). Then you start to wind a second ball from the first.

You wind on past here,

and here,

 

until you get to here.

 

You end up with two balls of yarn to knit two socks the same size. A little extra step, but it works.

 

Except, I could have done without some of the help I got.

 

Maybe she'll get to stay in her room next time.

Life distractions

It has been a bit busy around the home front, but in a laid back kind of way. DTE came home late Saturday night for a shortened spring break. She had to leave this morning to get back to school, even though classes don't start back up until Monday. She needed to be back for Pep Band at Women's Frozen Four. If any of you out there follow Collegiate Women's Hockey, I am sure you have heard of this team more than once. If you have a favorite team that isn't UMD, you probably tremble a bit at the mention of Bulldogs. I will add that DTE is a bit disappointed to be going to nationals in the same town she spends most of her life in these days. She is hoping the team does a repeat next year and they'll be "Band in Boston."
Mostly we were busy hanging out together, cooking, watching a movie, etc. You know, weird family bonding things that distract me from writing a blog. I knew it would still be here after she left.
There was knitting involved while she was home (by me, she doesn't knit). I made her a DW facecloth, but it was not allowed to be photographed. Maybe its owner thought it was shy or something. I also made one for the kitchen, since the first one was claimed by Hubband. (I am not entirely sure what he is going to do with it besides look at it on top of his radio.) Once again, I am drawn to yellow and sage green. I am guessing the West Desert of my childhood isn't blooming yet, but the colors remind of what is to come.

I finished up the last of my Knit For Lent hats. I used red and blue held together until I ran out of the blue and had to finish up with just red. It wouldn't have been my first (or even second or third) choice of how a hat looked/turned out, but since part of what I wanted to do was use up some yarn that I didn't have other plans for, it worked out. Plus, if the yarn is used up, it won't be something I would choose again! All twelve of my hats have been squished into a box and mailed off. I do still have some yarn left, and since they collect hats through out the year, I probably will be knitting some more.
I also knit up the dishcloth pattern/yarn that I got as a prize for my Three Bags Full entry over at WhoDuKnit. Not that my entry was necessarily the best; the prizes are given as a "random draw" from all the entries in any given month. Though some months there aren't very many entries. (I didn't knit anything for the February book, but you can stop in over there if you want to see some one's knitted DNA.) For those of you wondering about it, WhoDuKnit is fun. Great book suggestions, a lot of them that I never would have heard of otherwise, fun swaps and contests, and it is run by a really great lady! It is always open to new members, so feel free to join us!


Oh, I guess you might want to see the dishcloth from another angle.....


Just reminder that since today is the first day of spring (according to the calender anyway), registrations for the Spring Fling Coffee (and yarn) Swap are open from now until the 25Th of March. Short window of opportunity but I am guessing there will be quite a few folks involved.