Due to mania, server crash and my sieve-like memory, I hadn’t posted my final SP11 package squee-ing. So here it is now. I did mention on 3rd December that I’d received it, but that was as far as I got. (In that post I also mentioned that I’d been delayed in sending my final package out to my spoilee. Well, it’s still here – my money situation has meant I haven’t been able to find the postage yet. But it belatedly occurred to me that some virtual gifts were possible, and I’m putting a bit of cash by each week to send the non-virtual things! Also, I said that I had a new design for this site. As you can see, that’s not in place yet either. Hopefully soon, though!)
Anyway! Even though the package arrived at the beginning of December, it was all Christmas themed and wrapped. Hee!
Not that I let that put me off opening everything right then, of course. I did think very briefly about saving it all for Christmas, but… nah. So what was inside all that shiny wrapping paper? The best SP package ever, that’s what!
So, from back-to-front and left-to-right, what we have is:
– Some utterly delicious all-butter shortbread (YUM), two little boxes of Lindt … truffly things that were also utterly yummy (one milk chocolate, one chocolate orange, nomnomnom!), chocolate money (hee!!) and a Christmas card!
– The letter Janey sent me with the parcel, A DROP SPINDLE AND FIBRE OMG!!!!!!!!!! (I may have bounced up and down and squealed with joy when I opened this – thank you SO MUCH, Janey! Seriously, this was the absolute top thing on my craft-y wishlist, and I’m so so chuffed with it :-D ) with instructions for getting started spinning, two skeins of Colinette Banyan in Fruit Coulis (which is one of my top three Colinette colourways) which Janey sent me because I’d been wanting yarn for summery socks – this is going to be ideal. Then there’s two balls of SWTC Karaoke (50% soy silk, 50% wool) in Bluezzzz, which has tints of purple in the blue. It’s gorgeous stuff, and since Janey suggested I make one of my hats with it, I’ve been pondering on designing something cool. I have some ideas :-) Finally in this ‘row’ is the one book I’d been really really dying to own – Interweave Knits’ Favorite Socks. Oh, it’s fabulous! The next pair of socks I cast on has to be from this book – I want to knit them all! Wheeeee :-)
– And at the bottom of the photo are the brilliant socks that Janey knit just for meeeee (yes, there may have been more squealing and bouncing, I’m not ashamed to admit it!) which I’ll babble about more below, two adorable Christmassy pencils which are still in my desk tidy now in defiance of it no longer being Christmas, and last but not least, a fantastic booklet on Magic Loop technique – this is something that I’d mentioned (in my SP11 questionnaire, I think) that I wanted to learn, and I’d totally recommend this little book (by Bev Galeskas, pub. Fiber Trends). The instructions are really clear, and it includes patterns for wristlets, and for both top down and toe up socks. I haven’t yet tried socks using this technique, but where I was totally intimidated by the very idea before, now I’m really looking forward to it! (I just don’t have any 2.5mm or smaller circs, so it’ll have to be for socks that I’m using 2.75mm needles up!)
So in conclusion…. THANK YOU JANEY!!! You’ve been the best secret pal I could possibly have imagined, and I hope we keep on staying in touch. In fact, I hope that since we live not so far away from each other, we’ll be able to meet up some time. That would be lovely :-)
And here’s a close-up of the fab handknit socks that Janey made me. They’re Basic Cabled Socks by Brainylady [Ravlink], and knit in Opal Uni in my absolute favourite colour. And they fit perfectly. Whee :-) This was the first pair of handknit socks I’ve tried with short-row heels (I spent a ridiculous amount of time peering at the construction and ooo-ing and aah-ing over the stitch pattern etc etc before I even tried them on. I’m such a geek) and they inspired me to try short rows for my Fireworks socks that I’m knitting at the mo.
To round up, doing SP11 was a brilliant experience. I met two lovely pals and I hope I’ll be keeping in touch with them both, I got some wonderful gifts (more than I ever would have expected, in fact!) and had a great time sending stuff to my downstream pal, Katie… although of course I do feel bad that I haven’t been able to send the final things I have for her over yet. Stupid money, grrrrr! But on the other hand, that means she’ll be getting a surprise package at some point. Mwahahaha!
Will I be doing SP12? No, I don’t think so – not because I didn’t have a good time, but because of the current money stuff. A future SP exchange, certainly. Perhaps the UK Swap one on Ravelry. We shall see :-)
It was lovely to have you as my upstream pal. No worries. You’ve sent wonderful things and even better than that, we’ve had great e-mail exchanges. A surprise package from you would be lovely, but please don’t feel badly. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you and plan on keeping up with you in the blogoshere and on e-mail.
Aww, thank you! I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you over email as well – I hope you got the (looooong) one I sent you yesterday :-)
*hugs*