In and Out

Here's a sneak peak at some of the goodies that went into the magic yarn ball I sent off to Erin this week. See the little brown button? It's got a bunny on it and it's from the artist's market I went to Kyoto. It's one of my favorite things. I hope my swap partner likes it.

I love all this swapping and secret pal-ing. I love making up packages and I especially love yet another excuse to hit the sales racks at the stores. I'm sure my swap partners appreciate a good deal as much as I do. There's something about a 75 percent off sign that makes my heart beat faster. The marketers love my kind.

Stay tuned for "deal of the week," coming tomorrow or Friday.
 

The two magic yarn balls in my life finally meet. The Noro is the one I sent out yesterday; the pinky is the one I received yesterday, all the way from Germany. I have yet to begin to unravel it. I'm sort of saving it for a nice quiet evening or lazy weekend afternoon. So far, I know it's fun and pink and cotton, which suits me just fine. 

Katja!

"Look at me!" says my beautiful niece Olivia. "I'm wearing a shirt my auntie knit for me." (And a sweet little peasant skirt this aunt found at Target).

What goes together better than peas and carrots?

Why, organic cotton and Knitty, of course. In the past few weeks, I whipped up Katja from my Pakucho stash and I've got about six inches of Jamesey on the needles in it (only mine is called "Jaynesy" because it's for me and it's using two colors; more on that later).

There's soemthing about summer and cotton, too. In addition to Jamesey/Jaynesy, I've got a burp cloth on the needles out of Peaches and Cream (for a different baby in the family). I couldn't resist after reading Brynne's obsession with them. I think I've discovered my own.

 

My version of Katja, before it got gifted. 

Best Deal Ever

This is my best Bath and Body Works deal ever. If there's anything I get more excited about than knitting, it's a good deal. And, boy, did I get one today. Let me explain:

I had an errand to run at the mall (really; there's a branch library there), so I thought I'd combine vehicle trips and take back this Japanese Cherry Blossom lotion I'd gotten as a "spend $10, get a free Japanese Cherry Blossom lotion" deal. I did not care for the scent. Neither did my husband. It needed to leave the house.

So me and the lotion went into B&BW, planning to exchange said lotion for either a Fig and Brown Sugar (which I like) or a Sweat Pea (which my sister likes). They had neither flavor (yes, I do mean "flavor") in the body creme, so I asked the manager lady if I could exchange it for something else. Well, it turns out I could exchange it for anything else worth $10.50.

For those of you who don't hit the mall or have been living in a closet, June is the big B&BW sale month. With $10.50 in credit, I hit the jackpot. I exchanged my "hold my nose" lotion for a Lavender Mimosa Aromatherapy (one of my favorites) and a Rosemary Peppermint Foot Creme (another fave).

But wait, I still have .50 leftover. And a coupon in my purse for a free Mentha lip gloss with any purchase. So I snagged a 75 percent off Pear Blossom bubble bath (we're big into those at our house) for $2.37. With my credit, I was out-of-pocket $1.87.

Yes, that means I got $45 worth of fabulous, delightful B&BW product for $1.87. That's like 94 percent off or something.

I hereby declare June B&BW month!

(Too bad blogs don't do smellovision).
 

Goody, goody

Oh, boy, the goodies I got last weekend, and I didn't even know it until I returned from Idaho Falls where I'd been celebrating my grandpa's 90th birthday.

On my doorstep: A package from Amazon containing the new Maison Dixon knitting book and, even better, a package from my secret pal with these goodies. Oh, the lavender! Oh, the sock yarn! What a fabulous (and fabulous smelling) package.

To this I say: Goody, goody! 

Wahoo!

I got a present from my secret pal today!

To that, I say: "Wahoo!"

It's a series of three sock patterns using my beloved magic loop by Anna Bell. I love, love, love them, and with all the road trips I've got planned this summer, I have a feeling they'll all get tried soon.

It'll force me to venture into toe-up socking, something I've only done once with much assistance. But these days, I'm much, much braver. And the pattern seems so clear. And the end product so charming.

I can hardly wait to get started!

BTW: I really dig the cherry pattern by Anna Bell, too, which I discovered thanks to my secret pal pointing out the site. Thank you again!

Presenting

This journal and knitted journal pouch with flower pin is on its way to Pocatello to be a graduation present even as I write.

Yep. There's a cash prize inside, too.

I know that the journal probably won't ever get cold enough to need a wool jacket, but I liked the idea of giving its words a little extra privacy. The details: I made it out of leftover Cascade 220 (from my Clapotis and some other mysterious project I can't remember).

I cast on three stitches, knit an I-cord, then did mirror increases until it was wide enough. Then I cast on twice as many stitches as I had plus 8 (for the sides), joined in the round, and knit until it fit. Then I did a three needle bind off (because I was too lazy for kitchener). Voila! Gift and bag all in one, with no pattern and no seaming.

That's enough to make it seem like a present for myself.