Another Swap Adventure

Despite always telling myself I won’t get involved in another knitting swap, I once again plunged myself into the mystery depths of knitting for a stranger that always stresses me out. It was good fun once I got past the intense fear of being generally rubbish. It always is; there’s a pleasure in knitting for someone you’re 99% sure will appreciate it due to the context.

My package went out on Monday. The one sent to me in return arrived a couple of days ago and it is splendorous.

The theme was Lord of the Rings. It was a mini-swap meaning it was much quicker and lower-budget than the big ones. It was also a secret swap which meant you don’t find out who is your gifter until the parcel arrives. It adds an element of intrigue and mystery to an already fraught exchange that actually makes it even more fun for me.

My partner was Azpidistra (I have no link). Here’s what I received:

The shawl is adorable. It’s very hobbit-y and drapes nicely around my shoulders. She also knitted me a little beard (because even female dwarves have them). Then there’s the yarn which is in a beautiful pale denim colour; I’ve already started knitting a snuggly shawl with it for the cold office at work. Also included was a cute card and some simply delicious chocolate.

This is not the first swap I’ve been involved in. They’re almost always fun and this was no exception. I just can’t wait for my giftee to receive her package!

Have you ever been involved in a knitting swap?

Second Swap: Suitably Nerdy

Last week I got my parcel from my latest swap partner on Nerdy Swaps (Ravelry), Dorkwats. I was completely spoiled with the things she sent me, I am overwhelmed with how much I love it all.

The hoard. LOOK AT THE PRECIOUS.

The cowl at the top has spiders on it and little Claddagh buttons – the theme is Joss Whedon, so it’s like the ring Angel gave Buffy. I love that detail and I love spiders so I’ve been wearing it constantly since. I can’t remember the make of the yarn right now but will no doubt post about it later when I transform it into something awesome. It’s alpaca sock yarn and is very squishy and good! There are rose sweets too which are my favourite things ever, as well as lots of little treats.

A close up.

The Firefly key fob is adorable. I need to attach my keys to it tonight. I also got a bunch of cute little magnets.

Yarn!

My favourite (non-handmade) thing is in the first picture: the Hawkeye bag. It’s huge and fits all my ridiculous stuff in it to carry around. I tend to carry around way too much stuff, especially yarn and needles etc so it’s absolutely perfect.

I adored participating in this swap, though it was perhaps bad timing around Christmas which is a stressful time for anyone. Thank you to my lovely swap partner; let’s hope she likes me package too!

Socks Yay Socks

I’m so classy, jeez.

I’ve been knitting these socks from some really lovely yarn. It’s the stuff I got in the swap and I adore it; it’s soft, squishy and dyed in a beautiful way. I love the subtle changes in the yarn – the colour, that is, because the yarn is nicely balanced itself.

It was difficult choosing a pattern for the sock because I didn’t think a complicated pattern would look right on this kind of yarn. I browsed for a long time through patterns on Ravelry trying to decide what to do until I realised that the best thing for this yarn would be to knit a plain stockinette sock after all. There are some yarns that just have to be showcased for exactly what they are, and Jennifer’s stuff is one of them.

These socks have been with me through a lot in the last few weeks. I knitted pretty much the entire first sock while I was at an OCD conference. The second has been with me at work and at home and at my friend’s house while we learnt songs to sing to my visiting mother. I do love how a finished knitted object carries all these things with it long after they’re finished. It’s one of the reasons I love knitting for the people I care for; it feels like I’m giving a little piece of myself instead of just string in fancy patterns.

As an aside, I highly recommend the KnitPro DPNs. They’re smooth and warm and beautiful. I usually knit on bamboo DPNs, but I treated myself to some to match my KnitPro circular set.

Never have I made a pair of socks that have ended up actually belonging to me, but I’m determined not to give these away.

We’ll see.

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Knitting in the Cold

I knit through the summer but there’s a certain satisfaction that comes from knitting items when it’s already cold outside. There is something truly peaceful about sitting in a warm room with the rain and wind thrashing outside quietly knitting a hat for someone, knowing that it will make their winter a little more bearable.

It’s NaNoWriMo right now so, of course, knitting has suddenly become a desperate craving. It happens every November. In a bid to write as much as possible in one month (I’m aiming for 100,000 words this month instead of the usual 50,000!) everything else seems to be far more fun. Write? Nah. Knit another row of a hat I’d forgotten I cast on months ago? Sure why not!

The combination of the cold and procrastination make November one of the most productive months for me.

On the needles:

• A green hat for Lucy
• Spiderman hat (with eye holes!) for a small child’s birthday
• A blue cat teddy for my nephew
• A scarf for someone fancy and awesome
• Some red socks for myself with the yarn from the swap, and
• A scarf for the next swap I’m doing (this is technically on the hook; I’m crocheting it.)

And these are only the active ones, not the various things stashed away in my cupboards for later.

I do love feeling like I can’t get enough off the needles. It’s very satisfying to feel so productive. The best way to get me to do anything is if there’s something more urgent I should be doing; suddenly I can’t stop myself.

Are any of you charming knitters balancing a knitting life with Nanowrimo this year?

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Swapping Goodies

Over the past few months I’ve been seeing a lot of my knitting friends participating in swaps. This is where you are paired with a person (on Ravelry, of course) and you send each other yarn-based packages on a specific theme. I thought it looked interesting but I was dubious on getting involved when I feel the pressure of these things a little too intently.

Then I discovered Nerdy Swaps on Ravelry and could not resist.

I happened to be paired with an absolutely lovely woman. She has an Etsy that proves the wonder of her creations: Knitsomniac Designs. I’ll be posting a better picture of the hand-dyed yarn she sent me once I have my camera on me, but here’s a photo of what she sent taken on my iPod (aka don’t judge me for quality):

SO MUCH WONDERMENT.

• Two skeins of lovely hand-dyed yarn, superwash merino and nylon. The colourways are called Gaslight and Victorian Euphemism which just makes me super happy.
• A hand-made project bag with a Victorian lady on the front. Very classy, I like.
• A funky steampunk-themed notebook that I’ve already started using.
• Two bars of dark chocolate. Delicious! The mint one didn’t even last long enough to take the photo.

I’ve already signed up for another swap, but honestly? The fact that I got paired with such a brilliant person is the highlight so far. She’s lovely and we’ve had a good old natter through the process. I would highly recommend anyone thinking about doing a swap.

In fact, if you decide to do one in the next day or two, Nerdy Swaps’s next theme is Jossverse. Buffy and Avengers and Firefly, oh my! (Of course that’s the one I’m signed up to, duh.)

 

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