Score!

Today I received a presie from my secret pal! Here are all the goodies that were inside:


The CD I've been wanting for like, ever; two balls of yummy blue wool/alpaca yarn; two fun Sanrio pencils; and a sweet stationery set!
Posted by Hello

Soooo stoked about all of this - here I thought I'd get one, maybe two, balls of yarn and nice note. This is fabulous! I don't get it, though - how is it that someone who's never met me is able to send me a gift full of stuff I love, when some of my own family members manage to baffle me with their gift choices? Weird.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, SP! :)

I also want to show y'all (oops, residual "y'all" from Texas) the booty I picked up from yesterday's Stitches West convention. Gorgeous hand-dyed yarns everywhere, most of it waaay out of my price range. But I couldn't resist these two:


L: Oak Grove 100% silk yarn from Putney, VT in colorway "Desert"; R: Brooks Farm "Four Play", 50% wool/50% silk yarn from Lancaster, TX
Posted by Hello

Both are super-soft, especially the silk yarn. I debated getting it because it knits up on US 5s and we all know how I feel about slow-progressing projects. But after passing by their booth, oh, about 5 times I finally decided I had to have it.

Another item I couldn't resist was this pendant necklace. The flower is carved abalone shell and it's hung on a silk tube cord. There were so many color combinations that it took me forever to decide, but I eventually went with this one because I thought it might go with the top I got for my birthday dinner next week.


Shell flower pendant on silk cord from San Francisco (sorry, don't have the business card handy)
Posted by Hello

One lump or two?

This morning the doorbell rang and guess who it was - the FedEx guy with my tea package! I can't wait to sit down with a nice hot cup, my knitting, and the OC tonight!


Tea time!
Posted by Hello

You wouldn't believe how fragrant these teas are. The apricot green tea is super juicy smelling, and the Valentine's tea TOTALLY smells like chocolate-dipped strawberries. How fun!

I'm curious as to how well this tea contraption will work. I don't know if it will be difficult to clean out those pesky little bits of tea leaf from the mesh, since you can only access it from the inside. But hey, I'm not responsible for doing the dishes so all I can say is, "good luck, honey"!

Just chillin'

I survived a crazy week, and now I'm thinking ahead to new ventures. I managed to finish the fluffy purple scarf for my sister, and I also finished the Holiday Cowl I was working on, but it's too big! I'm pretty sure I'll frog the entire thing and start over, but I'm not mentally ready for that yet.

I've been trying to figure out what I want to do next. It's nearing the end of winter here in CA, so I don't know if I should squeeze in another wooly winter project, or plan ahead for the warmer spring/summer months. I've forgotten what it's like here this time of year, since 2000 was the last time I lived here in the winter. Does it suddenly become spring the way it does in Texas? I can't quite remember...

In any event, I've got my eye on this cute tank top from the new Rebecca:


Chevron Top from the new Rebecca
Posted by Hello

I mini-swatched the light blue Lang Twin Color yarn I got on eBay a little while ago, and I think it'll work if I use US 7 needles. But, I gotta be mindful because this yarn tends to unravel and the shiny twist is very loosely spun so it's an easy target for snags. Love the look of it, though.

Finally got my order of green coffee beans from Sweet Maria's! I ordered a 5 lb bag of the Sulawesi (my fav!), along with a few others to blend with. The Sumatra Iskandar and Organice Gayo Mountain, Ethiopian Harar (Horse), and the Brazil Peaberry Brauna Estate. I don't think I've ever roasted Brazilian coffee, so that should be interesting. I get why they call it 'peaberry' - it sorta looks like barley:


Beeenz, beautiful beeeenz!
Posted by Hello