KnittyOtter

I know who my Secreat Pal is!!!

I got a very secret like package from The Infamous Ms. Knitzalot. Inside was her true superhero identity.

Here is the secret like package:

She sent along a lovely 7 page letter to explain who she was. It had a kickass game of HangMan so that I could make a guess at her secret identity. *L*

BUT before I get to the exciting news of who she is I'll show you what was all wrapped up in the paper.

One Skein Clutch & Stitch Markers :D She made me the cool stitch markers herself.

Here's a larger picture of the clutch. (Clickie to make biggie!) I couldn't get a true color of it with my photos. Early morning light in here is kinda weird.

Pretty damn cool eh. That was her first time felting and it's just perfect! :D I'm going to use it the next time the honey takes me out for drinks in honor of the former Ms. Knitzalot. Thank you, Sweetie!!! :D

And now the exciting reveal. *HappyOtterButtDance*

Who is she, this superhero of the funny, this sweetiehead of the library, this sailer of the Alaskan waterways, this fellow drinkie enjoyer *L*...

Why none other than:
The Ultra Faboo Bookish Knitster!!!! :D

Go check out her blog and say hello. She is really funny and interesting. She has a lively personality and is a pure joy to know. I'm really REALLY glad she was my SP, not just for her super cool gifties, but for getting to know her super cool self. :D Mainly for that actually.

This friendship is just beginning and I'm very pleased I had the opportunity to meet her in this big ol' world of ours. :D

And That's what Secret Pal and all these weird anonymous swaps should be in my not so humble opinion. Cause without the personal interaction it's just some stranger mailing you stuff.

Many Many Thanks to KnitWit Momma who was our SP Hostess. She did a great job keeping it all simple and easy and gave us whatever info & support we needed throughout swap.

This was my first swap type thing and those two really made it a positive experience for me.

My SP person that I gifted is away at the moment, but when she gets back I'll tell her who I am and all that jazz. Should be interesting. ;)

Isn't this cool? I'm so glad I know who she is now. I looked at that list so many times and never saw the name Bookish Knitster. o.0 I'd have known who she was just by that alone. I must be going blind or something. Although it is a pretty big list. *L*

Isn't that a lovely way to start the Friday at the start of a Long Weekend. :D

Ms. Knitzalot Spoils Again!

Hiya. The Sweet and Lovely (okay she's really funktastic) Ms. Knitzalot sent me another package for SP8. I got it a few weeks ago maybe, maybe last week. I'm not sure. I sent her an email but then had the whole battery thing going on with my camera and I wanted to post piccies of the gifties that she graciously thought about me for while she was away on one of her exciting travels.

Clue: she was in a land with Otters, but not OtterLand. ;)

Thank you so much, Ms. Knitzalot. More than for your wonderful gifts but for being so cool and allowing me to get to know you and you me. I think I got the best giftie out of everyone in the SP8. I got a cool new friend. The pressie are neat too, but getting to know you has been super awesome. *HUGS*

Now I can't wait to find out who she is more so I can read her blog too. *L*

*pokety hugs* I've been good though and haven't looked TOO hard to find out who you are. :P

Okay here are the pressies all wrapped up. :D

Cool wrappings. Like an ocean and seaweed. ;)

There is a cool Otter card with a personal message and some really kick ass soap she picked up on her travels (smells sooooooooooooooooo good), The Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook and a skein of KnitPicks Dye your own yarn.

The Twisted Sister Book is all about Dyeing and making your own socks. SUPER NEAT-O!! I can't wait to really have some time to play around with dye again soon. :D

Thank you so much, Sweetie. I really appreciate that you have taken the time to know me and what I like to get pressies that you think I will like. (and I do!) *OtterHuggles*

Not Dead. Really.

Hiya!! Been a long weekend... er week. What day is it again?? 

Gotta a few things to say.

1.) Dave Daniels is one super awesome sweetiehead. :D I'll be making a post on this later in the week. NTS: Batteries For Camera!!

2.) I did get a picture for the Saturday Sky but I need batteries as the camera is now lacking power. I hope they are still alive inside the camera. o.0

3.) Gmail is being an ass and not working on me. *SIGH* I will be getting more and more pouty of it doesn't get it's act together. Hot and pouty. Not a good time.

4.) Cookie asked in the yarn dyeing post how I got Pink. I used Pink Lemonade. I used twice as much as recommended because I wanted a vibrant color. Here are all the Kool-aid colors/flavors I used: Strawberry, Pink Lemonade, Orange, Lemonade, Lemon-Lime, Berry Blue, Grape. I used them in that order as well.

5.) Knister Chelle asked how my lace was coming along. *BLUSH* I feel shame over my lack of Amazing Lace Updates. I normally try not to make commitments I can't keep. They weigh over my head and can crush me to the ground if I don't follow through. Sadly there hasn't been ANY Amazing Lace updates over here. It started with a failed romance with Liesel. Then a million swatch flings with other patterns. None of which ever got posted as I have been busy and I'm lucky if I can make a coherent post at all. o.0 As for the lace I think I found my error. User of course. The patterns were all solid. It was in how I bring my yarn over or under. I hadn't really noticed one way or the other and with stockinette and garter type stitches it wasn't very noticeable. But when you get into lace and start doing some other stuff you should really do one or the other. Preferably for me over the top instead of under the bottom. I have no idea if that makes sense. Being self taught I'm not sure of some if the lingo. I haven't read anything on this. I just figure it was some easy common sense thing I should have learned when I was an uber newbie. Now just being a regular newbie I think I have set myself straight. I'll be casting on to my lace thingy as soon as I go through my stash and make sure I have the yarn I want to use for this. I'm VERY excited. I'm doing a cross over project since we are almost in August. ALMOST in August?!! Where has the time gone. o.0

6.) Comments & Email: I'm so sorry I haven't been properly replying and properly making them as well. I've been offline and kinda dead and just a million things. I've got a thing this weekend, but then after that things should start calming down for me so that I can get back into being a good blogger yatta... well until September or so anyway. *dies* It never ends does it. I gotta find my groove again.

I actually started this post last week with this QA thingy from my SP* hostess. I saved it as a draft and there it languished for days. Well I finished answering it. I hope it's not too late for the drawing. ;)

Because I am a whore for Socks That Rock... *waves @ Jen*

1. What is your favorite season of the year and why? Autum is my favorite season. It is just the most wonderful season of all, silly. Y'all should know that. :P

It has Crisp lovely air with a deep earthy scent. It's cooling down so that you can wear a light jacket or sweater, but not a big coat. Love lives here and unlike the theory that spring is the season of renewal I find that Autumn is. It's hard to describe why I love it so. I just do. You can breathe deep and long and feel right with the world and the world is right with you.

Also it has Halloween which is without a doubt the BEST Holiday ever. *GRIN*

It's funny that Jenn asked this. I was in Joann Fabric the other day. (Needed Thread & a Zipper) They have a lot of their Autumn stuff out already. o.0 It's July. That of course got me longing for Autumn and Halloween and those oh so festive times when you can let your inner zombie out and just be pure joy (Ha Ha Ha. :P), but oh know. I know have to wait for all this blasted heat to pass us by. *sigh*

In other news I think I'll be starting my Autumn/Halloween Knitting projects soon. ;^)

2. Summer is hot. What do you knit in the summer? So far the heat hasn't stopped me too much from knitting anything particular. I'm still new though so I've been finishing up my second sock (just have to decrease at the toe and graft), a custom intarsia bag of my own Otter Design (bag is done) and a zip up wallet to match the bag as well as I've cast on for a Double Knit Kitty Cat Blankey/Pad with my own intarsia design as well. I love figuring out gauge and making my own charts from it. I draw the image by hand and then fill in the chart. :D I'm also working on some bitchin' mitten that has some lace in it... but I don't want to say too much about that just yet since I don't want to Jinx myself. I had to put Liesel on hold because I wasn't doing something right. I think I figured out what I was doing and now can move forward with lace type stuff. I hope. *fingers crossed*

3. If money was no object.....what would you buy at the LYS? Thankfully I haven't gotten into a situation where this has happened yet. I don't care how much money I have I'd proabbly still not spend and arm and a leg on yarn out of principle. But then again I haven't come accross any yarn where I felt an arm and a leg was being asked so I've been lucky. *L*

4. What are some activities that have become family traditions for your family? Oy. Vey. There's that word again. Family. Gah. To me that word is damn near a curse word. I don't think anything positive when I hear/read it. It is not a comfort/love based word to me that many people view it as. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Recently Dave commented on a post while I was out of town and wished me back with my family soon. I was shocked for a moment and wondered why he would say such a horrible thing to me. Then I realized he meant my honey and my kitty. I guess they are my family now. But truly they are above and beyond anything that the word family has ever meant to me. Even my brother who is one of my best friends I don't consider that. He is my friend. A word with more meaning and power than family ever could have. I choose him as my friend.

I wish there was another word that meant family as most of you know it. I'd give that a whirl to describe My Honey, Kitty, Brother and Cookie. They are my "family". The good kind though.

5. What is the weather right now? Fucking Hot. Been Fucking Hot for days. It's beyond hot. It's F**king Hot. o.0

Of course I feel like a big baby complaining about this. I saw Cookie's weather on the news Saturday I think it was and she was up around 109. o.0 I've been around 103 or so and I'm baked to a crisp. Her weather is so bad I just checked her weather pixie and I saw this: 

o.0 Now THAT is hot!

*throws cold water at Cookie*

I hope it calms down soon for you, sweetie. That's some insane heat. *HUGS*

In somewhat related news I found a YUMMY cool treat for all this hot weather. Skinny Cow Ice Cream Bars. I've tried the Oreo kind. Very yummy. Can't even tell they are only 150 calories. *L* Of course Otter Pops and Ice Water is where it's really at. Sooo yummy and not so sweet that they make you feel icky in the heat. It's even too hot to drink a Coke or Pepsi. Just ice water and ice tea over here. o.0 (well and there was wine on Saturday and a Margarita on Sunday... :P)

So that's my update. Life has been mostly good. Just busy and hot. With a side of fever and sinus headache, but I'm trying not to whine about it. Much. ;)

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

The Infamous Ms. Knitzalot strikes again!!

I have the coolest SP8 person. I really do. She's off having a FABULOUS life and splashing it up big time and yet STILL managed to send me a nifty box of goodies. :D

Oh where oh where are you now, Ms. Knitzalot.

She's a bit like Carmen Sandiago, but with better hair and shoes AND a kickass sense of humor. She also has great taste in drinkies. *L* (side note, it would have been more fun if it had been called, "Where in the hell is Carmen Sandiago?"... just sayin'. Oh and if I had my own show it would be called, "Where in the hell am I?". *L*)

I got this box on the 16th, but have been waiting for the immanent return of Ms. Knitzalot to post about it. I really should email her. I have no idea if she's back from her latest adventure or what. *L*

So here's the Goodies all wrapped up: Clickie for larger images so you can see the details

For the picture below this'll tell you what's what: Top Left is Key Lime Hard Candy. YUM! I love Key Limes, btw. I love Key West. *sigh*I I need to get back there soon. The candle smells of a lovely lemony citrus scent.  The little paper hearts are personal notes. *L* She also sent a really nice letter with the package. :D
The bottom left is Sour Apple Pop Rocks Dip candy. It's a lollipop that you dip into Pop Rocks. *L* I'll have to enjoy that near my cat to freak her out. :P The bar of soap is Shea Butter Lemon Verbena. Smells SOOOOO good! :D Next to it are lemony bath salts. Too cool.

Now the wash cloth in the middle she knit for me. :D It's an openwork lacey type wash cloth in a really yummy cotton. It's REALLY soft, feels and looks almost like silk. :D

Thank you, Ms. Knitzalot, where ever you are. ;)

*OtterHuggles*

Secret Pal Gifties!!

I got back into town during the long weekend. (well it was a short weekend for me...)

I found a giftie from my SP at my posty box this morning! Check it out:

I love the wrapping paper and ribbon she used. Lookie, she sent dark Lindt chocolates. Yum!

Check out the detail on the card she made for me. It's knitters in the movies. :D (I believe. *L*)

I bet y'all are wondering what's in those nifty wrapped packages.

The first thingy is Kiss My Face brand moisturizer in Lavender and Sandal wood scent. Goes on smooth and you can't even feel it. It's like you're not wearing anything at at all. :D (as in no thick heavy stuff that makes you feel sticky or anything!) The second package is two skeins of YUMMY Purple/Maroon/VioletRed Alpaca. (look at Hex codes #8B1C62 or #8B2252 to see what I mean) The color almost changes color when it's held in different level of light. Very Cool stuff and OH MY STARS SO SOFT!!! :D It has a smooth bumpy texture. *L* It's a sport weight and I was graciously gifted with 220 yards/100 grams.  I can't wait to play with it. I wonder what I should make with it. Hat? Mittens? Just hold it and feel it's silky softness while muttering "My Preciousssssssssssssss" over and over? :P *L*

Secret Pal 8 - QA

Hello All, I'm doing the Secret Pal thingy this year. Should be fun. Here is a questionnaire I'm supposed to fill out. Wheeeeeeeeee.

Secret Pal 8 Questionnaire    

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I do not like the nasty old fashioned acrylic. It creeps me out. A lot. I'm really loving all the yummy soft Merino wools right now. I also LOVE Alpaca and Llama. Heck I love any super soft natural yarn. Not so much the loopy mohair though. *L* I love bright colors and dark colors and yarn that is to be dyed. Variegated is awesome, so is tweedy and even solids. *L* I'm not a fan of pastels though. The softer the yarn the better! ;)

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a black mesh zippered document case that I'm keeping them in at the moment. I keep that inside a black mesh tote along with the needles that are too long to fit inside the document case.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I'm a beginner. I started knitting March 25 at 6:00 am. *L* It was the day I decided I HAD to learn to knit. Keep in mind I had been up since 2:00 am not able to sleep. Anything seemed like a good idea at that point. :P

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Nope.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

Hmmm, I love Vanilla, lavender if it's a yummy lavender and not overly harsh, Geranium, Tangerine, Lemon Verbena, Lemongrass, Mint, Coconut, and fresh springy scents. I don't care for patchouli or strong floral scents. Think more earthy tones than fakey chemical. My favorite perfume is Manifesto and it kinda smells like Basil and Black Pepper. *L*

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

I guess I have a sweet tooth. I like candy. ;) Milk chocolate and dark chocolate are super yummy. My favorite candy makers would have to be Ethel M and Fanny May (Mmmm Trinidad's...). Ethel M is located in Fabulou$ La$ Vega$ Nevada. They have a totally wicked cactus garden. ;) Chocolate covered caramels and chocolate with coconut are yummy... so is peanut butter with chocolate. *L* I also like salty treats. So chocolate covered pretzels are a fun treat too.

Thankfully I don't have a Ranch Tooth. :P

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I would love to learn to spin. I'm going to look into getting a drop spindle to start with. I have seen some really awesome yarns made that way. Then I could dye roving and see what nifty creations I could come up with that way. :D

I'm DYING to get started with DYEING yarn. *L* I have most everything now. The yarn, Kool-aid, vinegar, gloves, plastic drop cloth, cling wrap, bottles for the dye and the pot. I'm not sure if I need mason jars or not. I need to read over the instructions at Knitty again. I want to make self striping yarn. *dances*

I'm a gardener in waiting. I'm still trying to get the general landscaping set up around my house. The front is looking good. I need to finish up some of the smaller plants. After that then the big project is the backyard, which at present looks like a big square of dry dirt. I'll need to get some good topsoil and then get the grass going. After that I plan on making a raised garden bed along one of the side yards. Still considering how I want to do that. Once I get that set up I can start planting Tomatoes (LOVE TOMATOES!!!) and other cool stuff. As well as getting the plants set up in the backyard area. But I've got to wait to get the super fun stuff going until after the general layout of the yard is set up with rock, pavers, grass etc.

I also dabble in Crochet. I have a ton of hooks and several books. I started playing at that in late January. Life got busy and then my desire to learn to knit become all consuming that I set it aside. Once I started knitting I found I liked it better, loved it in fact as well as I found it easier to learn and understand. I'm sure once I get back to crochet (could be awhile as I'm so hooked on knitting) it will be easier to understand because I get knitting.

Other none crafty type things I enjoy include drawing, both with paper and pencil as well as on the computer with a wacom pad or a mouse. I also enjoy writing. I've found I get a big kick out of writing scary or strange stories. Even if it's for my own amusement. *L* Since becoming entangled with my knitting/yarn obsession I haven't written much though. Not so much because of the knitting, heck if anything that's a great time to brew up wicked stories in my head... but no it has more to do with life being busy or turbulent and eating my head. No worries life and creativity are like a roller coaster, sometimes you're down, but you'll always come back up. ;)

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like a lot of different types of music. Check out my Last.FM page to see what I listen to. :D

My Top Artists overall since July 29, 2005. (date that I got hooked into Last.FM)

My Top Songs overall since July 29, 2005.

I use iTunes so anything that is compatible with that is cool. ;)

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

Colors are a funny thing for me. I feel hard pressed to choose one color over another because their values have different meanings for different situations. I wear colors that I feel look best on me. (Corals/salmons, Pinks, some purples, Blues/Navy/lighter shades, black) I really should go look at my wardrobe, surely I wear more than those colors. *L* I can't wear yellows and oranges as they make me look dead. I have pale skin and blonde/strawberry blonde hair. I don't tan so much as turn red and then get sun kisses.*L*

Socks and accessories are the exception to my colors to wear thing though. Socks can go crazy and wild, and often do. *L* Accessories it just depends if the color looks good on the item and goes with whatever I have.

Yet I LOVE to play with colors of yarn and colors with digital graphics that have nothing to do with those colors. At the present moment colors that are reaching out to me are bright and springy/summery. I can't really say I have a favorite. I like interesting beautiful colors that span the rainbow and beyond. ;)

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I'm not, nor never have been in the "family way" if that's what this means. *L* I've never even considered having children. It's just not something I'd ever want for myself. Oh sure it's fine for other people and I'd make an awesome aunt. I could spoil a kid for a few hours and then release it back to it's parents once in a while, but one of my own to do all the responsible adult things for. No Thanks. I really like my freedom. Same for marriage, it's fine for some, but I was never one of those little girls dreaming about prince charming or a big white party to celebrate my relationship. Nope. I'm very happy being in a loving committed relationship with my man. I don't need a church or the government to tell me what I have is real, but like I said it's fine for other people. I cry at weddings and feel happy and proud of my friends who choose to take that path. Thankfully there are lots of paths and we all get to choose the one that is right for us. :D

My honey and I have been together 8 years. I can't imagine ever loving someone else the way I love him. Hell I'm constantly surprised at my capacity to love someone. We're still dorky and lovey and I wouldn't want it any other way. It's great to be loved and to love someone with whom you respect and adore and the ability to keep rediscovering that with each other makes life with him an amazing gift. I don't just love my honey, I'm still IN love with him like a silly school girl. I see him walk across the room and my heart skips a beat with passion and joy. Life is good. I'm very lucky to have found my one true love. Considering how many stupid people are out there in the world it just blows my mind that I didn't get one. *L* We may get on each others nerves every now and then and go through bouts of PMS, but in the end it always comes back love and respect. Life is very good. *smile*

I also have a cat. Online she goes by the name TKK which stands for Tummy Katty Kat. Named this for her ability to lie in wait, much like a Venus fly trap with her wittle furry tummy exposed. When you walk by that you just have to rub her tummy. How can you not, soft warm fuzzy kitty tummy. But when you do she flips over and either she wants to play rough or she decides her chin or ears would rather get the attention. *L*

TKK loves cat nip and shrimpie treats. You'll find lots of pictures of her here. *L*

Oh and she likes to sleep on my head at night. Well just above it on my pillow. The sleeping is preceded by walking around on the pillow for awhile first.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I wear scarves, hats and mittens.... and socks. ;)

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Hmm considering I'm new and haven't completed much it could be hard to say. So far I am REALLY enjoying the Irish Hiking Scarf.  I just love knitting in general. I can't wait to learn to do socks and more complicated stuff though. :D

13. What are you knitting right now?

On my needles at the moment: Irish Hiking Scarf & RockStar Scarf. I really do need to get some updated photos though. *L*

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Of course. I would imagine all knitters like handmade stuff to get as well as to give. ;)

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I prefer wood needles to plastic or aluminum. BamBoo is awesome, but so are other types of wood needles. I adore Rosewood needles by Lantern Moon, although since the price is crazy expensive I think I can stick with my faithful Clover Bamboo's. *L*

If I'm using Circular needles I really do prefer Addi. Their cording is just awesome.

I should take a picture of all my needles and list what I have. I have a bunch. *L*

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

I have a yarn ball winder. I need to pick which swift I want and just order it. Winding a ball of yarn without a swift is nearly as fun as giving a rabid weasel a pedicure. o.0

17. How did you learn to knit?

Well on the morning of March 25 at 6:00 am after being awake and perusing Fark, Knitting Blogs, Other Blogs and whatever else I came across in my lack of sleep addled mind I finally just decided that it was time. I went and got some aluminum needles and Paton's wool in That's Pink from my stash. I had the needles from a teach yourself kit. Sadly the booklet that came with it was so bland and unhelpful that I thought I wasn't getting it and thought I needed to attend a real class or something. But never fear the Internets has everything! I went to KnittingHelp.com and found some really easy to use and understand video tutorials on how to cast on. It was a struggle but I waited until 7:00 am to wake up my honey and show him what I did. *L* He was pleased for me as he knew I was burning to get started with knitting. After that I got a real book on knitting and have been teaching myself from the books along the way. With the help of my best friend Cookie too. She always comes to my rescue when I don't quite understand what something means. Thank you, Sweetie!

18. How old is your oldest UFO?

I started the Rock Star Scarf on April 18th. It's not very intriguing though.  I want to do something more challenging than a garter stitch scarf... so I've ditched the pattern and am doing different things with it. *L*

19. What is your favorite holiday?

Halloween!!! :D I love Halloween so very much. I even have half a zombie corpse and a Pirate Skeleton and other ghoulish delights to decorate my house with during that time of year. *L*

20. Is there anything that you collect?

Other than yarn? *L* I don't know if collect is the right word... I don't have collections of StarWars toys or little angel ceramic dolls or anything if that's what this question means. :P

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I really should make a list of all the books I have. At the present I'm not subscribing to anything, but I really like Interweave Knits and will be placing my subscription for that soon. I need to check out all the other knitting magazines before I decide though. I like Vogue knitting, but would like to check out some of the others as well. I'll make a list of what I have later.

As for anything I'm dying to get my hands on, not that I can think of. Being new I'm not even sure what all is out there. ;)

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I would like to learn them all. All at once, as soon as possible. *L* Right now I'm just trying to be sane about how I go about this.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I've not attempted to knit a sock yet, but would love to learn sooner than later. ;) I guess I need to learn how to measure my feet for socks. *L* If this is something you would like let me know and I'll email ya. ;)

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

April 29

Well whoever you are, my Secret Pal, I hope that gives you some insight into the weirdness that is me. ;)

As for the rest of you people, well it's just a bonus so you can see how I would respond if asked these things. *L*