Secret Santa sock swap

I am really posting these so I can link to them in the Ravelry group, not for purposes of yarny gloating (although- Whoop! I have yarn :) ).

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I took part in a secret Santa swap with the UK sock knitters group. I was going to enter a couple of other, but this was the only one with a spending limit (£15, sock yarn must be included). I prefer it when they have a target to aim for, avoids feeling guilty or getting annoyed when it doesn't even out by a long way. It is also fun to try and get the best value for your money by finding bargains and making items.

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The parcel arrived early in the month as the posting deadline was the 1st. As I wanted to open it as a Christmas present I had to wait for most of the month with this tempting me. It was hard work, so in the end it had to be hidden out of sight. In fact I hid it so well that I forgot to take it with me when we left to stay with my family over the holiday- there was some colourful language when I realised half way down the motorway!

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It did mean I had a lovely extra present waiting for me when I got back. Each part of the parcel was wrapped up so it was a bit like opening a stocking.

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And inside was this wonderful display of treasures. The sock yarn requirement was met twice over, with some undyed and a lovely pair of 50g skeins called Same difference in the Menace colourway. From looking at them I assume they are dyed as a pair but one has red as the dominant colour and one has black. I have not decided how to make socks with them yet, either non matching fraternal socks or the leg in one and the foot in the other on both socks.
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The parcel also contained some lovely treats, including needles (magically in the size I don't own, how did she know?!), chocolate, wool wash and a little felted flower bowl with some cute stitch markers.

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All in all a lovely swap. I am off to share this on the Ravelry thread and then to enjoy some knitting. I am allowing myself a few days of knitting and loafing around before the thesis writing starts in earnest in the New Year. I have something quite different and exciting on the needles!

Halloween swap

A blog post from WonderwhyGal yesterday reminded me that I had not put up any pictures from the latest £5 UK swap organised through Ravelry. The theme this time was Halloween (which is what reminded me).

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My upstream partner (it was worked from a list, sending to the person below you) sent me this lovely parcel. There is a wind up pumpkin, some sweeties, hot chocolate, a card with awesome evil kitty eyes, two packets of kool aid and a skein of undyed superwash sock yarn. She did some good stalking, because I have run out of undyed sock yarn and will have to wait a while to get some more. I am looking forward to trying out dying with kool aid too, have never done it. I see some red and purple socks on the horizon!

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I sent my downstream partner this parcel, it has the grumpy pumpkin and bats from last week's scrap down. The yarn made me think of giraffes so I found a pattern to go with it.

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Another month, another swap

Time seems to be sneaking away from me at the minute, lots to do and when I turn round another month has vanished. This occured to me because I took part in my favourite Ravelry swap- the £5 Uk swap, doesn't feel like a month since I posted about the last one. Anyway, time based musings aside, heres what I recieved:

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A cute little bluebird and bookmark; two yummy balls of yarn (already cast on); a big box of biscuits (cookies to those in the US) and a note. I have no idea how she got all that for less than a fiver!

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My swap partner didn't have many details in her Rav profile for me to go on so I went all out on the theme this month, it was blue, you can tell can't you? :D

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Off to try and do something useful with today

£5 UK swap

There was no spinning Sunday yesterday as I was having a very bad spinning day- kept breaking the yarn and not being able to get it rearted, gave up in a bit of a huff but I will not let it beat me! Today I will find the end and get going again.

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Anyway, I thought I would share my swap pictures instead, the theme this month was flowers, I recieved this:

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Lots of card making things, tissues in a holder, notecards and some chocolate (yum).

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This month you sent to and recieved from different people, this is what I sent out:
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I rather like that hat pattern myself, might have to have a go at it!

Swap the second

The £5 UK swap took a break in May as the lovely lady that organises it had a major computer failure. It was back for June though, so another opportunity to hunt for bargains, make up a parcel and anxiously wait for the postman. The theme this month was purple.

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My parcel arrived this morning. There's some yarn, an octopus pattern, a needle sizer, biscuits, face masks, foldable shopping bag, fibre to spin, lavender pouches and a knitting monkey card.

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The lavender bags are already in my stash, hopefully helping to protect it from beasties (no signs of damage btw so maybe it was not a clothes moth I saw).

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I sent this:

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You might recognise the roving, mousey and mini sock, they have all popped up in blogland before. The radishes were the most random purpley thing I have seen so I could not resist them, fortunately my swap partner says she has somewhere to plant them!
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Looking forward to next month's swap already.

Garden planter pattern

A while back I was browsing through other peoples' finished object photos on Ravelry, favouriting all the ones I fancy making. I found a hanging garden planter knitted from green garden twine and knew I needed to have a go at making one. There was no pattern, and I hope the original maker does not mind me using her idea, but here is mine:

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I made it for the swap I took part in last month as my swap partner is into gardening and the ladybird button counted as "something spotty".

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I thought I would write up the pattern and share it with the world.

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Needles- 4mm dpns

Yarn- Garden twine

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Hanging flap:

CO 20sts, then working flat

K 1 row

P 1 row

K2, cast off 2 sts, K12, cast off 2 sts, K2

P2, cast on 2 stitches, P12, cast on 2 sts, P2

Work 3 rows stst

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Main section:

CO 30 sts, divide over dpns and join for working in the round.

Knit every stitch until desired length is reached (this one was about 25 rounds)

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Bottom decreases:

K3, k2tog for one round

K round

K2, k2tog for one round

K round

K1, k2tog for one round

k2tog for one round

Cut end of twine, thread through sts and pull closed. Weave in yarn ends.

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The pattern is very adaptable, it can be made any size by altering the number of CO sts and the length made (what you are making is a small upside down hat with a flap for hanging along one side). More holes for planting could be added lower down by casting off the required length on one round then casting on the same number on the next round (as for the hanging holes).

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To keep the soil and roots in tidily the knitted panter needs to be lined. This could be a good way to reuse a plastic shopping bag (poke a few holes for drainage). I used some weed control fabric which allows water to drain but should keep the soil and roots in.

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Cut a big circle of liner, the diameter should be a little more than twice the height of the planter. Scrunch it up and tuck it in, making sure it goes right to the bottom. Fold the rough edge over and oversew around the top to join the liner and planter (this is not essential as the soil will hold it in place if you don't want to sew it).

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I added a ladybird button for extra decoration:
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Swappity swap swap

This is not totally fibre related, but it is Ravelry related and there are knitting items in the pictures.

I took part in my first ever swap this week. Organised through Ravelry it has a £5 goody target and is mostly made up of UK people. This month there was a spotty theme. It was so much fun! I loved all of it- doing the shopping and making, wrapping it all up, waiting for my parcel, opening it- all of it. It was like having an extra birthday!

Here are the goodies I received:

My swapper had stalked me well, my sock yarn obsession, gardening and sweetie habits had obviously all come through.

I think this was the best bit of my parcel- stitch markers that were MADE for me, squeeeee! So cute and much better than the skanky paperclip I usually use. Even motivates me to maybe have a go at making some at some point.

Seems a bit narcissistic to show what I sent, but I was quite chuffed with what you can get for a fiver so am putting up pictures.

I didn't do so well on the spotty theme, so wrapped the parcel up in spotty paper:

And this is the filling: