Another Halloween down the drain

This is the second year in a row that I am missing out on Halloween. Last year, Philip and I spent the entire day on a plane and then when we got home I had to start unpacking from the move. We actually forgot that it was even Halloween which is very unusual for us. This year I have a lot going on in the store as I prepare to fly to Norfolk tomorrow for a week and a half so Halloween is going on the backburner again. Philip and I have been watching lots of horror movies for the past few weeks and we did go to the produce stand to get pumpkins and cider. We carved the pumpkins, roasted the seeds, and drank hot apple ciders on Sunday in between errand running.
Here is my cute little pumpkin. I opted for something simple so I would have more time for the other festivities. His name is Vladi von Pumpkinovich and most of the year he works as an airline pilot for Delta, but on Halloween he likes to scare the kiddies. Also, the hat I am wearing in the picture is from my secret pal, isn't it festive?

Next year for Halloween we are going to go all out. We will start celebrating around the 15th so that we can fit in all of the festivities and I definately will not be flying anywhere on or around Halloween day.

My fabulous SP

Today I received another package from my secret pal, yes the second one this month!!! It is fabulous, she set me up for a movie night with Jeunet. She sent a dvd copy of a Very Long Engagement, a box of twizzlers, a pumpkin candle (yummy) , some yummy lip balm, and some sticky notes that I have already made good use of. She also made me a knitted hat with a ghost (not pictured) that I wore all morning. Then, if that wasn't enough, she also sent a Halloween card. The card contained my first SP clue, she is a Georgian. I am still puzzled to your identity, but I love the gifts!!!
BTW- I have been knitting like crazy lately, but I still need to take pictures of some of my FO's. I am hoping that tomorrow will be the day.

Happy birthday to the Anticraft

Last night we threw a party at ReBelle for the Anticraft to celebrate it's first birthday. There was crafting, bad poetry, prizes and this amazing cake.
This anatomical heart cake was created by the fabulous Rellyn and it took her three days and around $100 to make. Not only did it look amazing, but it tasted delicious. Did I mention that the entire cake, with the exception of the ribs, was vegan? Raellyn wanted to make sure that everyone could enjoy the cake so she researched the perfect vegan red velvet cake recipe and even made test runs with cupcakes to make sure that the vegan cake could stand up to the bloody process. When the cake was finally cut, it bled.
Inside the cake was a syrupy strawberry mixture that poured out once Renee and Zabet took the meat cleaver to the cake. It was the coolest thing I've ever seen.

My super secret pal

On Thursday I received my first package from my new secret pal and it was fabulous. She (or he) sent me a mini desk calendar, a little jade animal, some candied ginger (yummy) and a pair of fingerless gloves that came just in time for the cold weather (seriously, I have been wearing these cute little numbers since Friday.) There were no clues in the package, not even a postmark so I am completely in the dark about who you are, but whoever you are, thank you for my fabulous gifties!!!In knitting news, I finished this chunky cabled hat for the store. It is knit flat on size 15 needles, mainly because I can't deal with dpns in that size, and it takes under 2 hours start to finish. I was thinking about knitting a matching scarf, but I am scarfed out right now after just finishing two annoying scarves so it might have to wait until November or December.
I have also been slowly working through a pair of socks from yarn that I got from a stash exchange a few months ago. I don't like the colors so I think they will probably be a Christmas present for someone. I don't really have to decide on the recipient until I turn the heel so for now they are mystery socks. Sarah and I came up with this great plan to make Christmas gifts that we can use as store samples until Christmas and then we can wrap them up right before the holiday. This means that if you are expecting a gift from one of us for the holidays and you don't want to see it you will just have to stay out of the store, sorry.

My thought for the day

The universe has a sick sense of humor, that is all I'm saying.

Another Swap

1.) What is your craft, & how long have you been doing it?
What isn't my craft? I mainly knit and reconstruct these days, but I also love to crochet, sew, embroider (very basic stuff) and now write out profanity disguised as cross stitch.

2.) Are you a vegan, vegetarian, veg-curious, veg-friendly or other?
I am a vegan who is also friendly and curious.

3.) What is your favorite color(s)? Do you particularly dislike a color(s)?
I love most colors, my favorites change daily. I always love reds and greens. I hate salmon, peach and any other pink with yellow in it.

4.) Do you have any allergies (such as pets, foods or cigarette smoke)?
I am allergic to cats, but can live with about everything else.

5.) Do you have any companion animals? If so, names and types?
I have a bichon-westie mutt dog named Astrid. She is the queen of our house and our universe.

6.) Do you collect anything?
Yikes, this answer gets scarier everytime I answer it. I collect Catholic paraphanelia, especially thing relating to Mary, pin-ups, tiki stuff, mini plastic snow globes from airports, and now spoons from around the world (I found a collection at a yardsale so I consider myself a collector.)

7.) Do you have a favorite vegan food, snack or dish? If no fav that's vegan (for those who aren't vegan), what's your favorite food? (Hopefully your pal can find a vegan version!)
Last week Jell-o instant pudding was on sale at the grocery store (about half of the flavors are vegan) so right now that is my favorite food, but I also love Alternative Baking Company cookies, Uncle Eddie's cookies, and tofutti pizzas (mainly because they remind me of my summers at the pool.)

8.) What tools/supplies/accessories for your craft(s) are you wishing you had but don't? Also, what do you have TOO many of? (basically a wish and anti-wish list)
Stitch markers, no matter how many I aquire I can never find one when I need it so those can top my list, my favorites are those little green and orange ones that look a little like safety pins, but I also love the handmade ones. I have also noticed quite a gap in my needle collection lately, especially when it comes to dpns. I don't have dpns in sizes 1, 4, 6, 10.5 or 11.

9.) What type of handmade item would tickle your fancy? What don't you like? (Keep in mind this swap is open to all types of crafters.)
I would love a sewn bag with lots of inner compartments that will magically organize my life. Also, I love knitted hats, large rings, zines, and other such things. I don't like anything country, if you can find it at a Cracker Barrel it doesn't belong in my life. I like things that look handmade, a little rough around the edges (for you Cracker Barrel types that does not mean you can throw some straw into the mix.)

10.) Is there anything else you would like your pal to know about you?
I will love whatever you make from me.

Do any UK knitters read my blog

I really want a reprint of a magazine suppliment, but you can only get it by paying with a UK check so I am out of luck on getting it here in the US. The total cost is 3.50 pounds with shipping and I would love to do a trade to make up for your time and trouble. I own a store that sells a large amount of alternative and vegan fibers including bamboo, soysilk, hemp, corn yarn, vegan sari yarn, banana silk, and organic cottons. Tell me what you want I we can do a trade. I am also willing to trade for some vegan American goodies such as peanut chews or Oreos. Post a comment or email me directly if you are interested. If you want to do a larger trade I am in for that.

Secret Pal 9 questionnaire

I am in for another round of the secret pal exchange!!!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
My favorite yarn to knit with is Blue Sky organic cotton, this stuff is awesome. I also really like Euroflax, I just started a hand towel from Mason Dixon Knitting with that stuff and I love it. I am not a fan of novelty yarns, but I use them on occasion for things like animal hair.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Besides every surface in my house? I was using a vase, but it was sacrificed to the store so right now I have nothing.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting and crocheting for 8-9 years now. I usually say my skill level is intermediate, but I might be advanced. There is nothing that I am afraid of and I do knit advanced projects, but generally I stick to simpler things. Lately I have been doing a lot of pattern design.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
My Amazon Wishlist is here.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
I like fruit scents that are not too sweet and spicy scents. I love the smells associated with the winter holidays like pumpkin pie.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I love candy, but I am not a big fan of chocolate. My favorite sweet treats are the coconut macaroons from the Alternative Baking Company.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Anything and everything, I love crafting. I mainly sew, knit, crochet and do some basic embroidery. I really like making old things into new things.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
My musical taste is pretty diverse. I love indie pop, especially j-pop and lately I have been listening to a lot of French pop from the 60's. For a list of some of the bands I really like, please checkout Myspace.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love color, especially very saturated colors. Right now I am leaning toward browns and greens and blacks and whites. I hate any yellow-pink color combinations (i.e. peach, salmon,) but I love pinks and yellows when they aren't combined.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live with my husband and our dog Astrid.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Everything but ponchos. I have yet to knit mittens, but they are something that I have been thinking about lately. I've knitted lots of hats, scarves, and gloves to keep me warm in the winter months.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
This changes almost daily. I love to knit useless things like food and inanimate objects and lately I have been using my stash yarn to knit cozies for everything standing. I am also a big fan of socks and hats, maybe because I really like knitting in the round.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Right now I am knitting a college scarf as a sample for the store I work in. Very basic, boring pattern, but when I finish I am going to create my own pattern for a crocheted earflap hat that uses the Patagonia cotton.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes, those are my favorite.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Depends what I am knitting. I don't like bamboo needles, but I love wooden needles, especially Brittanys. When knitting in the round I like to use addis or my Denise set. I am also a really big fan of handmade needles.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Both and they are fabulous.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
I purged my stash and frogged any UFO that was not going to get finished a little while ago. Now my oldest UFO is only a few months old.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
definitely Halloween!

19. Is there anything that you collect?
I think that I officially collect collections of things. I was driving down the street last weekend and I passed a yard sale. I parked and went in to find an old collection of spoons from around the world. I couldn't just leave them there, someone put their heart and soul into this collection only for it to be sold post-humorously on the street corner. I bought the entire collection for $8 to add to my other collections. I also collect tiki stuff, vintage cookbooks (1950-1969,) pin-ups, and old craft books.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I have subscriptions to Vogue Knitting and Cast-on, but I really don't like subscriptions since I have yet to find a magazine that regularly produces patterns that I like. I much prefer to browse the issues when they come out and pick the ones I like.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I need to learn more patience with my knitting. I want to take on a huge lace project at some point to really test my patience. I would also like to learn Irish Cottage Knitting so I can knit a sweater in a weekend. If you find any books or tutorials on this technique send them my way.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, I love to knit socks.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
January 19.