Vegan Knitting...and then some

Secret Pal Package #3

Last week I got my final package from my no-longer-secret pal, Westerly Whimsies!  What a perfect package.

At the top, we have three skeins of Lion Brand Naturals organic cotton yarn in a lovely green, along with the pattern for Ysolda's Liesl underneath it.  I've been wanting to make that pattern and now I have everything I need! (already had the needles.)  Next to the yarn is Stephanie Pearl-MacPhee's Things I Learned from Knitting (whether I wanted to or not), which I have not read yet.  Underneath the book is a cute little Fergie the Frog Clover Kritter Case for carrying around notions, etc.  And finally, underneath that, is a project bag perfect for socks, hats, and other small projects, made from my beloved Moomin fabric! 

With the fall weather upon us, I can't wait to start on Liesl.  Thank you so much, Secret Pal!

Secret Pal Question of the week

If you were told you could never again buy yarn, would would your last yarn purchase be?

A good fat skein of laceweight so I could work on a lovely shawl that would take a LONG time to knit.

If you were told you could never knit again, what would be the last thing you’d knit??

See above!

In a given year, how many times do you buy yarn? And what is your favorite place to buy yarn from? A festival? A shop? Online? Dish your favorite places!!

How many times?  I have no idea.  Probably about 12.  I usually buy yarn from my LYS or from destashers both to save money and for the environment.  My favorite shop where I used to live in the Bay Area is Marin Fiber Arts, and my favorite shop here in Portland is Close Knit.

Lastly, with Fall in full swing in many areas, what is the one thing you look forward to most?

I love Fall.  I look forward to cool afternoons where the sun is out and a cool breeze is blowing and I'm buying vegetables to make a nice hot soup for dinner!

Secret Pal Package #2

This mostly-cooking themed package is, clockwise from top:

Silly Feet silicone cupcake bakers
2 balls of Madil Yarns' Eden 100% bamboo, which I'm already using to make the Little Leaf Scarf from the Make it Modern booklet from my #1 package. 
Fortune cookie bath bombs
Lovely mini cookie cutter set with fall shapes
Cupcake stitch markers
Sprinkles
Apple lotion (not shown)
Gift cards to go with hand-made items (not shown)

Thank you so much SP!  The yarn is so soft and pretty and will be perfect against the neck.  I'm looking forward to cooking with the tools and treats! And fall is upon us so I'll soon be taking baths again.

Secret Pal Question of the week

I'm sure most of us have a proudest moment when it comes to
knitting.  A project or technique that you've tackled and completed
beautifully.  What is your proudest knitting moment??

My first lace project was "Branching Out" from Knitty.com.  The first few repeats were really hard to get through.  I had to frog several times and redo some of the stitches many times.  Luckily, I knew about lifelines so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.  I was so proud when I finally got the hang of the pattern and was able to make the whole scarf with minimal mistakes. 

And on the flip side?  What is the one thing that you can't get
right?  What is that one project that you've never been able to
complete?  Or that you did complete but then hid away instantly
because it was too embarrassing?

In the first month that I was knitting, I decided to make myself a purse out of my head.  Out of soy silk.  The soft, drapey kind.  It was going to be a box purse.  Out of soft, drapey yarn.  Box, drape.  Nope!  It was seed stitch and I did a great Fibonacci pattern with the stripes and it looks so cool lying there flat.  In my drawer.  I even figured out how to make buttonholes myself!  But I'm afraid it will have to become something else.  Someday.

Secret Pal Question of the week

So I skipped the last question because I never watch the Olympics, so I can't really compare my knitting to any of it.

On to week #11

"What is the best thing you've ever received in the mail?"

I think here I'd have to say that the best thing I've ever received in the mail is a letter back from my husband, before we were married, when I'd written him my first letter introducing myself.  Our parents were involved in a long distance relationship, and I'd been given some copies of a magazine my husband had done previously.  I really liked the writing and really wanted to get to know him (plus I thought he was really cute!) so I wrote him a letter.  It was very young, and rather silly, but he did write back.  A year and a half later we were married!

Secret Pal Question of the week

In many communities, "the fair" is a great place to visit and spend
time with your family.  It's also where many have entered one product
or another (jams, cakes, even knitting)...

Have you ever entered your knitting (or anything else) in the fair?
Would you ever consider it?

I have not entered anything, although soon after I left CA, several members of my LYS knitting group entered projects into the Marin County Fair and won prizes!  TBH, I hadn't thought of entering until I heard them do it.

I may look into fairs here in OR and see what opportunities there are, although the competition, I think, will be fierce with so many LYSs and so many knitters here in Portland.

Thank you Secret Pal!!!!

During my mom's visit, I got my first package from my secret pal.

1.  Yarntopia Treasure's 10/2 Tencel lace in the "bright idea' colorway.  Pattern suggestions for a lace in this bright color cheerful accepted!  It's lovely.  I've been looking forward to trying it.

2.  Shawls and Scarves.  Some very pretty lace designs in here with both written and charted directions.  I can't wait to make some!

3.  Smelly candles from Pacifica!  Nice and small to put on the edge of the tub while I take a bath in the winter.

4.  Classic Elite Yarn's book "Make it Modern".  I love every single pattern in this book and am really happy about it!  (Not shown as it's disappeared into my room that I'm reorganizing.)

Secret Pal Question of the week

"What is your favorite supper for a hot summer evening? (For added "flavor", post a photo or recipe link)"

       I have two favorite meals for a hot summer evening.  One is a huge salad with lots of veggies, avocado, and either some beans (garbanzo or kidney are my faves in salad) or some chopped smoked tofu on top.  I like it either with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, or Annie's Goddess dressing. 

My other favorite hot summer dinner is a taco bowl:  rice topped with black beans and Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausage, some corn and red pepper, and then the usual taco fixin's (lettuce, cilantro, yellow onion, vegan cheese, avocado, and salsa.)  Then either corn chips or corn tortillas to eat it with.

Vegan Summer Swap from Ravelry

I just participated in the Vegan Summer Swap on Ravelry and got my box earlier this week.  Boy, was it full!

I can't wait to try out the Panda Cotton sock yarn, make some popsicles, and try the chocolate banana smoothie recipe!  I know have a cute stitch marker holder rather than the ziploc back I was using, and postcards to send to friends.  Thank you so much Llunarllama!

Secret Pal 12 Questionnaire

1.  What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely not like?                           
I love Blue Sky Alpacas cotton, other soft cottons, soysilk, bamboo.  I don't need any hemp, acrylic, or dishcloth cotton.  I don't mind cotton/acrylic blends, just not 100% acrylic.  I also don't need any novelty yarn.  Of course handspun yarn with novelty stuff in it is different.

   2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have some needle cases so I'm OK for that.

   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 for 2 1/2 years.  I learned while working at a Waldorf school in the first grade, when the children learn to knit.  I'd say that I'm an intermediate - I've made socks, done a bunch of lace, but no adult garments like sweaters.

   4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No but I can make one on Ravelry.

   5.What’s your favorite scent?
I like spices, lavendar, rose (no vanilla, fruits, or patchouli, please!)

   6.Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I like chocolate and other candy but I'm allergic to nuts and some chocolate bars have nut reside from the machines. I try not to each too much candy so I'd prefer something like interesting sprinkles to put on cupcakes.

   7.What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I love to bake and cook.  I like baking cupcakes and other sweet breads, cookies.  I love to cook a variety of ethnic foods like Indian and Mexican.

   8.What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I have an iPod and iTunes.  My musical taste is really eclectic.  I like a lot of 60s soul, vocals from the 20s-30s, early blues, ragtime.  I like a lot of field recordings from other countries.  I also like more modern bands like Ladytron and The New Pornog raphers (space so word doesn't show up on searches).  If you want to make me a CD, you should probably talk to me about it ahead of time.  I don't like most mainstream music but I always like to hear new things.

   9. What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand?
I love earth tones (eggplant, olive, chocolate brown, pumpkin, dark green, brick red) and black and bright red and purple.  I also like lavender/lilac and light yellow.  No other pastels, orange, or navy blue, please!

  10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm married without children or pets.  I'm allergic to most pets although I would like to have a cat if I could.
 
 11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I do wear scarves and hats.  I would not wear mittens.  I would wear a poncho but not the kind that's pointy in the front and back.  I'd like a round one.

  12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I like accessories (hats, scarves, fingerless gloves), shawls, and kids items.

  13. What are you knitting right now?
Right now I'm working on a pair of mini-Fetchings for me with leftover yarn from making my mom a pair of extra-long Fetching.  I'm also finishing up a second set of fruits and veggies for a friend who is having a baby.  And I'm casting on for a hat/scarf set as I can't find any of my hats since I moved. :(  

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Oh yes!  

15.  Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I prefer circular needles.  I have a Boye set and a bunch of bamboo circs.  I prefer Addi Turbos for sock knitting and have a set of 1.5 16" and a single 60" 1 for magic loop.  I would like a pair of 2s and a pair of 3s for sock knitting either of Addi or Knit Picks.  I do like DPNs for small projects like the kids toys, and can always use more of size 2-6.

  16.  Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No but I plan to get some soon.

  17.  How old is your oldest UFO?
2.5 years.  My oldest UFO is a bag I designed and knit out of soysilk without realizing that a bag really needs a sturdy yarn or it will just flop around.  So I never seamed it.  I should really frog it and reuse the yarn.

  18.  What is your favorite holiday?
Well, I love cooking Thanksgiving and Christmasy foods although I'm not religious.  For decoration, I like Halloween the best.  I used to be a full-on Goth, so I still like things with bats, spiders, etc. on them.  I don't mind bright orange if it's mixed with black like in a pair of socks or stockings.

  19.  Is there anything that you collect?
I'm a birdwatcher so I like things with birds on them.  My favorites are ducks, geese and other waterfowl, crows, quail, swallows.  I also love any vintage kitchen items or cute kitchen things like those spoons that say "dash, pinch, smidgen", etc.  I like vintage fabric/ribbons or new ribbons or fabric with animals, veggies, foods.  I'm a big fan of Tove Jansson so I collect Moomin/Muumi items.

  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 don't have any knitting subscriptions right now although I used to have Interweave but let it lapse.  I'd like to get the Classic Elite pattern booklet "9086 Make it Modern".  I really want to get some Habu bamboo yarn or some other bamboo that I haven't tried yet like Blue Moon Fiber Arts Bambu.  I have tried Bouton D'Or and SWTC.  I'd really like to try Blue Sky Alpacas skinny cotton, other vegan sock yarns (Crystal Palace's Panda Cotton, Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Sock Candy, Kollage's Luscious Cotton sock yarn).  I also want to try new plant-based lace.  I have some Conjoined Creations Pasttimes soysilk lace.  I'd like to try some tencel lace like Aziz from Just Our Yarn, or some tencel, bamboo, or Egyptian cotton from Yarntopia Treasures on Etsy.  I would like to try linen as well.  I don't need any more hemp.

Also, in the interest of the environment, I have no problem with items from your stash, or items purchased from others' stashes on Ravelry.  You can save a lot of money that way, and I don't mind if someone swatched and then frogged.

21.  Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn?
I'd like to improve my lace with more complicated patterns.  I'd like to complete an adult garment like a shirt or small sweater.

  22.  Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I sure am!  I will have to measure my feet.  I normally wear a size 9.5 women's medium width.  I normally make my toes short-row toes because my big toe is too long for the usual decrease/kitchener toe.  If you were to make me a pair and use that toe, make sure to knit a bit longer on the foot before decreasing.

  23.  When is your birthday?
Not during the swap.

  24.  What’s your Ravelry ID?
veganknitting

Vegan Pal 2: Questionnaire

1. What is/are your craft(s), & how long have you been doing it/them?

I've been a knitter for 1 1/2 years.  I also dabble in a little hand-sewing and have a sewing machine but haven't used it much.  That will change now that I have a...dum dum dum...craft room! (Posts to follow about that once I get it set up.)

   2. Are you a vegan, vegetarian, veg-curious, veg-friendly or other?

I've been vegan for 7 years.

  3. Is this your first swap, or have you done previous swaps before? What makes a swap enjoyable for you?

I did Vegan Pal 1 and also 3 Secret Pals.  I love when my pals write/comment often so I know they are paying attention to get to know me, and when they get me little things that are just right because of something I've mentioned in a post, or a photo I've taken.

  4. What is/are your favorite color(s)? Do you particularly dislike any color(s)?

I love all fall colors and earth tones.  My favorites are eggplant, olive green, forest green, and chocolate brown.  Oh, and brick red.  I also love black and fire engine red.  I'm not a pastel person at all.

   5. Do you have any allergies (such as pets, foods, fibers or cigarette smoke)?

I'm allergic to cats and dogs, and to cigarettes.  I'm also really sensitive to chemical scents so while I love bath and body products, they have to come from a health food store or be otherwise naturally-scented.

   6. Do you have any companion animals? If so, name(s) and type(s)?*

No animals.  I'm allergic to cats and dogs and smaller animals are rather blah to me.

   7. Do you collect anything?

I'm a birdwatcher, and I love ducks and geese and shore/water birds. I love miniature stationary products, neat post-its or cards with letter press, or small artist drawings.  I love nature and most animals.  I like antique kitchen implements.

   8. 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!)

I love comfort foods and baked goods.  I also love Mexican/African/Italian/Mediterranean foods.

   9. What are some of your favorite/least favorite tastes/flavors? (e.g. sweet, salty, chocolate, crunchy, smooth, tart, sour, spicy, thai, whatever - Help your pal get a feel for what kind of recipes you might like and/or never ever make.)

I like sour, salty, spicy.  I like herbs and almost all spices.

  10. 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)

I need a few more crochet hooks (I'll list which ones I have later, I think B, D, and G.)  I need some tiny circs for sock knitting, like the Knit Picks 0-3.  I have plenty of tapestry needles but I do need more blocking T-pins.  I have two measuring tapes but no yarn cutter or cute scissors.  I have a few row counters but wouldn't mind one of those pink and white ones that lets you track multiple counts like for lace knitting.

  11. Are you on Ravelry? What's your handle?

Yes, it's VeganKnitting!

  12. Is there anything else you would like your pal to know about you?

I like to wear and decorate with retro stuff - 20s-60s but not later than that.  I don't have enough pot holders.  I can't stick magnets on my fridge.  I like cute pins and buttons (both with pin back and to sew).  I also love little bags and purses.  I like polka dots and strips and argyle.  I like designs that are either old-fashioned or very modern.  I love to read and I play piano.

  13. What scents do you like/dislike?

I love lavender and other herbs like rosemary or lemongrass, rose, citrus.  I'm not big on florals except for rose. I like mint.

  14. Do you prefer fall or Halloween or some other Autumn theme?

I love Halloween but I also love fall!  So, really, whichever you choose would be just fine with me.  I'm a former goth so all that black, witchy, skeleton stuff is great. I love to eat and look at pumpkins. I love stews and soups and leaves and fires and scarves and hats and such.

  15. Just for fun - tell your favorite Halloween or Autumn related memory.

I'll tell one of each.  My favorite Halloween memory is trick or treating with my mom and a friend.  My mom dressed up as a pirate and had a big fake beard.  She made my costume every year and that year I was a mixup animal, so I had lion paws, bat wings, a pig nose, dog tail, etc.  It was really fun and I was so proud of my costume and of my mom for really acting the Pirate part.

My favorite autumn memories are visiting Central Park (I'm from NYC) right as the leaves are changing and walking all around the park crunching the leaves with my feet and looking at the beautiful colors.

Sp9 Shawl

Finally, some photos of the gorgeous shawl my secret pal, Knicknac sent me back in February.  It's made of a nice brown cotton and is so pretty!  The whole shawl, modeled by the husband, and then a closeup.

Belated Secret Pal Photos

Oy, I'm such a jerk. Blame it on the "we're in the process of moving, getting a loan, and renovating the house" blues.  Yes, we're moving.  We're slowly bringing stuff to the new house and should be out there within a month.  Out there meaning still in the same county but on the coast, right by the beach and tons of birdwatching and chickens, and with a HUGE yard, and a sweet,old, deaf dog who doesn't know that the last tenants of the house have moved and left her with the neighbors.  But also far from the city, and my job, and any of our usual haunts.  But sometimes you've gotta trade, ya know?

I'll probably post more about the move later on.  In the meantime, here are the way overdue photos of the huge, lovely package I received in December from my Secret Pal, Ima Mystery.

From top to bottom:

1.  Every fruit you'd ever want to eat (and one apple that someone apparently already ate!) crocheted, plus a sweet dove and a little duckie.

2.  Vegan chocolate chip cookies from a bakery near her (yummy!!!!) and peach Bon Maman jam and ginger chews, which I love, and some fruit leather strips I'd never had before.  I shared those with two children I know, who inhaled them.  I had the mixed berry one myself and it was really tasty and not as sticky as the Fruit Island ones.

3.  A bath set, and a puzzle of parrots!

Vegan Pal package to Rina

Rina got her package yesterday from the Vegan Pal swap, so I thought I'd post photos since she doesn't have a blog:

Vegan Knit item:  I made her the Double-Cabled scarf from One Skein, using Blue Sky Alpacas dyed cotton in "fern" but I made the ribbing about 5" longer for warmth in freezing NJ.

To eat:  a bar of jasmine green tea dark chocolate made locally; lychee jelly candies from a Chinese grocery store (I bought a whole jar and I can't stop eating them!)

Tools for the trade:  hand-designed post-it notes from a small artist (good for marking places on patterns) and a pencil that says "BE SHARP" and some erasers in her initials.

Extras:  A mini Zen sand/rock garden; some Cassis Pear soap; a silver fairy pin; a pewter fairy statuette

Coming in the mail soon to her:  a CD I made of a variety of international music I think she'll like, and some pretty crochet stitch markers from Etsy.

Secret Pal Project#1

As you can see in the sidebar, I recently finished a project for my secret pal spoilee.  If you are absolutely sure that I am not your secret pal, click here to see a photo!

Holy Moly! Secret Pal package 1 arrives

Jimminy Jillikers - check out this stuff!

Ima Mystery, my secret pal 9 spoiler, sent me my first fat package:

• Handmade crocheted bag made with red cotton yarn and a cute black flower with black handles.  Lined with flower fabric.  Soooooo cute and perfect for me!
• 3 bars of Green and Black chocolate in different flavors.  Yum!
• 4 skeins of Sugar n Cream cotton yarn with a really nice dishcloth booklet with 12 patterns
• 2 skeins of SWTC Soy Silk Phoenix in Chocolate - a nice blend of varigated browns, a color I've not seen in stores
• And finally, not shown, two recipe cards made by her friend Allison, who's a vegan, for a Ginger Udon stirfry and carrot cake. 

I was so excited to get and open this package.  I had no idea what to expect with the handmade item except that she was making me something.  It is just perfect, as I love bright red and black together, and don't have any "fancy" handbags.

Secret Pal Package!!!

I left my computer at someone's house so no pics until tomorrow night. In the meantime, let me say a hearty "THank You!" to Ima Mystery, my secret pal, for a most delicious package - the cutest handmade red and black purse, three bars of vegan chocolate, two skeins of SWTC soy silk in a color I've never seen, and 4 skeins of earth tones Sugar n Cream cotton with a pattern booklet for dishclothes! It was perfect.

Vegan Pal package!

Oh, how funny that Jennifer was my spoiler - I invited her to join because I like her style and projects, and she uses many vegan yarns even though she's not vegan, and because she's nice.  And then to get matched to me!

She did my package early, which is just fine with me.  It arrived yesterday but no one told me so I found it this morning.

In it were:

• a sweet ribbed cap made of Blue Sky Alpaca cotton (nut brown organic)
• a package of Pamela's gluten-free ginger cookies (see next post for review)
• a skein of pumpkin colored Hemp for Knitting and a pattern for a washcloth/soap sack/scrubbie
• a box of Numi Morrocan Mint herbal tea
• and just as I was about to recycle the box, I discovered a set of Clover bamboo size 1 DPNS!!!!

It was so perfect and wonderful - thank you so much, Jennifer!!!!!!

Magic Ball Yarn Swap!

Hi everyone!  Sorry it's been so long since I posted.  I've had a horrible week health-wise ending up in the ER on Thursday night and recooperating all weekend with virtually no knitting and definitely no cooking. 

But it's over now, and I'm back to my old self and today I received my "Magic Ball" yarn swap package from MDC.  You give info about your likes/dislikes to your partner, who finds a ball of yarn and winds it up for you with various treasures wrapped in it. 

My partner was Lori, and I've read a lot of her posts on the Yarn Crafts forum on MDC.  I already liked her and was tickled to see that she was my partner when I got the box.  She didn't quite get the vegan thing but other than that, the package was great!

Here is the ball, some kitten notes, some Burt's Bees facial cleanser and chocolates (unfortunately not vegan)

The yarn was Aurancia hand-dyed cotton in a beautiful colorway and you can see two neat Halloween pencils sticking out of it.

Tons of nature/animal beads/buttons, a witch eraser, and some beautiful green polka dot trim ribbon.  Editing to add that I forgot to mention that the ribbon matches exactly some wonderful fabric I got a while back to make a needle holder.  My friend is helping me to sew it and if there isn't room for the ribbon on it, there will be on the matching crochet hook holder I hope to make as well.

Thanks, Lori!  I look forward to choosing something to make with 130 yds of great cotton!

Best FO for SP9 contest

My SP9 hostess, Lorinda, asked us to post pictures of our best FO so far.  I'd have to say that doing Branching Out from Knitty.com was my best because it was my first lace item using more than simple YO and K2tog, and it was very difficult.  But I persevered, and got it done.  Now, I still haven't blocked it or given it to the recipient, and for that I hang my head in shame.  But I don't have anywhere good to block!  I'm posting a picture from before it was done because it was taken in natural light and shows off the color much better.  The upward leaning stitches on the left side look very loopy in this picture but not in real life.