Goodness!

First up...Good Coffee.

The Knitters Coffee Swap has ended and I received a fantastic package from my swap partner, Kathy. Since we were out of coffee as of the day before the package came, when I opened the box and saw the Christmas Blend from Starbucks, my husband immediately took the coffee and poured it into our machine and we have been drinking it since then. It is yummy! Christmas Blend is one of my favorite Starbucks blends and it is only available at this time of year.

I love the yarn she chose for me. It is a perfect choice! It is Alpaca from a breeder/spinner local to her, in Michigan, and it is a gorgeous color...deep brown, like a rich dark-roast coffee. She sent enough to make socks. She also sent chocolate that had an interesting blend of flavors. It is milk chocolate with ground Ancho chilies and Ceylon cinnamon, sprinkled with roasted cacao nibs...how good does that sound? In addition, she sent a set of beautiful stitch markers that were also made by a local artisan. And, she sent a cute purple notepad...seriously, I was trying to think if I had mentioned anywhere that purple is one of my favorite colors...how did she know? I get very excited over things that I have not seen before, and things I cannot normally get; so, the yarn, the stitch markers, and the chocolate all were very interesting and exciting for me.

Here is a closeup of the beautiful yarn. I think I know just the right sock pattern for this yarn. I'm thinking of the Cable Twist Socks from Hello Yarn. There are great pictures of these socks knit up in solid colors here and here.

I was very impressed and delighted with the package. Thanks, again to my Knitters Coffee Swap partner....you did good!


Next up...Good Deeds.

I don't usually do 'Charity Knitting'; however, I did knit a newborn cap for the Caps to the Capital project. I never photographed it because I finished it while I was at Stitches East and Stitches had a booth set up to collect the caps and send them directly to Caps to the Capital. If you are knitting a newborn cap for the Save the Children organization, don't forget that the knitted (or crocheted) infant caps need to be mailed by January 2, 2007.

Also, I recently completed a Chemo Cap for my friend J. It was interesting for me because I didn't tell J that I was making anything for her and I was feeling a little awkward about giving the cap to her. J has lost her hair from her chemo treatments and wears a wig. So, I wasn't sure how she would feel about me knitting for her bald head. I was pretty anxious about it; but, I knew that my heart was in the right place. I wrapped it up nice and gave it to her at work. As she was opening the box, I told her that I had knit her a little something to keep her head warm at night. She opened it and burst into tears... and hugged me so hard. I felt really good and realized that I had all that anxiety for nothing. Good thoughts are usually well received.

I used the "ChemoCaps Eyelet Hat" pattern from the Knitting for Peace book and knit it up with Jade Sapphire Mongolian Cashmere.

Next...Good Karma.
Lisa Shobhana Mason, author of Yarnplay, is paying it forward for some good that came her way earlier this year. Through Decemeber 31st, buy her Bejeweled Scarf pattern online for $2.25 and $3.50 will be donated to F.I.R.E., the non-profit organization that delivers all of the knitted items to Mongolia for the Dulaan Project. I bought this pattern and am going through the stash now to find the right yarn. This is an easy way to do some good. Buy the pattern and suggest it to your friends, too.


And, finally...Good Holidays.
Wishing everyone a wonderful, happy, safe holiday season!