Yippee Skippee!

I've got tea(and goodies too!)! I received my KTS2 package over the weekend and what a lucky girl I am! The following was from Cassie and she nailed it!


Details:
Celestial Seasonings Red Safari Spice (rooibos with hibiscus, cinnamon, ginger, gloves, etc, etc!) - I haven't tried this one yet, but it smells yummy! She also took a chance and sent a DELICIOUS Chamomile Tea from a local shop that crafts all sorts of things, including the wooden honey dipper thingy - how cool! I'm just now experimenting with herbal teas and really enjoying it and the chamomile that Cassie picked for me is perfect! Yum yum yum! I'm going to have to see if I can get my hands on some more... oh, and the whole package smelled of chamomile too.. :-)
Moving on... there were chocolates, which I almost lost to hubby when I wasn't looking! And some chocolate chip cookies too!
Last but not least!!! THE YARN! Cassie sent me 450 yards of wool & silk blend laceweight yarn that she spun JUST FOR ME! It's beautiful... totally my colors - deep reds, purples, browns... now to figure out what to make! I suppose it will have to be a scarf - any pattern suggestions out there? I am so touched that she spent time spinning it just for me and I love it so much. Besides, it's my first handspun, so it will have to be something special for sure!



Oh, and did I mention - 2 other skeins of her handspun? The softest merino wool (she mentioned one was prize winning) - one has a shiny metalic thread through it as well. They are small amounts and Cassie suggested using them for embellishment - great idea.

The person that I sent tea, yarn and goodies to was Laurie - check out her site too!
Overall a great swap and I sure hope we all get to do it again soon!

I'm an Auntie again!

Another niece! She's a preemie (34 weeks), so will be in the hospital for a couple of weeks, but improving each day. And what a cutie! I've had her Christmas sweater planned for a few months but was holding off on picking a color until we found out whether it was a boy or a girl. So, the fact that she's a few weeks early actually buys me a few weeks of knitting time. I'm going to knit Trellis and am thinking definitely in PINK! Fortunately, it uses Rowan All Seasons Cotton - one of my favorite yarns for kids sweaters. :-) I'm picking up the yarn this weekend at the grand opening of a new LYS - Purlescence Yarns. I am so excited to check out the new shop, even if it is a bit of a drive.
Knitting on the other 2 sweaters for LittleBean and cousin M is coming along... pictures soon.

Mmmm, tea!

Well, I sure have been busy getting the package together for my tea swap pal! I hope she's going to love getting all this stuff as much as I would - I want to keep it all! Fortunately, all that shopping allows me to pick up some extras for myself! The rain today sure helped put me in the mood to try a few different flavors :-)

Now, I'm not a big fan of green teas, BUT.... I think I found a winner. Genmai Cha from Adagio. Here's the story - many years ago, DH and I were having dinner at a very fancy restaurant and finished the meal with dessert and hot tea. I had consumed much wine that evening, so my memory is a bit fuzzy, but I do remember the tea flavor being "Toasted Rice" and that it was very mild. I have no idea what the brand was and I have searched the world over for this tea. So, when I happened upon the genmai cha (green tea with popped rice and popcorn), I knew I had to try it! It still has more of a green tea flavor than I remember from the other, but does indeed taste of toasted/popped rice and corn -mmmm! Just a sprinkle of sugar and it's perfect!

More tea reviews to come... especially once I receive my tea swap package! I can't wait!

I have been knitting too, working on matching sweaters for LittleBean and her cousin M for Christmas - hers in pink of course and his in blue. I'll have to snap pictures of them soon... they're from the Top Down for Toddlers book and are knit in the round, which I am LOVING! Zero seams is definitely a good thing!