Moving again!!

Hi all, I couldn't wait to move to my new home so I had to pick a winner for the mini-contest. Sorry to all those who were thinking of entering and didn't -- to late you lose. Seriously, come on over to the new blog with my all new screen and blog name. I will be hosting another contest fairly shortly as a blogwarming virtual door prize, so keep a look out there.

Come see who won the mini-contest and check out the new home. It's great I even have old, old crafting blog entries from my first blogger and LJ!! It means that I've had a separate crafting journal since June 2006!! Though I didn't start seriously entering in posts till I learned to knit, so there are a few crochet entries, but not enough for my liking. I wish I documented my crocheting as well as I have my knitting. I haven't stopped crocheting and started picking up my wonderful favourite hook from Papermonkey Knits from LJ secret pal many, many moons ago it's a Brittany Birch 5.omm and it's my preeeeecccious. Andrea is fabulous go say hi!

Again you can find me at my new home:

http://blindpurls.wordpress.com

"Defeat the Winter Doldrums" Dishcloth Swap Weekly Topic #2

There are many people who ADORE receiving hand-knit or crochet items; but there are just as many who have no appreciation whatever of how much love, work, and time goes into a hand-made item. Share a story of a hand-made gift you gave to someone and how it worked out - good, bad, or ugly!

Well I've had really good luck with gifting my knitting and crocheted items. I crocheted my father a scarf and had to replace that scarf many times due to that the fact he wore the scarves so much that they were getting ratty. My father wore a scarf I made him all the time, even when he went to the hospice for what was suppose to be a temporary trial stay for two weeks and he passed away before he was to be released to come back home. He passed on of pancreatic cancer and I really wished that he was home his last days because I'm terrified of hospitals so I avoid them. He understood though and I did actually visit him there, but not as often as I wanted to. i am happy that he had his scarf with him there so he had a part of me with him. Another great recipient for my knitted and crocheted gifts is my daughter mini-me, who loves getting presents especially if I've made them. Her most favourite to date is her Ravenclaw scarf. Ever since she was little, she's steal the scarves that I crocheted for myself after making her one or two because she loved them so much. Now that I knit she has received only one knit scarf, well actually two -- one for her and one for her teddy bear -- and she has loved them both that she always asks if I'm make her more especially after drooling over the ones I finally managed to keep for myself! My Grandmother and Great Grandmother are also the perfect people to make knitted or crocheted items for and love to show them off to everyone they can. They both knit and crochet, even though my Great Grandmother is now 96 and had to give it up a few years ago due to breaking her wrist. I've given gifts of knitted and crocheted items a lot and had no issues except for the recipients asking for more!! That I dno't really consider a bad thing, it's a great compliment that my handmade items are being loved so much that they need to be replaced :-)

You could win this, no not the snow look closer ;-)

Well I've been knitting and crocheting up a storm here. Also dealing with a lot of snow! I'm a true Vancouverite and we are only used to visiting our snow, while up on the mountains. So when it snows here, the whole city and surrounding areas especially shut down. It is somewhat embarrassing that about 5-10 cm of snow is considered a snow day because the rest of our country goes on their daily lives when it snows even more than that, but we are very spoiled what can I say. Maylee had a blast though, she hasn't seen snow since she left Colorado for her formal guide dog training in San Rafael. She had so much fun crashing Mini-me's decapitated snow man with mini-me and I.

Did you know I'm having a mini-contest! (It's hidden in the middle of the entry) I even have a huge clue, yet only one "correct" entry answer! Common people don't you want to win this. That's right folks yummy sock yarn (I will sub CP Panda Cotton for those with wool allergies if needed) and Crazy Aunt Purl's book. A great funny read, plus there are patterns! I'm even letting you guess till you get it right. I will e-mail you when you post to tell you if you got the correct answer or not -- so what are you waiting for go and enter -- tell you friends if you tell them and they post saying you sent them you get entered in again. It's the way things work folks. I want to draw a winner soon and I want there to be more than one entrant!! Don't be shy and common and get guessing. I will be drawing a winner sometime in the next two weeks because I'm almost ready to show off the surprise :-)

Booking Through Thursday - The Late Edition

What’s your favorite book that nobody else has heard of? You know, not Little Women or Huckleberry Finn, not the latest best-seller . . . whether they’ve read them or not, everybody “knows” those books. I’m talking about the best book that, when you tell people that you love it, they go, “Huh? Never heard of it?”

I know I'm late it's Friday, but I've been a but busy. For example I haven't had to time to dig out that prize for the mini-contest and take a picture for you all. Here's a hint (are you paying attention? good) in regards to the secret -- many knit bloggers are leaving their "home" like lemmings (yes I know the mass suicide thing is a myth), where are they going? This secret has been in the works for a while, but there are other before me who have done it, now it might be a case of Monkey see, Monkey do; however there are good reasons to have a new "home" Come on people there's more time to enter and you can have more than one guess (hint, Marsha it's not actual knitting, nice guess though :-D)

Well one is Song in the Silence by Elizabeth Kerner I did meet a fellow YarnWords member (ravelry group) who has liked and read it as well. There are two other books after this, but I can't seem to get through the second. I'm going to try again from the very beginning. I won't really give too much away, but I will say dragons!!!

The Oblivion Society by Marcus Alexander Hart. I was introduced to this book and author by an internet friend. It's a funny little trip to the end of the world as we know it. The new cover is so not the cover I have!! I have signed first edition, though the new cover is really cool!

The Shattered World by Michael Reaves What's not to like magic, intrigue, and dragons!! I'm not sure what the reviewer on Amazon was reading because I don't recall having any problems understanding the words in this book. I guess he just has a limited lexicon...

O-Zone by Paul Theroux - I'm always have been a bit found of reading dystopia fiction like Brave New World, Snow Crash, 1984, The Handmaiden's Tale etc.. this is one of them that never make the "must-read" dystopia fiction list. let alone the list at all!

Defeat the Winter Doldrums Dishcloth Swap Weekly Topic #`

Weekly Topic: Dishrag. Dishcloth. Face cloth. I've seen folks get all fired up in forums when someone refers to their knit or crochet creation as a dishrag, as that's somehow offensive to them! When you're working on yours, what do you call them? Also, is there a difference between a dishrag and a dishcloth? How bout a facecloth? Are they all really the same thing?

At first I thought dishrag, dishcloth, face cloth...hmmm same s#$t different pile. Then I really thought about it and I want a facecloth (washcloth) to be soft and gentle and a dishcloth (dishrag) should be a little rougher to help scrub things. Truly do you want to wash your baby's bottom with a scouring cloth?? I'd hope not, come one folks even if that sweet baby is wailing like a banshee you don't want to hurt that tender skin. I don't want to use something with just plain old rough cotton on my unmentionables as well! For face cloths (or washcloths) I use a softer cotton like Blue Sky Alpaca's Organic or Dyed cotton or Cascade pima cotton, sure it can pill a little but boy is it super soft on your skin. For the general all purpose kitchen cleaning cloths avoid using the soft cottons and usually use good old Bernat's kitchen cotton. Another way to think about it is would you use the dishrag that you just used to wipe that dog drool or baby puke off the floor to wash your face. Seriously, no matter how many times that dishrag is washed I can't bring myself to wash my face with it. There really is a difference if you look at it, seriously!!

I'm late as always, and a mini contest

Seems like lately I'm alway late for something. like meeting friends for lunch, knitting meetups, doctors appointments... However I have managed to stay on top of my knitting deadlines for swaps. I changed my mind yet again what I am making for my Loopy Ewe swap pal! Good thing is I'll make the deadline *wipes forehead* I am way ahead of schedule with my HSKS 4 pals bag, it's awesome!! I just need to finish the strap and get some fabric to line it. This is what I'm made in her house colours, LINK. I love fair isle! This is my first fair isle project and I finished the bag's body in less than three days!! I casted on late Friday afternoon and I finished it late Sunday night. What a fast and fun knit!! I really hope my pal likes it. I also have been making a whole bunch of knitted washclothes for me and my washcloth pal. I really, really wish there was more time in the day.

I also started my Secret of the Stole ii lace project. I had to frog it yesterday when Mini-me came in to bug me after me telling her under no circumstances unless the house was burning down should she come and interrupt my knitting in any way or form. Well she did to tell me the time! May I add I was fully aware of the time and that I'd be running late but I just wanted to finish that row! So once I came home from a knitting meetup I casted on again and got to row 8! I'm using SWTC Infinity and it's not really stretchy at all so it's hard to work with, but you get used to it.

I promise tomorrow will be back to somewhat regular blog posts complete with pictures! I found my camera finally. The mailman has brought me some new knitting books as well as soon my Harmony interchangables! SQQUEEEE I can't wait. I love the metal ones, but the wooden ones are much better for a lot of the yarns I work with like silk!

As for the surprise I'm still working on it and it will be revealed sooner or later I promise really. I haven't said a word to anyone yet. Can you guess what it is? If you guess correctly I'll send you a knitting treat. This is a mini contest and my first so it's a mini one for now since I'm so busy. I'll update tomorrow what the prize will be, so stay tuned. Oh yeah feel free to tell your friends :-D

PS I almost forgot Hogwarts Sock Swap Three is taking applications! Yay it's my second year to get info on how to apply go here. Sign ups are a bit slow right now, so hurry up before more people actually find out it's happening because if you are directly looking for it or on Harry Potter Lovers on Ravelry there wasn't any real promoting! Here take my firebolt.

This post is brought to you by Booking through Thursdays

I've always thought that I'd want to join in on Booking through Thursdays after seeing them on various blogs especially Marsha's, but never did go through with posting my answers. Well, it's a new year and here is my first Booking through Thursdays!

This week’s question is suggested by Puss Reboots:

How much do reviews (good and bad) affect your choice of reading? If you see a bad review of a book you wanted to read, do you still read it? If you see a good review of a book you’re sure you won’t like, do you change your mind and give the book a try?
I mostly ignore book reviews on books that I really want to read because well I really want to read them! As for changing my mind on a book due to good book reviews, I am guilty of being persuaded to read a book that has gotten a good review from friends or fellow bibliophiles. I won't have read His Dark Materials or even Harry Potter if I had not given into reading them, due to the fact that I was wary of disappointment. I thought that the raving was all due to mass hype and that I was going to be let down if I read them. I eventually did read them and they are some of my favourite books to read and re-read!