I have been SPOILED

I'm back to some normalness (ok, ok... so what's that?) after a long weekend and will be playing catch up on blog posts for a couple of days. I spent a beautiful Saturday with Joanne & blogless Kathy on the Wool Arts Tour and will have lots of pictures later, but today I wanted to give props and big thank yous to a couple of my swap spoilees.

First up is the terrific 2nd package I received from my Secret Pal 11 spoilee. Her packages come wrapped & packaged up so beautifully! Look at the beautiful fall leaves she "wrapped" my package in (they are now adorning shelves in my kitchen)... and the pretty fall bags everything was packaged in....such beautiful & thoughtful presentation! Oh and do you see the 2 noses taking a peek?? Inside I found a really cute birthday card and lots of goodies. There's a skein of Opal Rain Forest sock yarn in the very fallish Butterfly colorway. I've been wanting to scoop up one of these hard to find rainforest skeins, so this was a great treat! Speaking of treats, she sent me some yummy rock candy pops, limited edition pop rocks flavors and chocolate covered cranberries! I also got a "Just Apples" cookbook - so perfect for this time of year! And... drum roll... I saved the best for last, a set of Grafton Fibers "Darn Pretty Needles" DPNs! OMG, check these out... can you say gor-geous??!! They are hand crafted in Vermont and just so beautifully made (click on the picture which should enlarge for a better view)! I can't wait to use them! Thank you secret pal - these are absolutely stunning!

The spoiling kept coming as the next day I received a wonderful box from my Knit 1, Tea 2 Swap spoiler, Jeanne! Just look at all the goodies she crammed in to the box! Teas... lots of deliciousness that I can't wait to try, including Acai Green Tea from Republic of Tea, Chai Spice Red Bush Tea (I had wanted to try some reds and I do love chai, so this sounds really interesting), Pure Assam breakfast tea from jolly 'ole England and Yogai Chai Green Tea (ok, so I didn't even know that Chai came in varieties such as green & red... yummy!). Tea accessories... some cool tea filters that are sized for a 4 cup tea pot (and possibly making me change my mind about wanting a cute little tea pot) and a Tea Bea, the cutest little tea infuser I've ever seen! Chocolate... yummy Lindt truffles and a Scharffen Berger milk chocolate bar (the truffles are just about gone, but I haven't chowed down the bar just yet). There is also a cute doggy notepad and some wonderful all natural treats for my kids, which they absolutely loved (and Mommy now needs to find a local retailer who carries). Once again, I saved the best for last... part of the swap requirements were to knit your pal a tea related item. However, Jeanne decided instead of knitting something, she would commission her friend to make me a custom doggy shaped shawl pin. LOOK! How cool is this??!! Even more so because I've got about 4 shawls in the midst of casting on and I was eyeing some shawl pins over the weekend on the Wool Arts Tour, but didn't find anything I really loved (or wanted to drop $30 - 50 on at the time). So this was an extra special treat - thank you Jeanne, I absolutely love it all! Now to find those Treat-Umms for the dogs... lol! Oh yea, and Tofutsies yarn in a most beautious colorway which I can't wait to finally try this stuff!!!!!!

Thank you so much to both of my pals... its so nice to get swap packages that actually reflect my personality and likes ... and its extra special to get swap pals who go the distance to find out what you like!

I will bring you more updates later this week... Wool Arts Tour, birthday goodies and more!

Knit 1, Tea 2 swap questionnaire

Here is my Q&A for the Knit 1, Tea 2 swap...

1) Do you like loose tea or bags, or both – something you want to try?
I've always only used bags, however I would love to try some loose tea (need the tools & how-to though). I've seen some of the new travel mugs that have the device to steep the tea built in - they look pretty interesting!

2) What is your favorite kind of tea (Brand, flavor, variety, etc)?
I like a variety of teas, but drink mostly black and green teas. I like herbal teas, enjoy fruity flavors in the summer and "comfort" flavors in the winter. I also like chai. Brand wise, I like Tazo, Bigelow and Lipton but really enjoy trying different (esp local or smaller) brands. I also really like the tea from Pampered Chef. As for iced tea, when we go on vacation to Charlotte, I'm addicted to the "sweet tea" down there -- and there's some awesome peach iced tea over the line in SC that I've had the pleasure of getting just a couple times.

3) Favorite color in regards to tea or one you would like to try? (black, green, red, and white) (keeping in mind that this is how this swap is set up).
Green and white. I've tried some of the fruity white tea blends and really love them (blueberry, pomegrante, etc)!

4) Would you say you were a tea pot kind of person or just a hot water heater kind?
Hot water heater. I love the look and character of a tea pot (and the whistle reminds me of many afternoons at Nana's house where tea was an all day affair), but in such a busy life, its just so much faster to get the hot water from the water cooler/heater!

5) What tea accessories would you like but have never purchased for yourself?
Oh I've seen so many cute things at the local shops, but this question is kind of like when someone asks what you want for your birthday/Christmas and you know you have a list a mile long, but you can't seem to recall anything at the moment??!! I can tell you that my favorite accessory is one of those little dishes that you put your tea bag on - its in the form of a yellow lab doggy!

6) How do you prefer to be pampered? (examples: mani/pedi, bubble bath, yummy treat, etc).
Yummy treats! A foot massage from my honey... extra time to sleep in... a glass on wine... my honey making dinner.

7) If you were a kind of yarn what would you be and why?
Alpaca... soft and fluffy, yet sturdy and long lasting!

8) If you had to knit/crochet baby booties, a fun fur scarf, or a fair isle sweater, which would you choose and why?
Baby booties... fun to knit, instant gratification and a great gift to give!

9) What other event would make you skip a tea party? (A garden party? A book club meeting? A yoga class? Opening night for a new action thriller? etc?)
A great date night with my honey, a can't-miss knitting guild night, a NASCAR race or a great concert...

10) What treat would you consider essential at your tea party? (Sweet? Salty? Scones? Those petite pastry trays with a couple of all sorts of things? Little crust less sandwiches?)
Sweet. Pastries & Scones (but only nice moist ones - no dry scones for my party... or I'll cry if I want to!). There's nothing like warm popovers & blueberry jam from Jordan Pond House in Acadia National Park (haven't had one in way too many years though...)!

11) When buying yarn for a project how do you choose - do you buy the one called for or do you substitute?
It really depends upon the project. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. May depend upon the cost of the yarn, colorways and substitutions available.

12) What do you carry your knitting/crocheting in when on the go?
I have several knitting bags. For smaller projects I have a couple of great sock bags from Sereknity. I have lots of larger tote bags as well, including a couple Vera Bradley and various others from vacation spots and such. I could use another sock size bag.

13) Favorite movie to watch while knitting/crocheting?
I'm more of a television person than movie.... We watch a lot of sitcoms & dramas on week night tv. On the weekends I like to watch the Food Network (Rachael Ray, Iron Chef, Diners Drive Ins & Dives, etc), catch up on some Knitty Gritty episodes or catch up on some guilty pleasure reality tv on VHI or E. ;-)

14) Are you a traditional tea cup kind of person or a mug type of person? Do you care if they match?
Mug... big mugs! No matchy-match required in my house......

15) Favorite childhood birthday party?
I don't remember too many of mine... but anything with my Nana around. I remember lots of tea parties with her at her house after school.

16) Favorite type of scone and jam?
I usually get blueberry or almond scones. I love almost all jams - blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, apple, etc.

17) If you use candles, what is your favorite scent?
Honey & Tea from Vermont Candle is wonderful! I also have some great green tea ones. I like homey scents (banana bread, Christmas cookie, Home Sweet Home, etc), fall/spicy scents (cinnamon, apple, etc) and ocean scents. Please no floral scents - they make me sneeze.

18) If you could choose 3 people to have 'tea' with, who would they be and why? (famous or not, living or dead).
First, my Nana - I miss her dearly and will forever remember her with her Lipton tea bags and tea cup! Second, Rachael Ray - I just think she'd be wonderful to sit and chat with and I really do admire her for all that she's built up for herself. Third, Joanne from A Knitter's Garden - aka my "knitting queen" and a wonderful friend who I can sit and chat with for hours and never be bored!

19) You've been invited to a tea party, what 'props' will you wear (formal or casual)?
Casual... I'm a very casual kinda girl who doesn't get dressed up very often. Its amazing how you can "dress up" jeans these days! Plus, its much more relaxing when you're comfortable, right?

20) Any allergies/preferences you have or are willing to admit to?
No cigarette smoke and floral scents please... and I'm allergic to penicillin, so no antibiotics either... lol

21) Anything we missed that you want your pal to know?
I am also a huge coffee drinker (fully caffeinated... love medium roasts, breakfast blends and flavors)! I'm excited to be a part of this swap and am hoping you enjoy getting to know me on my blog (hopefully you like dogs too!). I've been having a lot of fun with other swaps lately, so if you dig you'll find lots more swap Q&A on my blog. I'm not a very fussy person and like loads of stuff...