Knitty SP 7 Wrap-up

My Knitty SP finally fessed up her identity last week, my pal was Jen (Yoshimi) from over at 144 Inches of I-Cord. How cool is that? I've been reading her blog for awhile now and really enjoy it. If you haven't checked out her blog, you should - it's good reading. The funny thing is, she recently started leaving me comments here and using her real name - I was totally clueless the whole time! She was even knitting a project that she sent me yarn for! (Fetching from Knitty) Well, Jen really spoiled me rotten, check out what she sent.

My parcel was made up of two separately wrapped packages. Each one was a clue to her identity. This first one has a Japanese theme. She sent some wonderful Japanese merino lace weight in a soft pink color. This package also included a lovely Lantern Moon silk bag, orange ginger hand lotion, and a beautiful little notebook with Asian inspired flowers. I love little notebooks - and this one went straight into my knitting bag. I've really wanted to try some lace knitting and this yarn is going to give me a great start. It is so soft - now to find the perfect pattern. I have 825 yards of the lace weight. If you have any suggestions - please leave a comment or drop me an e-mail. I'm looking for something for a beginning lace knitter.

The second package provided a clue to where she is from. Notice all the lovely blues and sand colors. The bag in the background is in fact sand from Lake Michigan! My husband and I are looking for a special little glass jar to put the sand in because we have both spent a lot of time at Lake Michigan and really love it. If it wasn't for the cold winter weather, we would live there. Of course the piece de resistance is the Mama-E's C*EYE*BER FIBER! I've wanted to try some of this out and now I have some in one of my favorite color combinations. The little candle is scented as Ocean Water and the wool wash is going to be great too. Thank you Jen for all the goodies! You were a great pal and I look forward to keeping in touch with you.

I also want to mention my downstream pal - Helen (purlpower). I've been reading her blog since the beginning of the round and have really enjoyed it. Check her out - she's an interesting gal and does some beautiful knitting. And I must say she is really understanding. I was unable to keep my identity a secret form her - I posted a comment on her blog using my really name! She found me out about half way through. The last package I sent her was a real challenge too! Helen is in the UK and customs decided to hold the package for ransom because I had mistakenly insured the package for $100, and that is well above the gift limit for parcel coming into the country. The package wasn't meant to be insured for that much. I was sending a couple things out and sent my husband to the post office. He got the amounts for each package mixed up. We eventually got it all settled out - but it was embarrassing. I hated the idea of someone having to pay for a gift I sent. Be careful when sending gifts and packages abroad.

I have to say, this round of Knitty Secret Pal was a lot of fun and I'm happy to have met two great new friends. Thanks to Jen and Helen for making this so much fun! I'll be staying in touch with both of you.

On another note, I've joined the Yarn Pr0n Fridays Ring, so come back this Friday to see some up close and personal photos of the great yarn that Jen sent to me!