Swaps

So I'm in 2 scarf exchanges now. I need to mail one off this week and the other is awhile away. I'm not sure how long I have to mail it off, but it's at least a month (I think).

I did the Opera Scarf in Henry's Attic Silk. All natural, no dye. It's really lovely, it's long the way I like them and it's oh so soft and smooshy. I'm glad I'm not a decorative scarf girl or my pal would not be getting this at all. I tried to do a light, lacy pattern with real lace weight yarn and tiny needles but it didn't work out. The yarn is beautiful and a wonderful price too, but lace and I were not friends that day so my swapee will also be getting that yarn because I hate it.

I'm working on the Argosy Scarf as well. I'm using Frog Tree Alpaca in a brown that is really pretty. I had another score with this yarn! My mom bought it and realized she doesn't like it at all. It sheds, but then again it is alpaca. I didn't really like the color when I snagged it, but now to see it in the scarf it's gorgeous. Again, it's a good thing that it's getting hot here or else I'd keep this one too! It needs to be blocked to get the full effect of the lace squares, but it's moving along nicely (I cast on Saturday night and didn't knit at all on it yesterday). The only problem I've had with this scarf is the needle choice. I went cheap and bought a bunch of circs from Ebay and well, you get what you pay for. It took a lot of wax paper to get the yarn to slide and sometimes it still sticks. I'm not sure where I heard that trick, but I do love the person that told me!

One more swap I'm doing is the Mystery Swap. I really like this swap! You get to put a package together for someone based on a few questions. It's not a secret swap so who you have is who has you and you email back and forth to get to know each other well enough to put a nice pack together. Last time I had a lovely swapner and this time I think I do as well. I am having good swap karma (knock on wood!) and I'm loving putting together a knit package with no knitting!! YAY! It amazes me that what I can find here for so cheap and under nose really is hard to come by in other countries. Who'd have thought that Kool-Aid is a hard to find item? It's like 8 for a $1 here when it's not on sale and an even better price in the summer. Plus, it's fun to buy things out of my comfort zone -- and a lot easier knowing that I'm sending it off. Who knows, maybe one day I'll knit something for myself in earth tones.