Winter Solstice Yoga Swap Part 2

On the swap questionnaire 3littlebirds said she liked purple/lavender and since lavender is one of the colors of the crown chakra I decided to make that the theme of the package. So most of the items are some form of lavender or otherwise related to the crown chakra.

Here is the package I assembled for 3littlebirds:

Back L - R:
Handmade Journal in Lavender
Magnets of yoga poses
ignore the white box and light lavender yarn. I was using the box to prop up the hat and the yarn to tie things together.
Chakra Hat
Tapestry needles

Front L - R:
Lavender take out box holding yarn and decorated with 2 stitchmarkers
Juniper scented candle - the scent is supposed to help open the crown chakra
Yoga Mat Spray Wash
Dr. Bronner’s Magic organic lip balm- orange & ginger and lemon lime
6 “fat quarters” of quilting fabric


I put the yarn inside this lavender takeout box so that it would match the color of the theme.
Tied to the handle are two stitch markers. I meant to make a set, but I was having trouble with the shrinky dink material. These two were the only ones that weren't too warped.


Inside the take out box were two balls of Madil Eden Bamboo in Red. I chose red because 3littlebirds said she also liked this color and I didn't want to overwhelm her with lavender.


I also knit this hat, the pattern isChakra by Alysa Joaquin It is a representation of the crown chakra.


I also made this journal

I really glad that 3littlebirds was happy with the package.


Coming Soon details on the Chakra hat and making the journal.

Winter Solstice Yoga Swap Part 1

Back in January I joined the Winter Solstice Yoga Swap group on Rav and was paired with 3littlebirds

By lucky chance we both sent our packages out at the same time and received them yesterday.

Here's what I received:

Starting in the back left - front right:
Card with beautiful pic of Buddha
Knit Simple Magazine
Quotable Magnet
Knit Picks Circ Needles
Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut Tea


L-R:
Aluminum water bottle with copper finish and beautiful blue pattern
Chakra Workbook by Anna Voight
Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in Peacock colorway


Beautiful Italian Stationary


Handmade items from 3littlebirds:
Amanda Hat
Bag perfect for knitting projects


I love the details on the bag. Look at the eyelets


And the bottom on the inside of the bag


Looks cute :)

This was my first swap and I loved it. We had from Dec. 15th to March 14th to assemble out packages, so there was plenty of time to get to know our swap buddies and to brainstorm about what to give them. 3littlebirds was a great partner and the package she gave me was really bright, colorful, and thoughful.

She even decorated the box my package came in:

I had a lot of fun with the swap and I'll definately do another in the future.

Thanks 3little birds!


Coming soon the package I assmebled for 3littlebirds.

Prepping for PS4 - Cardinal Directions

I've joined the 4th round of Project Spectrum. Project Spectrum is a wonderful group created and led by the author of Lolly Knitting Around.

The theme for this year is the compass rose and four cardinal directions. Each cardinal direction will run for 2 months.

PS4 opens with
North:
Color: Green
Material: Stones/Gems/Rocks
Season: Winter
Element: Earth

From now until the end of April the PS members will be exploring North through art, craft, and simply taking notice of what is around us.

So far I've only been able to look at my stash and this is what I've got:

I have a couple ideas of what to make with this already.

I also recently bought this from Purl Patchwork:

The green thread will work in nicely.

And of course this guy is a big inspiration:

Or maybe he's just cute :)

Find out more about Project Spectrum:
Lolly Knitting Around.
Ravelry
Flickr

Cocktail Umbrella Lamps

from Bright Lights Little City:

Ooooo.
Aahhh.Cool.

If you go to the Bright Lights Little City website you can scroll over the lamps and the image will automatically switch off and on. Fun way to waste some time :)

There are several different styles of lamps available on the Bright Lights website. This one is called Happy Hour. It measures 13.5" wide, 40.5" around, and 10" tall and costs $85 USD.

I imagine that making your own wouldn't be too hard and much more budget friendly. You'd just have to find some good fire retardant spray to coat your creation with.

Chickens wear sweaters?

Photograph by Debora Durant

I had no idea

This post, on the Berrocco Blog, describes Mo Rocca's appearance on the NPR show Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Mo mentions that he hates handmade sweaters because they are always itchy. Of course someone started a Ravelry thread And of course several people have set out to make Mo a non-itchy sweater to prove him wrong. But what triggered Mo to confess his dislike for handmade sweaters? That's right folks sweater wearing chickens.

Raveler JoniMarie described the Wait Wait Don't Tell Me discussion in more detail:

"They were talking about the woman who has launched an effort to knit sweaters for hens without feathers. Hens kept in industrial egg-laying facilities are so stressed they lose their feathers. When they can’t lay anymore, some people
rescue them and they need sweaters. His comment came up in this context."

My mind is officially blown.

Hear the segment of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me

Visit Little Hen Rescue [sweater pattern] to find out more about hen resuce and to find the pattern for a chicken sweater (this is the organization mentioned on WWDTM)

For more instructions on chicken sweaters visit Invisible Voices