Saved the Best for Last!

My swap buddy (ShadKitty) was interrupted mid-swap by life, but it didn't stop her from sending me an awesome swap box! It started off with a t-shirt from CafePress to keep my Dark Passenger riding shotgun until the rest of the goodies arrived. And then today I got the big box of good stuff.



See?















The lovely ShadKitty, despite sick kids & a husband returning home ( :D !!) put together:

A Clean Kill Kit: latex gloves (powderless, equally perfect for keeping hands blood, dye or onion free), a poncho (going to be serving double duty since I live in rainy Seattle), a shower cap & a syringe.
Cough drops (have to make sure I don't drop any wrappers)
Lots of dark chocolate (very important)
And the fibery goodness: Fibranatura Yummy sock yarn, two skeins of Crystal Palace Taos, a braid of Traveling Rhinos wool roving, and a braid of moss green roving (feels like wool).


I think my favorite thing about swaps is either the anticipation or getting gorgeous fiber I would never pick for myself. My stash was getting a little too purple/blue lately, ShadKitty provided it with a much needed infusion of spring!

THANK YOU SHADKITTY!!!!
And I can't wait for the next swap!

NO, MYYYYYY swap partner was the best!

I just got back from Germany (I created a Dexter sock pattern! Details later) and this was waiting for me!

My pal was Becca, aka Knitfink and she included two skeins of blood red Panda Cotton. I've never used it before but I can't wait to go to Ravelry to look for some ideas. See the paper just to the right of that? It's a gift certificate for WEBS!! I admired Knitfink's colorwork mittens that she'd done and thought I'd like to try a little more of that so instead of her choosing colors for me, she oh so generously sent me a gift certificate so I could pick colors on my own. Way above and beyond! There are handmade soaps in a delicous smelling variety of scents including Dragon Blood and Creme Brulee and lip balms in candy flavors that I can't wait to break into! The lotions here have already been broken into. I had the DRYEST skin when I was in Germany.....like scaly flaky skin, it was the weirdest thing. How could I be at sea level ON THE BALTIC SEA and have dry skin? I was so itchy and this lotion was just right, moistureizing but not greasy :) How did you know ;) There were tiny red and black BonBon nail polishes that will be going on my toes as soon as I am coherent enough to paint them (stupid jet-lag) and my second favorite part of the gift.... the DEXTER Soundtrack has already been uploaded to my itunes!!

I was just absolutely thrilled with every single thing but the final box inside absolutely tops any Dexter gift that anyone could have thought of. Now, I thought I was pretty creative in my own gifting (go here to Ninabeenas blog to see what I gifted to her...she's all squeeley too :) but WOW! This idea was awesome!


A Hand made "Slit throat" necklace! It's Fimo baked onto wire and Holy Cow I just LOVE IT!! The finding s on the back of the necklace that you cant see (and there is the clear 'fishing line' type thread connecting it so it really looks like a gash) are sterling silver and the earrings (blooddrops) are sterling too! How awesome is that!?

Becca, I almost wish you could have figured out how to do a cheek slice (souvenier) sort of jewelry too! Kidding, kidding.....

Wow, Thank you so so so much for every single item. This was a really fun and fabulous swap! You rock!
(as a small ode to you, my avatar is especially gruesome today!)

Awesome Package Arrived

My awesome package arrived yesterday from

Megan aka asyasky.

I can't stop looking at my goodies!

The package was quite heavy. So heavy that I wondered if my dear friend Megan included a few real body parts in there. LOL! When I opened the box the first thing that greeted me was the Barbie doll head and the saran wrap and I thought.....Oh yeah this is going to be good. The next layer revealed the rest of our friend Barbie complete with rainbow painted finger nails. LOVE THAT!!!! I got a much needed notebook with pen. I usually have something like that very close to my knitting bag for notes and whatever else needs to be jotted down. The final layer revealed a mysterious wooden box. I stared at the box wondering what could possibly be in there. I lifted the lid and squealed with delight. My new best friend Megan gave me everything I would need to hand dye my own yarn. LOVE LOVE LOVE that! I took a class on dying at a local yarn shop last summer. What did we use? Wilton Icing Colors. What did Megan send me? Wilton Icing Colors. Hooray!!! She included notes here and there through out the package. On one side it would relate to the show and then when you opened it you would get a hint on how to dye the yarn and take care of it. I also got a wonderful little baggie with chocolates, some much needed hand lotion from one of my favorites....Burt's, and some kick ass hot sauce called Arizona Gunslinger. Yummy!!

THANK YOU MEGAN!!!

The best swap partner in the whole wide world:-)

I got my Dexter swap package yesterday and have been dying to take pics and tell y'all about all the cool stuff I got. I didn't have much time today so I took my items with me to the tax office and took pics while I waited. I know those people thought I was crazy...whatev.
My swap partner is the absolute best. Everything she sent me was so thoughtful, snazzy/cool, and just plain great. I had so much fun with this swap. I can't wait to do the next one. This is def. my cup of tea as far as the knitting community swaps and KAL's go. Anyway without further ado...

My partner made me the coolest bag. I will have to take another pic so you guys can grasp the full scope of things. Nevertheless, its the coolest bag with little skulls all over it. Definitely my new knitting bag-permanently

Check out these stitch markers! They are body parts and the fingernails on the hands are even painted just like the ITK's victims. Note that the hands are black! love it.

My partner included a custom pouch that had not 1, not 2, not 3, but FOUR skeins of custom dyed merino wool (worsted-my favorite) inside. Do you know what colors those are? Ice Truck Killer colors my friends

Here's a shot of the other cool stuff that was in the package. She made me a custom Dexter flip book that included quotes and stickers from the show. She even sent me the barbie head keychain (in sistah version). Also included were cool stickers, a notebook, mints, earrings, not to mention a really heart felt and lovely necklace. Just a freaking awesome package. Love it love it love it. :-) Hope everyone else has had as great a time doing this swap as me. So much fun! Thank you so much for everything.

Dexter Goodies

Alright, I know the goodies are pouring in! I've gotten my package from my awesome pal, Eva Mae (warning: Ravelry link!). Here are a few pictures of the awesomeness.



A skein of Tempted Handpainted Sock Yarn in "Intrigue", two balls of Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy (it's purple, I know it doesn't look it, but it is a deeeeeep deep purple. It's unbelievably soft and gorgeous), an ice truck, a doll head keychain, a sheep tape measure, and Reese's peanut butter cups. Random interesting bit: I'm amused that she chose the peanut butter cups (I love all things chocolatey) because I remember watching a Forensic Files episode once where peanut butter cups were a clue. Okay, it was the wrapper. Either way. It's super awesome! Thanks!

2 more days!

Till the mail out date for packages! I hope everyone had fun shopping for this, and I can't wait to see pictures!

Also, I'm thinking of running a second round (probably with a sign up date starting in May and ending in June), and well, I just wanted to know if anyone thought it was a good idea. :)

Thanks again for participating in my first ever swap...well, that I've run anyway, and I really hope you guys had a blast! Please let me know if you do not recieve a package by April 10th so I can figure out what happened with your partner, and uhmm...other than that, yay! Happy swapping!

It's that time again!

Time for another reminder that is! We have approximately 10 days (if you don't count today) to start getting our packages together and get them sent out. Remember folks, the deadline for MAILING OUT packages is April 3rd, and that'll be here sooner than you think. ;)

Happy Easter...

Just a reminder...

That everyone should have heard from their respective spoilers by now at LEAST once. :)
And if you haven't already done so, I'd appreciate it if you'd continue on with the contact at least once per week until your package has been mailed out just to keep your partners aware that you are there and you care...erm, so to speak. Believe me, I know how completely stress-relieving it is to hear from a swap partner in a brandy-new swap. I'm sure I don't have to remind you though, especially since all of you seem like such pros!

Also, I'd like to say thank you, once again, for participating and helping to make this swap fun! And, I thought I'd let you guys know that I'm planning on a second round sometime in May, and that I'm looking for input on other things we could do to make this swap fun. Other things we could include in our swap questionnaire. How we could make it so more people know that this swap exists. In other words, I'm looking for your ideas. If you have any, post 'em here or e-mail one of the hostesses! We'd love to hear from you!

Happy hunting...er...swapping! :)

~Cadence~

Oh...and if you haven't done so already and are the proud owner of a happy little knitblog (or a blog of any kind), please put one of the buttons provided by Knitfink (thanks again for that Becca!) somewhere on your page so people who may read your blog will hopefully stumble upon us for the next round! Thanks!

Here are some buttons to post on your blog if you like. Please rehost them.

Just Checking In

Hello! One of your hostesses here, just thought I would see how things are going. It's been a week since matches were sent out and everyone should have been contacted with their match AND by their spoiler/swapper.

If you have not received a match, or a note from the person who is to be spoiling you with yummy Dexter style goodies, please let a hostess know. Preferably by email or a message on Ravelry. Also, remember to check your junk mailbox before sending us emails. It could be your spam filter ate it! The games are on and first packages should be sent by April third!

Enjoy!!

The Rules of Engagement...

Okay, in a few moments, I will have all the matches sent out. I'm sorry I haven't done so sooner, but I've been a bit busy with a sicky wife and a hectic work schedule. Luckily, it's all straightened out. First off: I, as head mod of the swap, am bowing out of the game and will be watching from the sidelines in order to keep swap matches even. Now, let the games begin!!! :)

The Rules!

1)Matches will be sent out on Saturday, March 1st, 2008. All packages should then be mailed out by April third. If, by that time, someone has not recieved their package,then they should send me an e-mail notifying me of that fact and I will handle it. I know in most swaps, a gentle reminder by swap buddies is acceptable, but I just think it'll keep bad feelings between swap partners off the blog.

2)Because I am not participating in this round, this is a Mystery Swap, which means that you do not know who has you as a partner and vice versa. After you recieve your swap match, please contact that person anonymously to let them know that you are out there,and continue to do so. I noticed in a lot of swaps that lack of communication between swap partners can also cause some bad feelings, and while I want this to be a Bad (as in Badass) swap, I do not want this to go badly. If it goes well, then that means maybe more folks would become interested and feel free to join in next round!

3)When you send out your packages, PLEASE INCLUDE A LITTLE NOTE LETTING YOUR PARTNER KNOW WHO YOU ARE IN THE PACKAGE. The caps are there, not because I'm yelling at you guys over the internet, but because this is important. People who recieve their swap packages want to thank the senders, and often are unable to because someone has failed to follow this rule.

4) When you recieve your package, PLEASE SEND A NOTE BACK TO THE SENDER LETTING THEM KNOW IT WAS RECIEVED. Once again, not yelling :), but this one is also important. The senders in swaps are almost always agonized with worry that somehow their package will become lost in the mail, so they like to know when they're package has been recieved. Really, they do!

5) Please remember that your spending limit is $40 USD and to try to stick as close to the limit as possible. I know, it's hard, but some people participating in this swap might be on kind of a tight budget so I tried to make it a limit that everyone could achieve. :) Also, remember that each package should have half of that $40 spent on yarn as this is primarily a crochet/knit swap, and then the rest can be spent on whatever little creative, macabre doo-dads you can think of to stick in there!

6) Once you have recieved your package, please, please, please post pictures of it on this blog, your blog and everywhere you can think of so people know that this was a success (which hopefully it is), so more people aren't afraid to try out a new swap!!!

Okay, and that's really all the rules I have to put up here. I'd like to say a big thanks to you guys for giving me the opportunity to host what I hope will be a fantastically fun swap and for being patient with me while I took what seemed to be my sweet ass time getting these matches sent out!

***PLEASE, if any information is missing from the matches that were sent out, or anything is wrong with the matches that were sent out, let me know so I can correct my mistakes. :) This is my first time hosting so I'm really not meaning to screw up. I mean, some of you did get two e-mails from me because I neglected to include something in the original one. Sorry about that. ****

Let the games begin

A Happy VD!

UPDATE #2!!!!

Okay, this is the LAST time I'm going to do this, but I'm going to put ANOTHER extension on the sign up date. You now have until February 20th to add your name to the roster. This is a last ditch effort to get more interest going on this swap. However, if we don't get a few more folks interested then I'll be adding a poll to the blog to find out where people stand and whether or not they still want to participate even if it's only a few people! :) Anyway, so if you are just stopping by the blog for the first time, please send an e-mail with the following information in it to me at fiberphiliac(at)gmail(dot)com, or if you're a member of Ravelry, send me a PM with the info in it, okay? Thanks!

GUIDELINES:
This swap is limited to the United States for the moment. We may go international at another date, but for now, USA only. Thanks.***EDIT: This swap is primarily a knitting/crochet swap, but if you do not do either of these crafts, please join anyway and state specifically which other craft(s) you DO do! This is not meant to exclude any Dexter fan that wants to participate! Thanks! ***


1)All packages should have a total cost of about $40.00 before postage, with half the amount you spend being spent on yarn (or an item of use to whatever craft your partner takes part in). Please, stick as CLOSE to this limit as possible. I know, it's hard...especially if you really like to spoil your partners, but we'd appreciate it if you'd try. ;)

2)All packages that you send should contain a variety of things, both crafty, and otherwise, with both Dexter-related goodies, and other little tidbits that you may want to throw in for good measure. Also, there should be a little note of some sort explaining who you are! :)


APPLICATION

1. Full Name:
2. Blog address (preferred, but optional):
3. Shipping address:
4. Do you smoke or have pets?
5. Any allergies?
6. Would you be willing to have an international pal?
7. Would you be willing to be a swap angel* if one is needed?

BASIC Q's
1. How long have you been knitting/crocheting?

2. What other crafts/hobbies do you do?

3. What is your favorite color?

4. Favorite candy or snack?

5. Whatare your favorite scents?

CUTTING DEEPER
6. How long have you been watching Dexter?

7. Have you read the books? If not, do you want to?

8. Who is your favorite character (besides Dexter) and why?

9. Who is your least favorite character and why?

10. Does the forensic aspect of the show interest you as well as the
plot, or are you just in it for the story?


*Swap angels will only be used if there is an extenuating circumstance and one (or more participants) do not receive gifts from their swap partners. Your duties would be not only to the original pal assigned, but also to your "rescued" partner. This is not a task to be taken lightly, but I would hope that some of you have enough time to dedicate to more than one person if needed!

Please get your application in as soon as possible. Once you have been accepted into the swap, please check back here or on the Ravelry Board (if you are one of the lucky non-waiters) for further information.

Update #1

In order to participate in this swap, it is helpful if you are also able to participate in this blog. Not only will updates be fed mainly through this thing, but also we want to see all the swag that participants collect during the swap and what better way than to post it here with lots and lots of pictures, and gushing, and happiness (I LOVE happiness)! So, what would be great is (if you don't already have one mind you), if all you wonderful participants would be super helpful and grab a blogger account! They're free, and you don't have to host a blog on blogger just to have one! :) I'm not making it a requirement, but as previously state, it would be super helpful and much easier to help keep track of all participants and swap angels as well!

Also, as a reminder, please keep in mind that though this is a primarily knit/crochet swap, feel free to join even if you DON't knit or crochet. This swap is not meant to exclude anyone of any level of craftiness! Just remember to state specifically that you don't knit/crochet, but you are still crafty. For example look at the below application:

APPLICATION

1. Full Name:Jane Doe
2. Blog address (preferred, but optional):http://blahyakketyblah.blogspot.com
3. Shipping address: 32 No street, Nowheresville, Mystery,00000
4. Do you smoke or have pets? I do not smoke, but have a dog, and a pair of love birds.
5. Any allergies? No.
6. Would you be willing to have an international pal? No
7. Would you be willing to be a swap angel* if one is needed? Sure.

BASIC Q's
1. How long have you been knitting/crocheting? I neither knit or crochet

2. What other crafts/hobbies do you do? I work with polymer clay a lot, and occasionally I've been known to quilt (okay, so I'm obsessed with quilting).

3. What is your favorite color? Rainbow! Seriously, I'll like any color you give me.

4. Favorite candy or snack? Reese's peanut butter cups, pretzels, and coffee. Lots of coffee.

5. What are your favorite scents? I like fruity scents...things that are reminiscent of fresh baked goods.



There, I'm pretty sure you get the point! See? No exclusion! :)

Thanks! Also, if you're just joining now and either a: don't feel like scrolling down, or b: are too lazy to scroll down (trust me, I feel you...that's so me) then just click on this for a link to the application!

We appreciate your interest, and we appreciate Dexter, so please, come along and join us!!!