Knitter's Treat Swap, G-Rocks Socks, and Spinning

I've heard of people getting shafted in swaps, having flakey pals, and all sorts of horrible stuff, but my sendees in the swaps I've participated in have all been stellar. I received a package from my Knitter's Treat Exchange swap pal today, and it was no exception! Above is the card she made and sent along introducing herself. That picure on the front keeps making me smile - it's destined to be hung in my new wool room for certain. Here was the sight that greeted me when I opened the box.

Suprised I managed to take a photo before digging in? Me too.

The yummies: chocolate biscotti (enough so when my family digs in, there will still be some for me!) a beautiful cup (it says "nurturing" just inside the rim) and some decadent chocolate bars. (Trust me, they're d-e-licious!)

The pampering treats: some adorable Amy Brown fairy band-aids (I believe these might have been meant for the Squirrel-Girls as well, but I love them!) a Burt's Bees hand care kit, some lucious Bigelow cinnamon lip shine (yum!) and a couple samples of Davies Gate Lemon Thyme hand cream. (On the back, they advertise their hand cream as being "As thick as cake frosting;" let me tell you, they're not kidding.) I'm totally pampered.

The knitty bits: some Post-its for pattern row markers (perfect, particularly as the girls like to *borrow* my post-it notes...) an awesome sock pattern from Blue Moon Fiber Arts and the STR to go with it (!!!) (in the beautiful colorway "Rare Gems") and two magazines - one a home/lifestyle magazine about Lehigh Valley (where my pal lives, and coincidentally, where I've spent many summers visiting family!) and a British knitting magazine that has, among the great springtime patterns, extras like a mini Knit Library (featuring springtime colorwork motifs and a couple new-to-me lace stitches) some interesting yarn reviews, and even a recipe for lamb stew - cool!

Last, but far from least, are some stitch markers that I love so much - they remind me of drops of tropical water. They were made by none other than my swap pal, Laurie. (Check out her etsy shop!)

Thank you so much, Laurie, for sending such a thoughtful package! You really brightened my day! I finished the G-Rocks Socks. I like them, even though there was a fair bit of pooling in the second sock. Someday I'll figure out why hand-painted yarn does that and how to prevent it, and I'll be rich. I gave in to the call of the Spinning Bunny roving, and it's actually waiting to be plied at the moment... I'm doing a two ply, after splitting the roving widthwise and then tearing each half down to thin strips.

The fiber is super-soft, but was a little hard to spin at first, probably because of the extra-long staple of silk fiber. Once I got the hang of it, the fiber flew out of my hands onto the bobbin. Seriously, I could probably spin a whole sweater's-worth of this stuff without getting bored. The luxurious feel of it, the excellent color... I'm so in love with this yarn it's fairly disgusting; Andy could become jealous. So I'll go ply now, and tell you all about it tomorrow...