sp 11

For the first time I'm participating in a secret pal swap, this one is called the sp11.Today I received my first package from my secret pal. Just take a look at all the beautiful things that she send me.


She send me those gorgious Lorna's laces hand-dyed yarn. What a beautiful colours!!!!!!
And a cute card with sheeps.

Another photo of the beautiful yarn. I can't believe that I finally own such beautiful yarn Ü.

And I got some more...........she also made these lovely socks for me!

They fit me just great.

Am I spoiled or what!!!!!!!!!!!!

So secret pal thank you very, very much for such a beautiful package.

Next month it's Haloween! I have started this on wednesday evening. It's a lovely cross stitch pattern I found on the internet. Hopefully I have it finished before Halloween.



Last year I began to stitch this smo(San Man original). Unfortunately it didn't get finished in time and I just put it away . Last week I found it again and and as you can see it's almost finished now.

And here it's done!!!!!!!

I have allready found some purple fabric so I hope to make a small wall hanging out of it this weekend.

And this is a part of what I'm making for the picasa forum day on the 25th September. We have planned a day where we come together and do something crafty, lots of talking, eating...........

Each one of is going to make a present( I don't tell what I'm going to make ,it's a secret............), so on the 25th we each get a present but we don't know what or from who.

And we have to wait with opening it untill we're home. So here is a little teasing for the picasa ladies Ü.

Look at all the beautiful things I received from Sue. I have participated in the vintage kitchen swap from Garboudles. Sue just send me so many lovely things!
This is gorgious, the lovely stitcheries and the crochet , it's beautiful.

And then this lovely Christmas apron!

Two lovely knitting magazines. There are lots of lovely patterns in them and I can't wait to knit them.

A Martha Stewart Christmas magazine, so lovely......

And there are some more lovely things.The santa head is made by Sue, it's papermaché. Miniature kitchen items to hang in the Christmas tree, a cute Christmas necklace, a gorgious pincushion made out of vintage fabrics..........and lots more.

This was such a lovely swap.

Today is a day that we all remember!

Here I keep lots of my treasures. These are my old,vintage finds and I like to make small decorations in my house with them.So sometimes these items are in this cupboard , or on a tray on our dinning table, or on our tea table.............
When ever I see a lovely piece I have to buy it Ü. Mostly I love blue and white and red or pink flowers.

This is a nice spot near the kitchen, here I also like to decorate lovely corners.

And here a photo of my lovely cat Diesel in his favourite place. He thinks it's only for him so when he comes home he walks immediately towards it so he can take a nap there and he doesn't like it when someone else is sitting in it Ü.

Christmas around the world questionnairy.

1.Are you religious? No

2. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider yourself a Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced? I have learned to knit when I was a kid.I have knitted a lot when my kids where small, then I haven't knitted for a long time and recently I'm knitting again.I guess I'm intermediate.

3.Do you have any other hobbies besides knitting?Yes, do you have lots of timeÜ. I love crocheting, sewing, quilting, cross stitching, penpalling, gardening, baking,reading, watching movies, going to fleamarkets and thriftshops looking for old, vintage things to decorate my house and garden with...............
4.Favorite color(s)? My favourite colours are pink, purple, blue and fall colours.

5.Do you collect anything? I collect craft books, patterns, yarn, and old &vintage things to decorate my house and garden with.

6.Are you allergic to any fibers or animals? No.

7.Do you have any pets? Yes, we have 3 dogs, 1 cat, 2 chickens and 1 rabbit.

8.Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate? I LOVE it all.

9.Cookies or Sweets? Both.

10.Do you knit socks? I just started knitting socks a few months ago and now I'm addicted.

11.If not socks then what? (tell us about your favorite knits) I also love to knit scarves, hats,shrugs and sweaters.
12.Do you put up a Christmas tree? If not then what do you do? Yes, I put up a real christmas tree.

13.Favorite holiday treats? Our wonderfull Dutch banketletters.Oh, and chocolat.

14.Favorite holiday smells? Christmas tree, cinnamon, applepie......

15.Do you celebrate Christmas in a traditional or unconventional way? Please elaborate.We celebrate Christmas like many people do here in the Netherlands. We decorate for Christmas, give presents to one another on Christmas morning and spend the days with family and have long, lovely diners together.

16.What are your favorite holiday traditions? Putting up the Christmas tree and decorating the house.Doing something special with our family.

17.Finish the sentence: “For me Christmas is all about....”Surrounded by family and having a wonderful time together.

18.If you were a Christmas ornament you would be…….? a star.

19.What was your favorite gift you've ever received? Or given? I can't remember, I have received and gave so many beautiful gifts .

20.When do you start your Christmas? Here in the Netherlands we celebrate our big holiday called Sinterklaas on the 5th of December and after that I start decorating for Christmas.

21.Do you send Christmas cards? Do you make them or buy them? Yes, I love to send Christmas cards, I send bought ones and ones I made.

22.What is your favorite Christmas dish? I don't really have 1 favourite. I like so many.

23.Carolers are at your door. What do you do? Here we don't have Carolers at the door unfortunately. But when we would have I would I just love to listen to them.

24. When do you open presents? Christmas eve or Christmas morning? On Christmas morning.

25.Do you celebrate with family or friends or both? Most of the time we celbrate it with our family.

"Fall into Autumn " dishcloth swap questionnairy.

1. Do you knit or crochet? How long have you been doing it? I knit and I crochet and I have learned it as a child at school and from my grandma.

2. Have you made dischloths before? Do you use them yourself, give them as gifts, or both?
I have made dishcloths before. I didn't knew about them untill I saw some on a blog. I have made a couple for myself and also for gifts.

3. What's your favorite cotton to make cloths from? What cotton would you like to try that you haven't before ? I use the cotton that's availeble here in the Dutch shops. I would love to try some of the sugar and cream I hear a lot about.

4. If you knit, do you prefer circular or straight needles? For all, do you prefer wooden, metal, or plastic needles? For the small projects I usually use straight needles and for bigger project the circular ones. I like all kinds of needles.

5. What are your favorite colors? Any colors you don't like much I like pink, purple, blue and fall colours. I don't like dark colours.


6. What do you like best about Autumn? I love the cooler weather, the smell of early fall, the beautiful colours of the leaves, the storms.............


7. Pies: Pumpkin? Apple? Pecan? All of em? or No Thanks! Oh my, all of them!



8. When you were a kid, were you the one who couldn't wait to get started with school , or the one who overslept on the 1st day? I loved to go to school when I was a kid.


9. Do you celebrate Halloween? (The real key here guys is especially knowing if you have an aversion to the holiday or little goodies/decorations associated with it, given the timeframe of the swap). Here in the Netherlands Halloween is very new and hardly celebrated, but I just LOVE it! I have a couple of decorations in the livingroom and in the garden.I'm always on the look out for new ones.


10. If you had to choose just 3 edible 'goodies' to eat for a full year, what 3 would you choose?
Chocolat, cookies and chocolat.


11. Do you have any pets? Kids? Husbands who seem like kids? ;) I have a husband, 3 teens, 3 dogs, 1 cat, 2 chickens and 1 rabbit.

12. If you were to describe a particular yarn that shares traits of your personality, what would it be and why? I haven't thought about that before so I have no idea!


13. Do you use your cloths mostly for dishcloths, or as facecloths? I use my cloths mostly for dishcloths.

14. Favorite Fall Holiday: Halloween or Thanksgiving and why? Halloween, thanksgiving is something we don't have here.


15. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should know about? None!