midwestknitgirl

Please note that I attempt to rate as soon as I receive my packages. If you have not been rated for something, do not hesitate to PM and remind me to do so.

I am limiting the number of swaps I participate in due to needing more time for school and taking care of my husband who has cancer. I hate to do that because I've had years of fun on swap-bot so far (since October 2006). But never fear, I'll still pop in on one now and then and I'll still come out to the forums to say hi.

I have been married for 13 1/2 years. I've been knitting (again) for the last 9 years and consider myself to be an intermediate to experienced knitter.

Eric Clapton, Norah Jones, Miles Davis, B-52's, Jimmy Buffet, The Eagles, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, Simon & Garfunkel, Rolling Stones, Traffic

Gone With The Wind, Fried Green Tomatoes, all Alfred Hitchcock movies, The Wizard of Oz, Labyrinth

Any version of Law & Order, any version of CSI (except Miami), my soap All My Children, Last Comic Standing, Survivor, American Idol audition shows. But I'd rather knit or read than watch TV.

Knitting - I love to knit sweaters and socks for myself and my family and hats, scarves and mittens for charity - along with baby items for charity as well.

I'm not a fan of novelty yarns, I prefer wool and wool blends, alpaca, silk, muskox, buffalo, cotton, bamboo - why use scratchy acrylic when you have so many other incredible options?

Yes, I AM aware that I'm a yarn snob.

I love fiber in all colors except orange. Unless it's mixed with other colors - think sunset - now that's where orange is beautiful.

Stained glass work - Small panels, sun catchers.

Beadwork - Stitch markers, bookmarks.

Sewing - Clothing, bags, small projects - currently I am hooked on making tote bags and project bags (all sizes) and string pieced blocks for quilts. The blocks I'm starting today, 10/02/2009, will become a lap blanket/quilt for my mom. I'm using lime green, blues, and daisy prints. See my flickr photos if you'd like to see the fabric.

CANDY:

I'm a big fan of dark chocolate and white chocolate but no nuts in my chocolate, please. I'm not allergic to nuts, I just prefer my chocolate without nuts.

I also like the sour/sweet treats like SweetTarts and Starburst.

Minty flavors of candy are great too (think - Junior Mints, Peppermint Patties, etc).

SALTY STUFF:

I love spices. Hot or flavorful or mixed. In fact, I use cumin and coriander in a lot of my cooking. Oh, and chili powder. But I'm also simplistic in my cooking - sometimes just peppers and onions and some green herbs will do the trick. Minnesota bred with a non-Minnesota palate. :-)

I make my own homemade salsa and can about 22 jars every few months and hope that one day I'll be able to sell it to the public and actually make money off of it.

BEVERAGES:

I love coffee, no cream, no syrups, just straight up. Hot chocolate with marshmallows works too! As for tea, I can take it or leave it. Depends on the flavor.

I have an awesome wood recipe box that my uncle chip carved for me and really enjoy finding interesting recipe cards to use for my favorite recipes.

I like having a variety of kitchen towels to choose from - holiday patterns, seasonal patterns, etc. I also like having a variety of potholders, same as the towels - variety is good (for solid colors - sage green, pale yellow and tan work great).

My kitchen is currently all about lemons but in a retro way. The walls are a pretty lemon color that isn't obnoxious at all!

I love to try new recipes - each time I host a Stitch & Whine I try a new appetizer or crock pot recipe. My friends are great taste testers for me!

Handmade anything is always a great idea for me. :-)

Novelty Souvenir Magnet Exchange from 'wildthing1058'.

Due to be mailed by 10/4/2008, not marked 'sent' as of 10/27/2008.

9/4/2009 -

Angeled the "I love Email Quiz #1" swap for @LadyRose Was to be sent to her from @suepier