The Great Exchange

The Annual Rowan Board Exchange is always great fun. As one of the organisers, along with Emma, Sue and Stéphanie, we take great delight in July, when the culmination of planning from March takes fruit and we start seeing all the lovely completed items.

Organising the exchange is far less nerve-wracking than doing the knitting. OK, I know that I said that it's not competitive knitting and that you're supposed to enjoy it. Believe me, I really enjoyed knitting mine too, but I did go through some of these things too.

Raise your hand if:
- you've started and ripped out at least once
- you had doubts at least 3 or 4 times about the colour, the thingy or whether the knitting or finishing was neat enough
- you started going through all the postings on the Rowan Board to see which patterns your recipient had knitted to just get a taste of what she likes
- you email at least 1 or 2 people for their opinion

But then, as you get close to the finish, I become like a kid waiting for Christmas... Rowanette Helen from Scotland got to knit for me this year. She sent her first parcel, WAY before the completion date, but as luck would have it, it somehow never got to me. In my experience, these things sort itself out, but Rowanette Helen, did not have my faith in the post office and went away and made me ANOTHER edgy thingy. (how sweet is that?) The post office ended up returning the package to her, because I never collected it from the collection point. (Now, I would had gone to collect it, if they left me a card to tell me that it was there. Come to think of it, they could had left me a second card prior to sending it back to Helen, but Helen finished the second edgy thingy and then got back the first parcel.)

She then sent BOTH of these edgy things to me and can I say that I'm over the moon? The package was wonderully wrapped and a feast for all the senses.

Since the theme was edges, Helen, outdid herself. Look at these fascinating edges?

How did Helen know exactly how big my hands are? They fit like a glove.

The alpaca is so soft. I wore those around the house in the summer, just because I couldn't bear to part with them. The stitches were so neat.

This is in Rowan 4 ply soft, a wonderful merino yarn. The stitch definition is superb.

Helen also generously sent along a lot of goodies.

These seeds should thrive in my garden.. and the best bit is that whenever I see them flowering away I would think of Helen enjoying the Scottish summer evenings.

Something wonderfully smelly for the bath and some Scottish wildflower seeds

I love scented soap. The soap scented the whole packet... a soft wistful perfume. Lavendar is supposed to calm the nerves. I was so excited by the goodies, that I was far from calm.

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Plaisir du Chocolat makes the mose heavenly chocolates. I had to take them away from my husband to prevent him from scoffing the lot. Not only do these chocolate taste divine, they also look divine.

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There were different designs on each of the chocolate. They are just too pretty to eat. Is there a way to have your chocolate and eat them too?

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In my excitment, I missed the last thing in the box. So the last sense to be tingled, was the hearing... not mind, but my husbands, when I shrieked, 'Honey you didn't throw the wrapping from my package away, did you?" after Helen mentioned that there was something else wrapped inside. A few scuffling sounds later (probably from Mr Tidy digging through the trash), I heard, no dear.. it's on the table.

Sure enough, wrapped in tissue paper was the last bit... wonderful, dangly and very girlie stitch markers.

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Thank you Helen for sending me the most delicious exchange presents. My husband thanks you too, as not only did he get to try some delicious chocolates, but this winter, he will be spared the torment of cold hands seeking his warm neck.

And if you want to see some what some of the other rowanettes got, you can visit :

- Kay
- Lis
- Minxxy
- Kristine
- Eva
- Andrea
- Thos
- Emma
- Nic

... and if I'd miss you off, let me know, I dug around but might had missed a few links

Finally, thanks for taking part in the poll to satisfy my curiosity ;-) and thanks to EVERYONE who's sent me advice on how to make that hydrangea blue again. This is a very good link that Kathleen sent. To be blue, I need to make the soil more acidic and it recommends aluminum sulfate (1/4 oz. per gal. of water), egg shells, coffee grounds, or ground up orange or grapefruit peels. Never one to waste anything, the hydrangea's currently getting some Starbuck's grounds and some citrus peels in the soil. If that doesn't work, I'll go get buy some chemicals... or blue dye.;-)

Posted by atu at July 30, 2005 07:09 PM