From Grenoble.

I read Yvette's Blog every day. It's quite funny how we first got in touch...she bought a second-hand Louet S10 this summer and during her search for information on it stumbled across my post about mine. One chat led to another and then we discovered that not only are we both Scottish (though she lives in France) we used to both work for sister branches of the same company, Remnant Kings. She worked for Remnant Kings West, I worked for Remnant Kings East, which later got changed to Kings Fabrics. Coincidence or what? Anyway, we've got a lot in common, and that's a good reason to read her blog. And perhaps even meet up next time you're in Scotland, Yvette? See you at K1Yarns?

Anyhow, Yvette ran a blog contest in aid of her birthday (eirily close to mine, though I'm nine years older) and I was one of the lucky winners, yeah! Thanks to the Royal Mail though my parcel didn't arrive till last Friday, and because life has been hectic and I'm a terrible blogger sometimes, I only managed to get the pix done yesterday.

(Apologies for the quality, it's been driech here. No light.)

It's amazing what knitters can stuff into one small envelope. I don't do Secret Pals because I'm amazingly absent-minded, but when parcels like this one arrive it's just like getting surprise birthday presents.




Sock yarn. This Blue Faced Leicester from The Natural Dye Studio. I haven't encountered any of their sock yarn before. (Though I do have a lot of their natural dyed silk tops in the spinning stash.) Firm, sproingy and very soft, and in a beautiful colourway.I will take my time finding a really nice pattern for these socks, methinks.



Yvette also sent me some patchwork fabric!



And some truely wonderful stitch markers, plus markers for wine glasses..



See the little knitting charms? Aren't they cute!




You can also see in the top picture a wonderful little pile of patches, labels and what the sewer in me can only describe as useful bits. Mairi, who has started to make her own Barbie "clothes", has already pinched several of these for her growing stash. It does make a crafting mother very proud when her six year old daughter has already grasped the concept of building a proper stash!

And yes, there was chocolate as well. Was.....

A last look at the bottom one of these three patchwork pieces.



Now this made me laugh. It's always nice when you realise that someone has actually been paying attention while reading your blog. I've been drooling over Yarnstorm's Allotment Quilt ever since I first saw it. But having been out of the quilting loop for over twenty-five years (I still have half a handsewn quilt top up in the attic somewhere) I was at a loss as to how to track some of the fabrics. (Actually there were clues in the Yarnstorm post, but this particular blogger clearly pays less attention than Yvette.) Anyhow, after much searching, I finally identified the piece that Yvette sent me as being the Martha Negely Vegetable Stripe...and finding it has opened a real Pandora's box of new temptation, in the form of quilting fabrics. Did I ever mention I used to be a fanatical sewer and dressmaker? (Before the kids.) What else was I doing working in Remnant Kings all these years ago?

Thanks, Yvette. For both the parcel and for reminding me of a long forgotten but much loved hobby. And, given the amount of shopping for patchwork fabrics I've been doing over the weekend, for reminding me so much that I feel compelled to start a new quilt!

(Ohh, but the craft budget doesn't thank you!!)