Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The Enormous Project is done! I didn't use up every last inch of the yarn, but it came pretty close. Close enough for me to feel like I wasn't flaking out on it (making it shorter than it really should be). Now I have the fun of finding a couple of the other items specified in the swap:

- something good to eat
- something from my local area.

As my swappee has not noted a nut allergy (but did note other allergies), I'm considering driving to the local peanut shop and buying them a bag of in-the-shell nuts. That's local. Or I might look for either a t-shirt or a ballcap with my university logo on it - it won't be locally made, but it will represent the local area.

I'll photograph it before I send it out, and post the photo after my swappee has received the box. I'm pretty proud of the project, it was a big project and I really pushed myself to make the deadline.

(Though I have to admit I prefer the more desultory sort of knitting-for-myself where I can pick up and put down projects on a whim, and work on what I feel like working on).

***

Although I've been making an effort to spend less money, I did order myself one little thing recently. It came too late yesterday afternoon to try it out, though.

Adagio teas- a company from which I've ordered a lot in the past, they sell all kinds of wonderful loose teas - has a "blending" service. You can either make your own blends, or look at what other people have come up with. I had seen a comment made on Twitter about a tea called "ButterBeer" (inspired by the beverage in the Harry Potter books). It looked interesting and I wanted to try it out. It came yesterday but arrived late enough in the day (after 4 pm), when it's not safe for me to consume caffeine (sometimes if I even drink a cup of tea after 4 pm, I don't sleep well).

I'm looking forward to trying it though; it smells marvellous. The strongest note is butterscotch, but there also seems to be some vanilla and maybe a nut flavor in there as well.

I know, probably some of the "serious" tea people look down on the flavored teas, but I really enjoy them. Partly, it's because I can't drink coffee (it's not just the caffeine, something else in it doesn't agree with me), so I'm closed out of all the mochalattechino things that other people drink. But also, it's fun. Some flavored teas are not so good, but some of them - Adagio's almond flavored and chestnut flavored, and also the "Bavarian Forest Berries" teabags I keep in my office - are good.

(Incidentally, Adagio has all kinds of blends...you can search them by "group." They actually have Dr. Who inspired teas, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer inspired teas...yeah, kind of twee, I know. But the ButterBeer tea does smell very good. And it has a cute, Hogwarts-inspired label.).

They also have a "Cow Plant" tea from the Sims 2. I don't think it confers extra life, though. (Nor does it eat your neighbors).

Hm. Tea as fanfic. Or fanfic as tea. Interesting concept.

They also have Zodiac teas, but I will never be able to try "mine", as it contains chamomile, which I am fairly allergic to. (I can use bath products with it in, but I think drinking it in a tea would not be good for me. I once had tea with the (closely related) safflower flowers in it, and I got a headache every time I drank it).

That said, some of those Barnum Statements on there about Pisceans are rather flattering. (Not sure how "flexible" I am, though. Both physiologically and emotionally.)

****

I would like to finish a few projects up sometime. I saw the blue sky today and thought of the lovely, bright turquoise yarn I have in my stash for the Basketweave pullover, and got itching to start that. I'm always happiest working on a new project.

1 comment:

Charlotte said...

You might like to read the tea shop mysteries written by Laura Childs. They're quick and fun to read. The main character owns a tea shop in Charlestown, SC and the blends of tea described in it all sound great to me. I'm thinking that if I get a vacation this year, maybe I'll travel to Charlestown. I know the tea shop is fictional but maybe there's a similar shop there.