I'll Drink to That SAL/KAL Inspirations with the batts or yarn

Its about time for a fiber post *sound the trumpets*!!!! Now that I have that out of my system *grin* I figured you all would like to see what everyone came up with for the last SAL/KAL inspiration wise and what I came up with batt and yarn wise. This will also be helpful in the future for someone who is interested in how my SAL/KALs sort of go. So everyone choose their own inspirations either drink or photos and I went with it from there. The theme was "I'll Drink to That" in honor or maybe in spite of St Patricks Day and all the drinking that typically happens around that time.

Each package came with the batt or yarn, a recipe (sort of) card with the inspiration photo blatantly borrowed for keepsake purposes with a humorous recipe, a plastic drinking glass, some bar type snacks, and of course the "drink" in the form of batt or yarn, with stitch marker garnishes made by Yarndemon just for this SAL/KAL! We will start with her package so you can see the whole package together:

Her inspiration was either a
Purple Haze

or a Venetian Sunset

Me having the since of humor I have I made her a Hazy Sunset

Next there was a request for a Tropical Drink by the pool:

Super Smooth Batt please!

and it looked so good we needed one in Sw Sock Yarn too:

Mastic Liqueur:

Perfect drink for Sweet Smooth and Satisfying Batts:

A couple of Blackberry Crushes were next:

In some Worsted Wool:

Now there is nothing like a Guinness Float:

I served it up in a yummy semi-smooth batt:

Chocolate Martini's are both yummy and sophisticated:

They call for a Luxury Sock Yarn with Merino, Cashmere, and Nylon:

and at the end of the night there is nothing like relaxing with a nice glass of Cabernet:

This one was served up in as Smooth Layered Batt:

All in all it was a great night for all! Be sure to tip your Bartenders *grin*

Getting to the Post office - stressful but amusing!

So a funny thing happened to me on the way to the post office. Well several (I did eventually get there but not until Sat) actually. Friday I got up bright and early and went to the garage. I wanted to send out some other packages as well so I went to work on them. I was chugging along, feeling good and feeling accomplished. I figured I will go to the post office after lunch. Tom had took our car to work because Wanda told me I could borrow her jeep, because her hubby was taking his car to work. Everyone following me now? Great!

Lunch time comes and I am still working with a batt on the carder. I stop to get a coffee and take a break when I realize the time. Rik (Wanda's hubby) is about to head back to work because he comes home for lunch. He goes out to the car as I sit down on the porch with my coffee and his car won't start. At all. Lots of noisy noise but no starting. I am now starting to panic a bit on the inside but trying not to let it show because they are the ones having some car trouble and I just need to get to the post office. If he can't get it working he will have to take his jeep back to work and I will not have a car to get to the post office. It wont be the end of the world but I have already missed a week of getting to the post office. He works on the car for about 20-30 minutes and he is able to get it started and off to work he goes.

I finish my coffee with a sigh of relief and go inside to take the batt I had been working with off the carder and put it in a bag. Then I go to print a label for it. My printer starts making this horrible grinding noise for about 30 seconds and then the power shuts off. I turn the power back on open it up, nothings stuck, no paper jam so I try to print again, same thing happens. We do this about 3 times and I am starting to say forget it(well that's the censored version) because this package can just wait. Then it actually starts printing. I am ready to cheer because I have a love hate relationship with my printer. Halfway through printing the page the ink runs out. I am now ready to use something (like one of the very large hammers or possibly the chainsaw) to turn my printer into little bitty bits. My friend Wanda discourages this course of action because it will damage the chainsaw. I decide I am just going to the post office and I will pick up ink while I am out.

All of a sudden it occurs to me as I am thinking about the packages that I forgot to put in the stitch markers from Yarndemon. The stitch markers that she made just for the I'll Drink to That SAL/KAL. Not only that I have no idea where I have put them. The time is now about 1pmish. I think there is still plenty of time to find them and get them into the packages and still make the post office. I am thinking how lucky I am that I actually remembered before I shipped them. So I try to think about where I have put them... I start pacing, looking on shelves, moving boxes. I come inside and look there. I go back out to the garage and look some more there. I am now so frustrated that I really want to cry like a baby because I can't find the stitch markers and I am not sending these packages with out them. I have waited this long to send a perfect package and Im going to send a perfect package... Pace.. pace.. pace.. Move boxes.. pace.. lift things.. pace.. kick desk.. pace..

Tom texts. He is still at work but while on break he went out to the car and has locked the keys inside. So now I have to take the spare key to him. I stop looking for the box of stitch markers that I can not find (it is now after 3pm and the post office is closed btw it is actually about 4:30pm now and I have been looking for those stitch markers for awhile) and I go to take him the key. I get half way there and realize I have forgotten the key. It is still hanging in the closet. At this point I just start laughing. I turn around and get the key to take to Tom. I also got ink for the printer and Tom grabbed pizza for dinner so we ended up relaxing sort of the rest of the night. I still could not find the stitch markers. I had decided I was just going to send the packages with out them on Sat.

I woke up Sat morning and remembered right where I put the box of stitch markers. I took Tom to work then came home to get them (I am not taking any chances today). This is where it gets really funny. See I left them in the priority box that Anita sent them in to protect them. Then so I would not forget them I put them in the packages I put them in my shipping area for safe keeping. They were with the packages all along but hidden because they looked like one of the packages I was sending out. So all the packages got reopened, I added the stitch markers and then repackaged them. Then I because I knew the post office closed at noon and Tom got off work at 12:30ish I played around with my carder for a bit and then headed out at around 11. This turned out to be good because I got to the post office at 11:21. They actually close at 11:30. The good new is the packages have all shipped! The really good news is The Packages Have All Shipped With Everything They Were Supposed to Have!!!

Because of only having one vehicle and working a part time temporary job I am currently only able to ship packages on Friday and Saturday. In the future though I think it will not be this eventful! I will be posting photos of the batts and yarn for the I'll drink to that Sal/Kal as soon as they packages start arriving to maintain the surprise.

I'll Drink to That SAL KAL CAL - batt roving yarn package choice

The I'll Drink to That Sal/Kal/Cal packages are now available here!
Since St Patrick’s Day usually means lots of drinking we will play along with a fiber version for this SAL/KAL/CAL. I will be your bartender. You name your favorite drink and I will mix it up for you in the fiber version. Your drinks will come to you served up just the way you like them (batt, roving, or yarn). I am a pretty cool bartender so not only will I tell you whats in your drink I will send you the recipe so you can make it for yourself later. I will also send you a plastic party glass to practice making your own drink in. So what are you drinking?


The I'll Drink to That Sal/Kal/Cal packages with your drink choice must be ordered by Feb 13th. Packages will then be made to order and ship out on March 11th. Post your drink orders with inspiration photos if you have them in this thread on Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/ever-improving-me/1503340/1-25#17 so that I can mix your fibery beverage up the way you want it.

If you have not participated in one of my SAL/KAL/CAL also known as the
Spin-a-long
Knit-a-long
Crochet-a-long
Here is how they work. Take a look at my example photos of possible drinks but then pick what ever drink you would like. You can do this by telling me a drink name, or by telling me what colors you would like to have in your drink. You will also tell me if you would like this to be a batt or roving for spinning, or yarn for knitting or crocheting.

You will post a inspiration photo in my raverly thread and then join in the fun conversation if you like while waiting for your drinks. Once I have made the packages I will send them out to you for you to make into a finished object. The finished objects will be posted into their own thread by April 11th. I will then run a random number generator to choose a winner of some nifty prize.

The photos posted are just some examples of how a drink might look. Packages will include the drink of your choosing, a recipe card with your drink on it and a plastic drinking glass that you can mix your own drink in!