Who's The Leader of the Swap thats Made for You and Me?

Are you tired of the Secret Santa swap yet? Well, if you are - too bad! Because I'm writing about it again! You've seen what I got in the swap and now I'm going to show you what I gave. I learned that my swap partner is Elisabeth from Woozy Quilts. She is a crazy talented quilter AND a Disney fanatic AND someone who requested a knitted item in the swap. I'd say we're a match made in swap heaven. (I did knit two entire Kermit hats while waiting in lines at Disney World a couple years ago.) Elisabeth lives in California and frequently visits Disneyland. A little birdie told me that her favorite character is Minnie Mouse - and an idea for a hat was hatched.

Here is the final product - a mini mouse earflap hat with pom pom mouse ears on top. I've included two pics because the first one is inexplicably glowy - which I think is a cool effect, but which may be a little hard to see.

 

 

Elisabeth received the hat and loves it (I think!). Unfortunately, she has a nasty cat allergy and I have a bit of a cat infestation at my house (well, two cats may not be an infestation, but it sure feels like it sometimes). Sooooo she is working on figuring out how to clean the hat so that she can wear it without it making her sick. Bummer! But who knew we weren't allergen compatible? I have since researched to see if there is something I can do to eliminate this problem in the future for gifts and custom orders. Turns out that cat allergens are suuuuper sneaky and are transmitted through the hair, and saliva, and dander. So its not just a matter of lint rolling a hat to get rid of the hair. As I continue crafting and growing my business, this is an issue I'll have to explore and experiment with. I'm thinking we could encase the cats in their own plastic bubbles.  I think that plan would have the added benefit of making my house MUCH easier to clean!

I Have the BEST Swap Partner!

Attention: This is a message from....wait for it....THE FUTURE. I know - its amazing. Why have I come back from the future to write a message here? Well.....because I got kinda busy in November and December of 2012 AND I discovered Instagram - so I basically became a total blog slacker. But come January 2013 (the FUTURE) my slightly obsessive brain didn't like the idea that there were no blog posts for November or December. And despite advice to just do a catch-up post in January, I decided I MUST finish the year of blog posts IN ORDER. So I've come from the FUTURE to write posts here in 2012. The post you are about to read has traveled through space and time to hang out here in tidy chronological order for the rest of eternity. Ahhhh....this feels right. :)

 Remember when I posted about the Secret Santa Swap I am participating in? Well, my swap gift arrived today! Early!! From Austrailia!!! And it is the BEST gift I could have possibly ever gotten. Ever. Its a bag. With a zipper (which I haven't attempted on my own yet). With a Zipper (weiner dog). It has a weiner dog. It also features some of my favorite fabric lines, including Half Moon by Moda and Reunion by Sweetwater. AND it has a little elephant block. AND it has a little mini dachshund block. It is 100% perfect in every single aspect. I am using to hold my knitting and I take it everywhere!

Here it is:

Didn't I tell you it was perfect? It was made by Cat from Cat and Vee - a crafty duo who specialize in screen printing and other fabric goodies. They weiner dog featured on the bag is called Pip Squeak, which i think is the most perfect name for a little illustrated sausage dog (as they say in Austrailia). Have I used the word "perfect" too much in this post? It can't be helped - its true! You can purchase some of their goods right here in their Etsy shop!

The front of it is not the only awesome part. Look at the back!

Here's a view of the all powerful and mysterious ziper:



 



And the final test? Turns out its Zipper approved!