I can bring my Kazoo and charm the little squiggly out !!

Adding my YES vote to anything "recycled" from someone's quilting horde. I actually have something i bought a year ago and never even opened the packaging...and was going to send it along to my SSee.....as said, anything that is not just right for the receivers can always gladly be passed along to someone they think will like it. I really wanted it at the time - but decided later it just wasn't for me.....and i wouldn't count that in the $$ spent.

Sitting here at my computer listening to the lids "pop" on my apple butter jars. No sweeter sound to any home canner. Got 24 lbs of apples from my DSIL and just couldn't let them go to waste....so now have 17 pints of apple butter.....Will be passed out to friends for Christmas. Guess i'll bring some to the hole - it's great on biscuits, English muffins, scones etc....we could have a nice little tea party !!! (Bailey's in my English Breakfast please)

Night night y'all.

Hint....my SS lives in a state that has an A in it.

</sigh>

Wow! Lots to catch up on! I'll answer more of those questions going around....

Like buttons? You bet!
Like zippers? Yes-colorful ones.
Like wonder clips? Don't have any-
Drinks? Decaf coffee and herbal teas
Christmas items? Yes, but no santa-
Like a handmade bookmark? ok
Grandkids? Have 4 boys and 1 girl :)
Christmas tree up? Yes
Like handmade ornaments? Yes
Like a cup/mug or travel one? No thanks. Have plenty.
How fabrics organized? Ha!Ha! Hmm...

Like aprons? Yes! Especially ones that cover Both hooters! ;)

Now to go find those jingle bells......

My SS-ee lives north of me and likes batiks, which I happen to have to put in her box.

My Santee lives in a very nice location ...I googled her address...if my .SS looks at my address, she may see a boy on a bike ( street view) that's my grandson!

Oooooh! An antique cup, for tea! YES!!! Do you have my name???? Please say you have my name!!! :thumbup:
Books are always nice, too . . . but I'm drooling over the antique cup!

Cute apron!!! I've always liked the idea of aprons but although I have a couple, never wear them. Well, I used to have a couple, anyway. Not sure where I put them . . . .

Is it okay? Let me just say... if you were my SS, I'd be over the moon with the package you're sending!

Ohmygosh Peg, that apron has my name all over it -- love those 30s fabrics and aprons! Your Santee is sure to be doing the happy dance when she opens her package!

My state has an A in it! And please please please, if you're my SS, include a jar of your homemade apple butter in my package. You can wrap it in fabric! :thumbup:

I have pets and like buttons.....me, me,me!

I also love apple butter and aprons AND my state name has an "A" in it.... again, me, me, me!!!

Hooray! Something I ordered for my SS arrived - it's her name, which you won't find anywhere other than being made custom (clue). Glad it arrived quickly as it has a long way to go (another clue).

To my SS sender - sorry if you've been trying to find out more about me, but I've decided not to keep up with this thread. The chat-room type of posts every day, hour and often page, preclude me reading them all, so I'm not trying to keep up! You'll find me over on the Secret Pal swap and other pages.

Please, please remember how expensive postage is. I still get palpitations every time I think about how much last year's spent on postage!

I clearly don't get notified of all the posts when I subscribe. Or I've fallen asleep in the Hole.....

Here is the crochet flower/button link: http://www.craftandfun.com/2014/09/r...netto.html?m=1

you must scroll to nearly the end for the English version:

RND 1 : sc in the 1st hole of button, ch 4 ( for bigger button ch 5 ), sc in the 2nd hole, ch 4, sc in the 3rd hole, ch 4, sc in the 4th hole, ch 4, sc in the 1st hole, ch 4, join with a sl st to the 1st sc.

RND 2 : *sl st, hdc, 4dc, hdc, sl st * repeat 4 times , sl st to the 1st sl st, finish off.

I actually figured it out by just looking at the pictures, then I watched her video for clarification: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JycQgsflVyE

They're very easy. Hope this helps.

Was catching up with the posts and thought "Oh I could eat some chocolate covered raisins..."

I've heard pigs and peacocks are good snake hunters. I like pigs though I'd do NOT want a real one and I'd love a peacock in my yard. Are pets/guardians allowed in the hole?

Ok....I've been catching up nearly an hour now. To summarize: YES- buttons, Yes?zippers?...in a quilt?, Yes- wonder clips(heard they're WONDERFUL), Yes- hot cocoa :D Yes-Christmassy items ....'tis the season, Yes- bookmark, Yes- Grandkids, Christmas tree up? Not yet :D Yes- handmade ornaments, YES-teacup :D yes- aprons, jingle bells......yes

Yes Yes Yes... Big hint now.... Yes!! I will be thrilled with my gift. :D

Mmmmmmmmm......apple butter. :)

for clarification - that apron already has a home. I was just fishin' to see if I should make another.

Yes make another!!!!! And (forgot) YES APPLE BUTTER!!!:D

I live up north and I like batiks...could it be me???????? :)

I've been sewing for my SS, sure hope she can use it. Still need to go through her list of favorite colors and round up some fabrics for her. And for my SS, any "tool" you bought and are not using I'd be glad to give it a try. If I already have it bet there is someone out there that can use it.

No no Nana, she has my name!:D:D I have almost worn my aprons out. I have a few patterns to make new ones, but do you think I remember to make them? When I see the fabric I think oh what square would that look good in, and cut into it. And all the apple butter I made this year, went to church for a bake sale, and I did not even save one jar for myself.:(

I think re-gifting is great. Sometimes we get things we know we are never gonna use and it just sits in the back of a closet......waste not, want not! Right?
I love the apron, the Christmas panel, buttons, my name has an A in it (not my state though), I wore socks today, and I broke my nook hard cover so would love a new one if someone knows how to sew them??? I have no patience for those sewing projects!
I will visit the hole later with some hot apple cidar and I have made some of those cake in a jar things. They are wonderful...chocolate cake with chocolate ganache. See you soon.

Since it's a virtual hole, I see no problem with allowing virtual pets into it. However, in real life, peacocks (like chickens) can create quite a stink in a small, enclosed area. The Hole is pretty roomy but the virtual stink of a virtual peacock just might become offensive, after a while. Pigs can supposedly be house/Hole-trained, so that may be a better option. At any rate, I doubt anyone would object, as long as the owner promises to clean up any virtual accidents and no members are virtually allergic to the animals. That said, I prefer to leave virtual-Phoebe at home, as she'd get into my virtual way, during our virtual fabric raids . . . ummmm, I mean our virtual fabric searches! Yeah, searches! :)

All the other stuff is meant for ME, right? :thumbup:

LOL. If all this wasn't virtual I would even be talking about visiting a hole in the ground. Definitely not my idea of a good place in the real world. Thank goodness our packages aren't going to be virtual.

Cool apron. Great colors. Send it on!

HA! I knew that apron was mine!

SS hint.

You are posting . . .

Ya mean like right at this very moment? IT'S MEEEEEEEE!!!! :D

The first time I was involved in secret Santa I knew no one. I just went to their page, read a bunch of the posts and looked at pictures Of what they have done to get an idea of what they might like.

Do you:......
1) like buttons? I buy them when I need them, which isn't very often.
2) like zippers? Don't use a lot of zippers.
3) like wonder clips? Never used them, but I have a feeling I should get some and try them out.
4) drink coffee, and/or hot heat? iced tea? soft drinks? No coffee or tea for me. Just good ole regular Coke.
5) like Christmas themed items? Yes, but not crazy about angles.
6) like embroidery bookmarks? Yes
7) have any grand kids? One, will be 10 here in about a month.
8) put up a Christmas Tree? Yes, we get a live one from the tree farm that is next door to us.
9) like handmade (machine embroidery) ornaments? I love handmade ornaments
10) would you like a travel cup/mug? I do, but I think my husband will kill me if I get any more. They are taking over the cupboard.
11) how do you organize your fabric? I use plastic bins.

That rules me out, no "M" in my name.

My MIL had two peacocks in her yard, and what a racket they make. Better than a guard dog!

I learned to crochet using a book from the library written for kids. TBI just means we learn different than we used to. I am not saying you need a children's level book, just all the pictures they put in the kids book make it easier to figure out. Youtube has how to crochet videos also. Welcome to crochet, I believe in you.

I have tried over and over so many times
and brain just doesn't function it.
don't know what glitch is but it makes
me mad because I want to do it.
those buttons are just so cute.
yes we do learn differently;
most of the time :)

One thing I did, was to ignore the written directions at first, and just look at the pictures and try to make your hands, hook and yarn, look like the first picture, them try to make it look like the second picture, etc. several times until you can do it easy, then try reading the words. We can do this together...

Although I've been crocheting since I was a young child, I can certainly understand why some people have so much trouble with it (after teaching and trying to teach, several others). One piece of advice I can give, is to just work on the starting chain, until your loops are even and the yarn/thread is flowing freely and comfortably, from your thread-holding hand. If your starting chain is too tight, the others stitches will be a nightmare to make. The way you hold your thread may not be the way someone else holds it. What feels comfortable for one, may be totally wrong for someone else. Try different examples and see which works best for you.
Another piece of advice - learn with a worsted-weight yarn, which has just a bit of stretch to it. A bit of stretch makes it much easier to work stitches, if your tension does happen to be uneven. :thumbup: