My Secret Pal, Sabine!

Well, I can now reveal that my secret pal is Sabine from Stricky. I received a final package from her in the post this morning and what a package it is, too!

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I'm absolutely thrilled with its contents and the thought and care that Sabine has so obviously put into it. There's another ball of the Ethno for the Fickle Fingers Scarf which Sabine very kindly offered to get for me as the two balls mentioned in the pattern wasn't going to be sufficient. It wasn't possible to get the same dye number but, in fact, it doesn't look noticably different and I'll use it for the centre part so that the ends will be made with two balls from the same dye number.

I adore the colours in the hand dyed sock yarn my pal sent me. It's so lovely, it merits a close up so you can really appreciate the colours.

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Apparently, this is Sabine's favourite sock yarn and is hand-dyed in Germany. If this doesn't encourage me to get knitting socks, nothing will! I've certainly got no excuse not to as Sabine even included the appropriately sized double pointed needles in the parcel! I think I might practice a bit first though with the sock kit I got from Web of Wool.

Then there's the mohair yarn in one of my favourite shades. The colour is quite like that of KSH's Dewberry in which I knitted River and Birch.

Everything in the parcel is perfect. There are these attractive and interesting looking buttons. I wonder what the emblem on them means?


Next, there are two tubes of Gutermann beads to add to my, now growing, bead collection. I think I'm going to have to make a trip to Lidl's to get some of these storages boxes which are soon to be on special offer as I had a bit of a binge at Hobbycraft last weekend and I'll also soon be receiving some more from here.

The chocolate in the package is what I call "real chocolate". I've just demolished about half of the chocolate filled with banyuis-cream and cocoa nibs. Mmmmm, the cocoa nibs definitely have it! Then there are the little chocolate bars with bear wrappers and some ladybird chocolates. Apparently, the ladybirds mean "good luck". What a charming touch and they look so good in their wrappers, it seems a pity to eat them!

There are also some "Eggs Dressed Up" easter themed napkins which will brighten up our table at easter time and the most thoughtful letter written to me by Sabine over two postcards (Hikone Screen postcard and another with a picture on it of a mouse sitting in a chair knitting).

The whole lot was wrapped up in this pretty scarf which I think is silk but I can't read the label as it's in Japanese!


Sabine seems to have a very interesting life. She lives in Berlin and works as a journalist for a Japanese news agency. Her studies have included Japanese Studies, Modern History. Politics and Art History and she does ballet! In October she'll be visiting London and, of course, will be going to Ally Pally where we hope to meet.

Thank you, Sabine, and also, Linda (my spoilee) for making SP7 so special!