Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap

Oh the wondrous joy that is coffee. I've been drinking it for as long as I can remember. As a child, I went to the same school my mother taught at (oh the fun that ensued from that) and so my dad would frequently visit her whenever he came to pick me up and take me to work. He was a big coffee drinker at that time and always had some at hand. So naturally he would always have a mug with him everywhere he went. So one day I was sitting in the car waiting for him to finish talking to my mom and take me home, when I caught the aroma wafting from his mug. Naturally, as a ten-year-old, the scent interested me and so I picked up the mug and swished the coffee around a little bit. After much sniffing and contemplating, I decided to take a swig before dad got back so I wouldn't get in trouble. The only thing was that I loved it so much, I drank the whole mug. And I've been addicted ever since. So I've decided to make my first-ever swap a coffee swap. Because what's better then knitting and sipping down some yummy coffee?

Coffee

What are your favorite kinds of coffee? I'm really open to anything. I'm still young so I've only recently begun to delve into the land of many coffees. Though anything that smells or tastes wonderful will do just fine.

Do you prefer whole bean or ground coffee? Ground. I usually make myself coffee when I'm feeling too lazy to do anything, so the less I have to do to get to that nectar, the better.

This time of year, there are often Holiday Blends available, and many flavored coffees - do you drink flavored coffee? Do you enjoy special blends? I do drink flavored coffee and I do enjoy special blends. I'm pretty much up for anything. My coffee palette is still learning.

How do you take your coffee? Cream and Sugar? Straight up? Decaf? I may be a bit of a wimp and add cream and sugar, but I can't deal with decaf. For some reason, it leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth. :[

Do you prefer drinking from a nice thick mug, or a matched cup and saucer? I'm a thick-mug breed of girl. I'm more known for chugging down my coffee then sipping. And I usually drink it on the go, so cups and saucers wouldn't do me much good.

Winter and Holidays - PLEASE be descriptive! Your pal will need this information to be sure to put together a package you will enjoy!

What is your favorite part of Winter? I just love drinking coffee and observing the world around as everyone else is freezing like crazy. :] I'm a little sadistic at times. But I just love the fact that you can relax more then you can in the summer. As odd as it may sound, I enjoy the warmth of being all cozy in the house and sort of mocking mother nature for trying to turn my skin blue.

Do you celebrate a holiday in December, and if so, which holiday? I celebrate Christmas aka the birth of Jesus. But I also love other holidays that people celebrate during the month as well, and I'm overly hard to offend. I love learning about different cultures and heritages and celebrations, so feel free to just do what you want to do.

If you celebrate Christmas, do you put up a tree? Pretty much every year that we're able to or will be home during the holiday to make use of it. We love the feel it brings to a room.

Would you enjoy items related to the holiday, or would you prefer a Winter themed package? I would honestly have to say Winter, but basically anything that's not specifically red and green. Strangely, the two colors together make my head ache.

Do you collect anything? Are there any holiday or winter-themed items (Snowmen, Angels, Snoflakes, Santas, etc) that you collect? I collect anything moose-related (I always pick the weirdest animals to love), rubber duckies, mugs, and all things Nightmare Before Christmas.

Do you wear scarves? Mittens? Hats? All three. Granted, I rarely wear them all at the the same time, but I do love them.

What is your favorite holiday or winter treat? The only thing that's strictly a winter treat would be hot cocoa. As much as I love coffee, I still have a soft spot for some creamy cocoa.

Please share a favorite Winter or Holiday memory. My parents were sports nuts when I was growing up, so really my favorite holiday thing to do would be to go to a football game (we would always go to the local college's home games) and just sit close to each other all bundled up in jackets and blankets while drinking cocoa. My family bonded over sports.

Yarn and Crafting

Do you Knit or Crochet? For how long? I'm a knitter and I've been knitting since September 2003. So I'm still a n00b in many ways.

Do you like wooden, metal, or plastic needles\hooks? Circular or straight? I love anything but plastic. For some reason, the plastic needles just get on my nerves. Other then that, I have no specifics.

What sort of projects do you enjoy making? I'm still learning a lot, so I haven't been able to make too many non-scarf-related projects, but I just enjoy making things period. As long as I can pull it off, I love the whole process. Whether it's something for me, or something for a friend or family member.

What are your favorite types of yarn to work with? I'm really not picky about yarn. As long as it's got lovely colors and isn't super itchy, I don't care.

Do you spin or dye? I do not at this point in time, but one day I hope to do both.

Do you do other crafts such as scrapbooking or needlepoint or anything else? I do cross-stitching, and I have plans to start quilting as soon as I can make it over to a friend's house to learn. I scrapbook, but it's more of an "hey, I'm bored and I want to cut out pictures and make them pretty" thing then a hobby.

General

When is your birthday? June 25.

Do you have any children? (Furry kind count!) I just have my little dork Misty, the 8-year-old lab mix baby who's every bit as odd as her mother. I want to get another bird sometime, though, and also hope to get a rabbit or a guinea pig in the future.

What are your favorite colors? I love any colors as long as it's nothing puke-colored or fluorescent (bright colors are fine, but not the "holy hell the colors of that yarn are going to make me colorblind" hues).

Do you have any allergies? Freshly cut grass. It's the strangest thing, but I can't be on a lawn (standing, sitting, etc) even if I'm on a blanket right after it's been mowed because my legs break out in bad rashes.