Secret Pal 8

And the awards go to...

2006-09-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

BEGINNING TO SPIN for spoiling KNIT HAPPENS

ROOTED IN KNIT-REALITY for spoiling KNITTER NAVY WIFE

ONE GIRL TRYING (DESPERATELY) TO STAY HAPPY for spoiling LIFE IN CLEVELAND

They are the winners of the best pal contest!

Congratulations to the winners and a huge thanks to all of you who did such a wonderful job spoiling your pal. We wish we had prizes for you all!

Final Nominations

2006-09-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Here's the last batch of nominations. We'll have a winner(s) for you soon! :-)

CERELLABELLA
YARN HARPY
LEMONGARDENIA
PERPETUAL BLONDE
COULEUR TRICOT
JUST REGULAR FOLKS
AND ALL THAT STASH
MISS BEEHIVE 1963
PROFESSOR KNITWIT
THE RANDOMNESS OF JENNIFER COOMER

Best Pal Nominations

2006-09-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

We'll be accepting nominations for the best secret pal contest until this Friday, September 8th. We'll work on drawing the winner(s) over the weekend and will let you all know who won next week. The winner(s) will be chosen totally at random from the list of nominations we've received. Again, if you'd like to nominate the person who spoiled you for best secret pal, please send us an email with a link to your blog.

Here are some more nominations...

AS KAT KNITS
MY LITTLE TRIBE
ART BARN
SCHNUFFELTIER'S STRICKWELT
FLUFFBUFF
ZIGZAG'S JOURNAL
FIBER THERAPY
SLIGHTLY OBSESSED
INTERWOVEN
KNIT AND SPIN
KNITTYOTTER
KNITTIN' NOTES
STICKCHICKY
BELLASERA
BUSY, BUSY MOMMY
HAVE YOU ANY WOOL?
KNITTER NAVY WIFE
A TASTE OF JUNE
SHELBY KNITS

And they all lived happily ever after...

2006-08-31T07:03:00.000-07:00

Today is the end of SP8. If you haven't sent a package to your pal yet, PLEASE do it today and send your hostess a tracking number for it.

If you've not received a package from your pal, please let your hostess know right away.

If you've not revealed yourself to your pal, today would be a great day to do it. Part of the fun of SP is getting to find out who has been spoiling you silly for the past few months.

I hope you've all had a wonderful time!

Don't forget, signups for Secret Pal 9 open tomorrow! We hope to see you there!

Jenn's Group

2006-08-29T06:20:00.000-07:00

Interwoven
Vicki Knits
Jane Of All Trades
The Mogs Blog
Blackpurls
YoYo Knits
Yarn Knit Read Lit
Dimples Designs
Knittn Notes
A Flower in Full Bloom
Diary of a Mad Fibri-Holic
Dreemkints
Schrodinger Knits
Knitting and Everything Else That Matters
Knittervention
I Think I am Gonna Purl
My So Called Knitting Life
A Knitter In Queens
Zig Zags Journal
Another Hobby Blog
Julis Jots
Vegan Knitter
Kintting in the Shadows
Girl on the Rocks
The Shizz Knit
Frog Knits
Slightly Obsessed
I Heart Yarn
Knit and Spin
The Bookish Knitster
Garrisons Garret Fiber Art
Knitty Otter
Lauren Knits
My Knitting Addiction
Ekieh
Knit With Me
Oh My God I'm Awesome
Snarkland
Quilt Karin
Asjaloome
Myra's Knitting Basket
Tricot Treat
Mei Flower
Fadenelfe
Counting Mermaids
...quite Contrary
Yarn Pirate
Just Knit
Mama Knits
Craft Pirate
Crochet Per Se

1 week to go!

2006-08-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I hope you have all enjoyed SP8 as much as I have! I can't believe there is just 1 week to go before SP8 is over! I want to remind you that if you haven't sent out your last pacakge, to please do so now. If there are any pals out there who haven't received anything yet, and you haven't talked to your hostess, please e-mail them now. Some of the participants are sending only one package, and that is absolutely fine, it jsut needs to be sent before the end of next week. IF you are only sending one package, please spend the extra dollar to get delivery confirmation and send the number to your hostess.

Again, I hope you have had a great time! Don't hesitate to e-mail your hostess or myself if you have any questions/concerns.

Pals of StacyO

2006-08-22T18:12:00.000-07:00

070304.livejournal.com/
angeliasknitting.blogspot.com/
annie-knits.blogspot.com/
crisisofpraxis.blogspot.com/
esmerel.livejournal.com/
exercisebeforeknitting.blogspot.com/
gamecockdoc.blogspot.com/
houseofswank.typepad.com/
jennycoomer.blogspot.com
karlacardell.blogspot.com/
knit4ever.blogspot.com/
knitaddict.blog-city.com/
knitknak.blogspot.com/
lefthandpinkie.net/blog
lemongardenia.blogspot.com/
maidenaunt.blogspot.com/
nubianweb.com/brnwebgrrl
peaceableimperatrix.blogspot.com/
polarsun.net/twistedthistle
purldiver.blogspot.com/
quatzical.blogspot.com/
rjconklin.com/keeptalking.htm
sarahhbknits.blogspot.com/
soccerchic-knits.blogspot.com/
socialknitter.typepad.com/
swankyhanks.com/
whiningprocrastinator.blogspot.com/
whitecowboyhats.blogspot.com/
whittlnwithbear.livejournal.com/
www.knitsense.blogspot.com/
www.knittymama.blogspot.com/
yarnliberationfront.blogspot.com/

Are You Ready

2006-08-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

for some more nominations?

LIFE IN CLEVELAND
CRAZY CRAFTER CRAFTS CONTINUALLY
WENDY'S INTERTWINEMENT
BLACKPURLS
CAN'T YOU SEE I'M KNITTING HERE
KNIT N THINGS
A VILLAGE KNITIOT
070304
THE SHIZZKNIT
THE KNITTING WOUNDED
FEDEXCOURIER'S JOURNAL
HAVE EWE ANY WOOL?
CHICKEN WITHOUT A HEAD
SLIGHTLY OBSESSED
A PLACE FOR CREATIONS
COUNTRY VARIETY

The YarnYenta's Bubelahs

2006-08-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

otherwise known as heatherly's group...... I know you have all been waiting for this post! i had hoped to get it up yesterday, but life was typical. so here is my group:
*Left Coast Knits
A Fuego Lento
Avec le coton
beginning to spin
Caffinna's Creations
Ceallach Knits
Civil Bitch
Dyed Pink
Froggin Knitter
Hooked on string
I Heart Knitting
in relative calm
Just Regular Folks
Kaeki Knits
Knit About
Knit Happens
Knit it in black, please
Knit Knerds
Knit Kitty Knit
Knitter Navy Wife
Knitting Queen
Knitting Zen
Lanas y Tramas
Melly Breit (Knits!)
muses of a dargon mad knitter
My little Tribe
One More Row
Penelope porkchop
Res Ipsa knit with her
Rooted in Knit-reality
Say What?
Tales of a NICU Nurse
That Crazy Chick who knits
The Knitting Ref
The Knitting Wounded
Wild Geese
Yarn Spinner
Youthful

I had a wonderful group! I hope you all had a great round! If i missed some one email me! i did type this up with a squirmy 10 mon old in my lap!

Nic's Group

2006-08-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

A partial list of Nic’s group.
AS KAT KNITS
BUBBLES AND PURLS
CRAFT JUNKIE
DANCER GRRLLZ
DR. PURL
EXTREME YARN
FLAT OUT CHUCKLE HEAD
GEE, YOU KNIT?
HAND EYE CRAFTS
HAVE EWE ANY WOOL?
IT'S A GIRL THING
JAVAJEM
JOIN ME IN SNARKVILLE
KNIFTYKNITTER
KNIT ONE CHIC TOO
KNIT-N-MEOW
KNOT TONIGHT, I'M KNITTING
MINESTRONE SOUP
MORE THAN MANY SPARROWS
MYLERNA'S THOUGHTS
MY LITTLE CORNER OF THE WORLD
PROFESSOR KNITWIT
PURSE HO KNITS
TARCHER'S BLOG
THE ROW GOES ON FOREVER
THERESA GRANT'S JOURNAL
TIME TO REFLECT
WAY PAST MY BEDTIME

I feel a little sad posting this because I know SP8 is coming to an end. I’m going to miss my group. I’m sure all the other hostesses feel the same way about their groups, but I have to say I have the best group! I will miss reading all your blogs (I may still have to!) If I could keep you all for SP9 I would.

another comment on comments... ;)

2006-08-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

From now on, after some discussion among the hostesses, the ability to post anonymously has been disabled. If you want to comment on this blog, please feel free to do so! You just have to be a registered blogger user. Now I know that many of you do not have blogger blogs, but I encourage you to create an account, even if it's just for the purpose of posting comments on blogs. It is free, and only takes a few minutes to set it up. Please don't hesitate to e-mail me directly if you have any comments/concerns.

Comment on Comments

2006-08-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

I really feel that this entire discussion has gotten totally out of hand. Everyone has the right to complain. There is no rule against it. What we're trying to eliminate is the sarcastic negative attacks on participants of the exchange as well as the hostesses. We realize that not everyone is going to have a wonderful experience here. We're not trying to pretend that this exchange is perfect. However, we feel it only fair that you give the system a chance. If you're not having a great time let your hostess know. Don't post a snotty comment here. If you have no luck with your hostess, contact one of the other dozen hostesses for help. And for Pete's sake, if you really feel the need to attack someone publicly, at least have enough decency to let us know who you are so we can respond with a solution. We have been busting our butts for you people for months to try to make this a good experience and have been trying different things to avoid just this sort of nonsense. I deleted comments because I'm fed up with all the bickering. We're all adults here and yet some of you are acting like obnoxious bullies on the playground. Instead of being part of the problem, try being part of a solution to the problem.

Heatherly's group

2006-08-15T23:16:00.000-07:00

Watch this space!
After August 19 our group will be up too!

Shelby's list

2006-08-15T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here is Shelby's group's names! Have fun looking through if you'd like!

A Knitter in Transition
motherofallneedles
CerellaBella
Knittin' Mom
Random Fibers
The BIG Adventures of Mama-E
~*~YarnYenta~*~
twelfthknit
Tea and Cakes
more adventurous
KnitWit Momma
My Bloviation Celebration!
Knitting Nyxxie
fizicks phynatic
And Then There Was Me...
knitting on the go
Katie's Knit Knat
Kay In Stitches
Yolanda Gypsy Knits
Kerry Knits
k is for krista
tickle me pink
Mainiax
Tricotastique!
SalsaKnits
Stash Monkey
Socks-For-Mum
Krafty1
Miss Priss Knits
Please don't eat the needles
threads
Crazy About Sox

Amber's group

2006-08-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the list of prople who were in Amber's group originally. Have fun looking through!!

Magic Fiber
~*stars upon thars*~
Days of Yarn & Roses
in my life
Prettyknit
Ghostknitter
Confessions of a skull-obsessed knitter
Knit Story
friendly flamingo
Faith and Fiber
Princess Knits
My Pink Half of the Drain Pipe
Sheep-frog
Charityworld
sarcastic_twit
lucky dog knits
malinmaskros
Marsha Knits
purlpaw
Dandelion Spinnery
VivaPia
Extravayarnza
knitting solo
miserycord's Xanga
Kuduv koeraomanik
Wye Sue Knits
KNITTIOTHERAPY
craftomatique

Patty's list

2006-08-15T16:42:00.000-07:00

Have fun!!!

Motionary: Blog
Muntu Stitches
Cat Knits
Red Head Sky Diver
Debbie Does Yarn
Thread Theory
Elizabeth Genco
Knitter Next Door
Ply & Burl
Knitting 40 Shades of Green
The Lone Knitter
Kats & Yarn
KP Knits
Coherency Stops Here
Woven ~N~ Spun
The Silver Fork Saga
Aut Disce Aut Discedere
Batty For Yarn
The Knitted Purl
Knittinsilly
Handmade By Coley
Mommy, Mommy, MOMMY!
The Procrastiknitter
Coupersetique Denpa
A Crafter's Journal
KnitSanity
Knitting & Everything Else That Matters

Christine's Group

2006-08-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Here is the list of members blogs in my group. Have fun trying to figure out who belongs to you. :o)

Lilee's Gram Knits
The Comfy Bev
a ball of yarn and a remote control
The Sterling Stitch Holder
Aloha & Oreos
Perfect Kimmie
Bellasera
k1,*yo, k2tog*
stringy things
knit, carol, knit
Keep Your Needles Crossed
Knittin In The Mitten
2 Sticks & String
Just One More Row
(mis)Adventures in...
A Village Knitiot
Evil Genius
Can't You See I'm Knitting Here?!
Here in Topeka
Knit n Things
Knitting Chronicles
loose string
Royal Empress
Willful Machines
The Knitting Nook
String and a couple sticks
Kimberwood Shetlands

Cerella's Group.

2006-08-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

Have fun trying to find your pals!!!

Woolyvines
Potlikker
my dog has fleece
Gotta Knit
Redhead Ramblings
Bang, bang, history's complete
bliu blog
Jess knits in the 'burbs'
limedragon
Girl with a Purl Earring
Ride. Knit. Read.
Stoneview
A Taste of June
Knerq
Pieceful Creations
Jen's Tid Bits
Purls Just Wanna Have Fun!
The Knitting Diva
HaNdKrAft
Melissa's Adventures In Knitting
Knitting_Luv
knit, daisy, knit

Katie's Group

2006-08-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

And without further ado, I present the participants from Katie's group (minus one who requested not to be listed)...

A STRAIGHT TEQUILA NIGHT
ARTWEAR'S JOURNAL
BUSY, BUSY MOMMY
CHRISSY'S RANDOM LIFE
COULEUR TRICOT
CRAFTY OR CRAZY
EN FILANT MA QUENOUILLE
FEMINIKNITTY
IT HAPPENED JUST LIKE THIS
JANIS CAN KNIT
JILLIAN'S KNITS
KNITTING BATTLEMAIDENS
KNITTING GEMS
KNITTING RELAXES ME
MISS BEEHIVE 1963
NELDA'S NEW OBSESSION
PERPETUAL BLONDE
RANDOM FIBER RAMBLINGS
RHONDA'S KNITTING
SCHMOODLE
SONGS TO NO ONE
SPIN CYCLE
STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND
THE HUNDREDTH MONKEY
THE KNITTING BEADER
THE PAJAMA MONOLOGUES
THIS IS A TOAST-FREE ZONE
URBAN PAGAN KNITS
YARN COFFEE

Kerry's Group

2006-08-15T06:35:00.000-07:00

I hope you've all had a great time trying to figure out who your spoiler is. Below are the participants in my group. If you still don't know who your pal is, this will narrow the pool by a lot. :-)

A DASH OF WHIMSY
A GOOD YARN
AISHA CELIA KNITS & SPINS
ALL NIGHT KNITTER
AMPUTEEHEE
ART BARN
ARTWIN KNITS
BAA BONNY BELLE
BIG SKY LIFE
BRONNIE KNITS
DEBLOG
DYANN KNITS
FROU'S WORLD
GEMINI KNITS
HANDMADEBYFRANCES
HOME BURROUGH
KNIT2 BLOG1
KNIT AND COFFEE
KNITTING BLOG
LIKE THERAPY, ONLY BETTER
LUSCIOUS FIBERS
MOONLIGHT KNITTER
MY MOM KNITS
NATURE KNITTER
NEEDLEWORKS, INC.
PURLY BRITES
SHE KNITS SHE RANTS
STITCHY FINGERS
SWEAR OFF PROFANITY
TOO MANY CRAFTS, NOT ENOUGH TIME
WOOLLY WORMHEAD'S RIPPING YARNS
YARN HARPY
YARN GEEK

Contact Sport

2006-08-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

Please remember that both spoiler and spoilee must make contact with their pals at least three times per month. You don't have to write a novel (although your pal would probably love to hear what you've been doing...hint, hint), but a quick note to say hello is required.

If you've received a gift in the mail from your pal, please take a minute to thank them within 48 hours after it arrives. We realize everyone is busy, but busy is no excuse for bad manners. And again, it's awfully disheartening and frustrating to have to chase your spoilee to find out if they've received the gifts you've invested your time, energy and hard earned money in. So many people in this exchange really go the extra mile to carefully choose special gifts for their pals and they deserve to be acknowledged for their effort.

If you're going to be away for 5 days or more, please take a minute to let both of your pals and your hostess know. Communication is key in these exchanges and great communication makes for a great experience! :-)

The Big Reveal

2006-08-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

Since this is the last month of SP8, lots of you have asked when and how you should reveal yourselves to your pals.

When: This is really totally up to you but keep in mind that we do still have a month left. Lots of people like to try to figure out who their pal is on their own and if your pal is one of those people, revealing yourself now might put a damper on their fun. If you're super excited about revealing yourself and just can't wait any longer, ask your pal how s/he feels about it. They might be just as excited as you to finally know who's been spoiling them silly for the past couple months. Otherwise, I usually tell people to wait until about a week or 2 before the exchange ends to send a card or final package that includes a link to your blog and whatever other information about yourself that you'd like your pal to know.

How: Again, a card or package with a link to your blog is a great way to reveal yourself. Your final package could include something that you really love that you'd like to share with your pal. Or something specific to your area like some sand in a bottle if you live near the ocean or a packet of seeds for your state flower. If you've already sent all of your packages and have exhausted your budget there are lots of free ecards to be had on the web. Or you could send an email with some photos of the sky above your house, a popular or historic attraction in your area, or your elbow...something personal is always well received. :-)

I hope this helps give you some ideas and I hope you all have a wonderful time learning who your pals are. This is one of the most exciting parts of the exchange so have fun with it!

Your Attention Please

2006-08-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a minute to respond to some of the comments that have been left recently.

First and foremost, we want everyone to have an absolutely incredible SP experience. If you feel that yours is less than stellar, please contact your hostess. If you are having trouble with your hostess, then contact another hostess. You can do this by clicking the links on the right hand side of the blog. Just leave a comment requesting that we get in touch with you. You can write me privately any time for any reason. I will be more than happy to do everything that I possibly can to help ensure you have a great time in this exchange.

I appreciate your need to vent if you're having trouble, but doing so in a public forum whether it be here on the SP blog or on your own blog, will not be tolerated. We're all adults and should behave as such. Please try to consider the feelings of the other person before posting. I appreciate that for the most part, those of you having trouble have posted anonymously, but the problem with that is everyone reading your comment then wonders if you're talking about them. Can you see how quickly one negative comment can get everyone in a tizzy?

One participant asked if complaining was allowed. Absolutely it is. Sometimes it's a must. We can't fix a problem that we don't know exists. Nobody should ever be banned for letting their hostess know that they're having a problem. I think that this question may have come from the part of the rules that says we won't entertain complaints about you requesting a new pal because you don't like the one you've been given. What that means is that we won't rematch you because you've visited your assigned pals blog and see that she likes country music, has 10 kids, and drives a minivan and you like heavy metal, would rather have a snake big enough to eat a small child, and don't drive because it pollutes the atmosphere. It's compatibility complaints we won't entertain, not complaints about your pal not following the rules. If your pal is not contacting you at least 3 times a month and never updates their blog you should tell your hostess. The blacklist exists for those participants who blantantly refuse to follow the rules. I can't speak for all of the other hostesses, but I know I always give my participants at least a couple of chances to redeem themselves before I would remove them from the exchange and put them on the blacklist.

As Shelby said before, the blacklist comes with a 3 strikes policy. When you are placed on the blacklist you can participate as an angel in the following round. If you are a great angel then you can sign up to participate in the next round. You can be put on the list twice but if you make it to the list 3 times you are permanently banned from SP. Your hostess should let you know if you've been added to the list but if she forgets, you'll be alerted if and when you sign up for the next round. The best way to avoid the blacklist is by spoiling the daylights out of your pal (again, you don't have to spend above and beyond the minimum $$ requirement to spoil your pal silly) AND by being a grateful spoilee. Don't forget that the person spoiling you will want to hear from you just as much as you want to hear from the person you're spoiling. Can you imagine how horrible you would feel if went out of your way to do something nice for your pal and s/he never even acknowledged your effort?

Phew! I think that should answer lots of questions as well as address some of the complaints.

Don't forget, we're always here if you need us and there are lots of us so if you don't feel your hostess is listening please contact another.

I hope you all enjoy this last month of SP8. We're looking forward to seeing you back for SP9!

It's Time

2006-08-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

to post this week's nominations...

CRISIS OF PRAXIS
YARN LIBERATION FRONT
JUST KNITTIN
THE COMFY BEV
MSFORTUKNIT
PIGLOTTIE'S PARLOUR
KNITTING AND CHOCOLATE
TWO STICKS AND SOME STRING
MUNTU STITCHES

Sneak Preview

2006-07-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

We have a blog in progress for SP9. We'll update the blog as more info becomes available so keep an eye on it if you're interested in joining the next round of Secret Pal. :-)