The Voice of the Chocolate, Calling for a New Friend

It's present-opening day for the Winter Holiday of Your Choice Extravaganza, so here's my description of the box I created. I can't wait to see mine!

It was the chocolate the jumped out at me in Eryn's WHOYCE questionnaire: chocolate was what she didn't want to share, and calorie-free chocolate was what she wished the world would invent for her. And she liked earth tones, so chocolate brown was in my mind as I started looking around for the right gift..

At the beginning, it felt somehow unoriginal to get chocolate, yet that's where I felt led during my excursions. I'd read her questionnaire and some of her archives before going out, so I would her words in my mind as I was looking for the right things. Chocolate seemed obvious. I kept thinking that I should discern what my students call hidden meanings in the questionnaire, but the voice of the chocolate was compelling. I'd look at other things, but then, I'd see chocolate. And so chocolate I chose. One day, I found some nice Scharffen Berger bars. Another day, I found organic cocoa mix (which hit another point on the questionnaire). Then I wanted something smooth and soft and suede. When I saw the perfect yarn, a little earthy, a little modern, I knew what I wanted to do: a decorative scarf, just perfect for a Florida blogger. The scarf didn't show up well in photos--too close up and the flash would block the pattern, too far away, and the pattern wouldn't show. It's a ribbon yarn, knit in ribs to keep it lying flat (I experimented with a few patterns and that one worked the best). The scarf curled around itself as I was knitting, and I realized that Eryn could twist the scarf to make it more dimensional. I hope it stayed beautifully twisted in the box! It made a nice cocoon for the cocoa. I topped things off with a mug for the cocoa (also in earth tones).

I hope Eryn enjoys all this in her new house! What a treat it was to learn about Eryn on Pandorican. She and K. are wonderful! Very in tune with the seasons, very attached to the world. Pop over and get to know them yourselves.