Eye Came Friday--The Calming Version

Some soothing blues and greens for a Friday...

Colorway "Peace" from my Psychedelic Moose series...

You know, these just might find their way into the Etsy shop this weekend...

Hand painted yarn

Unfortunately, our Vermont internet provider is having some serious issues--like, there's no DSL service in Vermont. So I'm posting this from a friend's place in West Dover.

I'm calling this colorway "Blue Iris." I dyed skeins of Cascade 220 and Knit Picks Bare Merino Sock Yarn.




So, do you think it's a good interpretation?

Rhinebeck bound!

After having my plans cancelled at the last minute for what feels like an eternity the last 3 years, I am finally going to to Rhinebeck! Of course, this year's plans were not without a certain element of drama. I was supposed to be spending the whole weekend there with one of my paralegal classmates, but our wires got crossed and now I'm just going to be day tripping it on Saturday. But that's OK, because...

I'M STILL GOING TO RHINEBECK!!!

I will definitely be wearing my hand paint socks and maybe my 4-year-old green sweater if I can finish the turtleneck before Saturday morning. Sadly, there won't be enough time to block it, which would have brought out the true loveliness of the yarn. But that's OK, because...

I'M STILL GOING TO RHINEBECK!!!

I'm not sure what my plan of attack will be for the vendors. I'm planning to curtail my fiber spending this year due to that heating oil pre-buy, two vinyl replacement windows for the attic, and tuition for 2 classes that start Monday night but I've yet to register for (but tomorrow is payday). Can a get a group ka-ching?. But that's OK, because...

I'M STILL GOING TO RHINEBECK!!!

So leave me a comment if you're going to be at Rhinebeck on Saturday. I'll be hangin' with Punkin and my Sunday West Babylon Panera knitting/spinning group, and hopefully I'll see lots of my blog friends--and even meet some new ones. It's gonna be a great weekend, because...

WE'RE GOING TO RHINEBECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eye Candy Friday

A different kind of landscape...

Merino Meadows...

Eye Candy Friday -- Yarn Pr0n Edition

Attention Fiber People!!!

The Village Knitter in Babylon Village is now carrying Dream in Color!

Smooshy!

Classy! (plus the pink yarn in the lower left corner is Baby!)

At knit night last night we ladies bought up about a third of the shipment Karen received! Yeah, we likes it!

And now for something completely different, the never ending blooming Vermont orchid!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Eye Candy Friday -- Knitting Edition

Look! There's been knitting!

Pattern: Flower Basket Shawl

Yarn: Yarn Crack Malabrigo Lace

It's the beginnings of Elizzabetty's first shawl! It's bigger now, but this just looked so cute.

Look for a knitting update post soon!

Last chance for Smooshy

Tonight is the deadline for the Smooshy MS contest and unfortunately I haven't received the minimum number of chances required to give away the Smooshy. There are still a minimum of 15 $5 chances available. Deadline is 12 midnight tonight (pacific--3am eastern). Please don't make me keep the Smooshy!!! Please donate!!!!!!!!!!!

Yarn Raffle Update

Slight rules change--instead of a minimum 20 donations, I'm changing it to 20 $5 chances. For every $5 donated, you'll get one chance (please make sure you send me an e-mail at elizzabetty@msn.com and tell me you want to be in the raffle). For example, if you donate $20, you get 4 chances to win that lovely skein of Smooshy. And all the money goes directly to the National MS Society.

So far there are 5 chances for the Smooshy. If we get just 14 more and that lovely skein of Smooshy's a go!

So please take a chance and help Sleepy's Crew raise money to help find a cure for MS.

Deadline for donations is midnight (pacific) Wednesday, June 11th.

Eye Candy Friday -- the secret edition

Rockin' Sock Club Members Beware--
Spoilers Ahead!

For today's eye candy, you're going to have to click here to see the December Sock Club yarn.

Sooooooo pretty!

Special delivery

Look at what Carole sent me for being her 20,000th commenter!

From left to right: Trekking sock yarn, Lana Grossa Soft Cotton in blue and white, and two skeins of KnitPicks Gossamer lace weight in Jeans, as well as the cutest note pad and CHOCOLATE!!!

What a fabulous assortment of goodies! And because it came from Carole, it's all the more special. Thank you, Carole!

Eye Candy Friday -- the Fiber Edition

Nothing like a little silk and wool to distract you on a blah Friday.

Birthday Treats

Yesterday was a pretty low key day for me, but I did have some neat treats...

I finally wore my red socks. So comfy...

They don't really match, but the differences aren't that extreme (as compared with the third, much lighter sock).

Lunch was one of my favorite guilty pleasure lunches--Macaroni and Cheese with Beef from Hale and Hearty Soups.

A yummy cupcake from Eleni's.

And the biggest treat of all--a new MP3 player.


Of course I've loaded it up with Buffett music and knitting podcasts. I'm going to have to knit it a little case to hold it.

Oh--and those red socks... You know, I washed those socks at least three times to get the dye out. Well, when I took them off last night, the bottoms of my feet were reddish.


Some of dye transferred to my white socks today, but they're still a little on the red side. Maybe in another 50 washes or so...

Another unlikely post

I bet you thought I wouldn't last a day taking part in NaBloMoPo, did you. HA! I've posted for eight consecutive days! And today makes nine! Double HA!!!

I had a couple of things to post about today, but I heard about this contest over on Norma's blog. So here's what I was working on a year ago today: the THIRD red sock.

Hoping that it would match one of the other two.

Fat chance. You know, I still haven't picked a definitive pair from the trio. The whole thing still makes me crazy.


I've got two more colorways of this yarn in my stash. What are the odds of all of them being a mismatch?

Chicagoland yarn crawl... circa 2006

This time last year I had a business trip to Chicago for an all-day meeting on a Monday. Since it was so conveniently scheduled next to a weekend, I decided to combine it with an all-weekend yarn crawl. But the schedule changed and I wound up staying out there so that I could be told about the restructuring. I never did post about the yarn crawl.

So here we are, a year later. The yarn crawl post has been sitting around in draft form for a year. It's time to share, so here goes Part 1 of my yarn crawl....

My goal--visit three, maybe four yarn shops west of Midway on my way to the hotel, and try to only buy yarn that I can't easily get back east. (I should say that the office is in the northern 'burbs, not the Chicago proper.) I plotted everything out with Mapquest, printed out all my directions, and after picking up my rental car and a PotBelly Sandwich (mmmmmm...), proceeded to my first stop...

Chix With Stix in Forest Park.

Sorry, but that's the only picture I took of the shop. (I got camera shy once I stepped inside, being a new blogger at the time.) Very nice shop, well organized, carrying all the basics plus a really nice selection of Malabrigo. (There was lots of Malabrigo in Chicagoland. You guys are sooooo lucky!) I stuck to my purchase plan and picked up this:

Three balls of Karabella Aurora 8 that were marked down, and a skein of hand dyed sock yarn from The Knitting Nimrod in these gorgeous spring colors.

I had no idea who the Knitting Nimrod was, so I did a little internet research that night. Turns out the woman had recently passed away about six months before that and that she had a yarn shop in Belleville, Ontario. So sad. I'll have to knit something special with this yarn.

My next stop was Knitche in Downers Grove. It was good size shop with a coffee bar, a separate area for classes (cool!) and a nice selection of yarns, but there was nothing that I couldn't find anywhere else. I didn't take any pictures there either, but if you look here you can see the shop for yourself.

My third and final stop for the day was Fringe in Aurora. Wow! What a shop! They arrange their yarns by color, not weight. A total feast for the eyes!

Again, tons of Malabrigo (I'm so jealous of you guys!), but I didn't buy any of it. Instead, I agonized over what I would buy. I wound up focusing on these skeins of Fleece Artist sock yarn...

...but eventually got my focus back and decided that I could probably find these in New York, so ultimately these weren't part of the stash enhancement plan. But this did...

A gorgeous subtle plummy-burgundy subtle solid dyed exclusively for Fringe. But I have to ask--was this the predecessor to Dream In Color???

Next time... a pilgrimage to Marengo!

Reading, Writing, and Wristwarmers

Yeah, despite the time I'm spending with the CPLR, I'm still able to eek out a little knitting on my latest Fetchings.

Valley Yarns Sheffield is really yummy, with just the tiniest bit of angora fuzz. I can't wait to get these done and see how this yarn wears, but I'm already trying to think of other things I could use this for. Maybe some bed socks? Mmmmmmmmm...

I'm baaaaack

Of course, I didn't return directly to New York from the final hotel. It was more like Baltimore to New York by way of... Boston!

I'm home now. Have been for a little over a week. Started classes last Sunday, and I've been plodding through my reading assignments for my Litigation class. (Not light stuff!) Managed to stop at knit night for a bit Thursday night and then Saturday afternoon (to use my coupon), but that's about it. It's been all about work and school. No knitting, no blogging, not even reading blogs. Certainly no Rhinebeck this weekend. Once I get a better handle on the class workload, I'll be able to get back to a little knitting and blogging.

This coming week is going to be really hectic. We've got a meeting in Deerfield, Mass. On Saturday, which just so happens to be around the corner from the marketplace for the Franklin County Fiber Twist! And--even better--our meeting will be over by 2pm, so I can go play!!! Unfortunately I have to head back to L.I. right after that because I've got class the next morning, but still--I get to go to my first fiber festival!

Time for me to make nappys, so I'll leave you with some random photos from the tail end of my 12-day Elderhostel trip.

Here's Jim in front of my favorite ice cream shop in North America!

They even have penguins!

And finally, here's proof of my vacation knitting--a whole ball of Valley Yarns Northampton knitted up!

I really do love this yarn. A worthy substitute for Cascade 220 in any project!

I finished up the last few stitches as we arrived back at the original hotel. How's that for timing?

The Wonderful Wallaby

Earlier this afternoon I was writing an e-mail to Punkin and I realized, "gee, this would really be a good blog entry." So with a little editing, here ya go...

Punkin has been raving about The Wonderful Wallaby, and naturally she's been telling me that I should make one. Last week we were chatting about what projects I would take with me on my Elderhostel trip, and she brought up the Wallaby. And it got me to thinking--all stockinette, knit in the round, it just might be the balance I need right now. But I really don't have any sweater yarn in my substantial out of control yarn stash. Just some Elisabeth Lavold Angora, but not quite enough for the size I want to make. And I can't really justify spending money on yarn for a sweater right now after coughing up nearly a grand for this semester's classes, not to mention my car insurance that's due shortly and the Forester needs four new tires....

So yesterday, as I was driving up to the house, I got to thinking... you know, Webs is right on the way and they're open today. Maybe I could find something in the warehouse. Yeah, you know, if I could find something for under $50, that wouldn't be so bad. $50. That's totally justifiable. So I stopped at the yarn garden of Eden Webs...

I wandered all around the warehouse, but nothing that I really liked came close enough to the magic number. So I wandered around the store. I was thinking about biting the bullet and getting some Cascade (my first choice for the Wallaby), but then I remembered that they now have their own version of Cascade--Valley Yarns Northampton. More yardage (247), lower price ($5). I found a color I liked (dark gray, heathery), so I decided to buy 10 balls to make the really big Wallaby. And then I thought hey--if I just spend $10 more, I'll get the discount. So despite pawing fondling drooling over considering a skein of the Classic Elite Alpaca Sox, I decided to look for something for Punkin (yes, I'm rewarding the enabler, and I know it's wrong) and I found this really neat sock yarn for her. It's not her favorite, but I think she'll like it just the same. (There's one part of her present that I think she's really going to love, but I can't talk about it yet because it will ruin the surprise.) And with that last selection, I got my 20% discount and a really cool new project!



I started swatching last night and hope to cast on for the sweater by Tuesday night. My goal is to finish the Wallaby before we return to Boston. Think I have a chance?


By the way, we have mice. I put a trap down in the pantry last night (after seeing evidence of their presence) and had one in it this morning. They probably came into the house last month when Jim moved stuff into the attic from the storage space in Wilmington. I'm not thrilled.

Now before I get flamed, let me just say that I'm really not thrilled about the traps, but I don't have a choice right now. I don't live here full time, and, well, I saw the first evidence of the mice Labor Day weekend--4 weeks ago. And Jim didn't do anything about it. And now we're/he's going to be gone for two weeks, so who's going to release them from those live-catch-and-release traps that I'd really rather use? They'd die a slow death instead of meeting a relatively quick end. So, I'm sorry little guys...

And besides, if they're not going to help pay the mortgage or contribute to the household, then they can't live here.

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

Last year I totally missed it, but this year I was determined celebrate. It's my Blogiversay! Two years! Woo-hoo!!! Despite some rather spotty postings at times, I'm still blogging.

I originally started this blog with two goals: first, to document my knitting and stash accumulation accomplishments, and second, to improve my writing skills by writing regularly. I've been able to do that. However, it's also brought me so much more. I've met some wonderful people--both in person and virtually. I've found some cool blogs. I've been able to share happy times and sad times, and even some crazy times. I've even had the thrill of a rock star moment--when Stephanie left a comment on my blog! Little ol' me! Who'd a thunk it???

So, to celebrate my blogiversary with you, my faithful readers, we're having a contest! It's simple--leave a comment and you'll be entered to win a skein of sock yarn. Wanna see what you'll win?


A beautiful skein of Seacoast Handpainted Superwash Sock Yarn! 560 yards of 100% superwash merino in Surf. Yummy!

So, tell your friends and family to come on over and take a look. Never left a comment before--what better time to de-lurk! If I get lots of comments, I'll toss another skein or two of sock yarn into the prize mix. There more the merrier!

Deadline for comments will be 9 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, September 18th. Drawing will be held on Thursday, September 20th.

Just on note on comments--I don't know what it is about Blogger.com, but I don't always get e-mail addresses with comments. If the winner's e-mail address doesn't come through with their comment, I'll post to them here on the blog.

Thanks for sharing today with me!

Tink-a-little, Knit-a-lot

Hey--I'm actually making some progress here!


I love the way that the color is interacting with the stitch pattern! Since the colors remind me of a mountain stream, I wanted something that would compliment the look of water.

I think this really does look like moving water!

By the way, the little bits of pinky red that you see--those are my lifelines. I'm putting them in where the pattern changes from k2tog to ssk. Those first rows after the change seem to be the hardest to keep straight. Overall, though, I'm finding it easier to keep track of.

In other knitting news, look what was waiting for me at home tonight...

Maybe look a little closer...

Woo-hoo! A Sock Club Shipment!! Really unexpected this time around--the way it's supposed to be!!! After the ordeal of the last two shipments, I was really beginning to wonder if these would ever be a surprise, or just a continuous nightmare of shipping delays and tiptoeing through the blogsphere to avoid sock spoilage. I saw a couple of postings on the Rockin' Sock Blog, but nothing that would raise my expectations.

And about this month's shipment? I really love it, and that's all I'm going to say. I'm not going to spoil it for anyone else. You can look here and here if you want to see, but I'm not posting anything in a blog post until all the shipments are out there.

But Punkin will see it this weekend. She'll probably try to covet it, I bet. Ain't happening.

Of course, she could just place another order with BMFA...

What a difference a little daylight makes

I'm only about 8 rows into the pattern, but I love how it looks. I also still can't get over the diagonal striping of the colors in the cuff!




And the best part about the yarn--I've got the formula for the dyes that I used, so I can replicate this! (And to answer Carole's question (from many weeks ago) as to how I applied the yarn--we used stencil brushes and pressed the dye into the yarn.)

...must knit more rows...