Travelin' sock

So I finished the Spunky Eclectic Shine monkey socks for my mom on Friday! Here's a pic of the second sock:

And here's a close-up of the patterning, so you can see what the yarn does:

Isn't it pretty? I love it.

So of course, I had to start another sock... and what better than another pair of monkeys? I swear, I think I could just go on and on making monkeys forever. They look different depending on what yarn I use, and the pattern is so easy to execute. I just knew I didn't want to do a plain-vanilla sock right now because I'd stop at the first sock and there would never be a mate, LOL.

So I cast on a new monkey sock at the baseball game Chris and I went to on Friday night with some of his colleagues. Here is the sock enjoying the game:

I have never been so entertaining to so many people at once in my whole life. Men, women, and children were stopping to watch me like I was defusing a bomb instead of knitting. And, on top of it all, Chris's coworker (a guy!) wants me to teach him to knit! I'll definitely be doing that- he'd be excellent at it!

The yarn is Berrocco Sox Metallic in this interesting purple/green/yellow/brown colorway, with just a hint of gold glitz in it. These might be a present for someone at some point... ;)

Since Friday that sock has been to a baseball game and on a car ride to Knoxville, so I guess it's a travelin' sock, LOL!

Hope all of you are well.

XO-

D

Lost my heart

I totally and completely lost my heart last night... and I want you to meet him.

This is Ethan. He's my best friend Amanda and her fiancee Jesse's baby (and he's Chris and my nephew!! teehee). He was 4 weeks old on Wednesday.


This is me feeling totally blissed out with baby-love.

See? I just can't take my eyes away. He is just too beautiful.

And, as promised, here's a picture of the sweater I knit for him. It suits him very well.

*sigh of happiness* Little ones are SUCH a joy!!!

Disenchantment

I know everyone probably thinks I've fallen off the face of the planet, and I haven't... just been going through some things and have been busy, so blogging hasn't been paramount in my mind lately.

I've been knitting a lot, trying to finish up some UFO's and burn through a bit of the stash. A while back I sat down and actually looked at my stash, and was really surprised at how much I have. I have a ton of sock yarn, as anyone would expect, but that's pretty much the only cohesive part of my stash. I have a couple of sweaters' worth of yarn, but haven't found the right patterns yet, and I have some yarn that's meant to finish out some bigger long-term projects (like the Mason-Dixon wallhanging) but I'm working on them a bit at a time and don't really have a deadline set to finish them by. By and large, other than my sock yarn and the things that I have earmarked for specific projects, I'm kind of disenchanted with a lot of my stash. Back when I first started knitting, I bought yarn willy-nilly without any real purpose in mind, and by consequence I have a lot of random balls of yarn that I haven't the faintest idea of what to do with. One-skein projects are fun once in a while when I'm looking for a quick thrill, but I don't want to do them constantly, or just to try to use up stash. So before too long I might go through and try to sell off some of the stuff I don't want anymore. I haven't had a lot of luck with trying to unload stuff using the "sell/trade" function on Ravelry, so if anybody has any ideas on another outlet to use (and not eBay, please!) I'm all ears!!!

I finished a baby sweater for Ethan today. (Forgot to mention... Amanda had him on May 20! Yea!) It's super-cute, and from the Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders book (Amazon link). The pattern is called the Beautiful Baby Bamboo-Merino sweater (Ravelry link). Instead of using expensive luxury yarn, though, I used a skein of I Love This Yarn sport from Hobby Lobby in a nice dusky forest green colorway. It turned out really cute. I'll post a picture of it soon.

Other than the baby sweater, I've mainly been working on socks. I started a pair of socks for Chris for our anniversary, and didn't get them finished in time because of the afghan I made:

It turned out really nice, and he uses it a lot on the couch while he watches TV. Next time I'll go for a bit bigger, once I'm not so strapped for time. :) Anyway, so back to his socks. I finished the first one about a week and a half ago, so now I'm working on the second one. I made up a new pattern for it, and I really like how it's turning out so I might write it up once I'm finished. I'm knitting it out of Malabrigo sock, which I think is probably my new favorite sock yarn because it just feels amazing in my hands.

I'm also making yet another pair of Monkeys (Ravelry link) for my mother for her birthday. I'm using Spunky Eclectic Shine sock in the Nova Scotia colorway, and they're turning out amazing. The first sock is finished, and the second sock is to the heel turn. Since her birthday is in late July, I think I'll be finished in time. ;)

I've also been listening to a lot of podcasts lately, but my main one has been Knitmore Girls. I cannot tell you how much I love this podcast; it's so much fun! Jasmin and Gigi are funny, down-to-earth, and have lots of great anecdotes and advice. I got in on it a little late, so I'm only up to this past November in episodes, but I'm enjoying them immensely. If you don't listen to their podcast, you definitely should! Two thumbs up, for sure! :)

Well that's about all I have to say tonight. I'm a bit out-of-practice with the blogging thing, so I'll try to be more regular at it now. Hope everyone is doing well! Drop me a comment!

XO-

D.

Stitches and Lexington part 2 (pic heavy post!)

... the yarn acquisition frenzy continues!

So I last left you with my Stitches haul. I did realize upon re-reading my post that I had forgotten to mention one other great thing I got... a pair of glass-enamel-over-sterling bird earrings from Gita Maria. I do not have a picture of them, but they are absolutely gorgeous: tiny blue/green/gold enameled swallows. Definitely check out her site- she has plenty on there for you to choose from!

I got home very late on Friday night, and ended up working Saturday, off Sunday, and worked Monday. On Tuesday I had to leave for Lexington for yet another psychiatric evaluation for my worker's comp case (the robbery)... NOT my favorite way to spend a Wednesday, but there you go. I went up on Tuesday so that I'd be rested (appointment was at 8am on Wednesday) and also to spend some time with Christine and later, with Kassie. I got into town around 4:30, and Christine came to my hotel to pick me up. We went to Dandelion Beads, where I purchased a decent quantity of peachy/coppery colored freshwater pearls, and some silk cord with which to knot them into a strand- all for under $20! (I picked up a clasp at Hobby Lobby when I got back to Chatt... will take pictures of them when they're finished!) We went from Dandelion to Rebelle, my favorite yarn store EVER, and I bought the following from my pal Robyn (who I was ecstatic to see, too!):

Mini keychain sock blocker, with pattern for a tiny sock


Yarn: Malabrigo Sock
Colorway: Rayon Vert
440yds/3.5oz


Yarn: Malabrigo Silky Merino
Colorway: Spring Green
150yds/50g, 2 hanks


Yarn: SarahDyed 100% superwash merino worsted (house line for Rebelle)
Colorway: mixed greens (? sorry Sarah, didn't have a name so I named it!)
137yds/50g, 2 hanks


Yarn: SarahDyed 100% superwash merino worsted
Colorway: blue/black
137yds/50g

Quite the haul, eh? :) I was so excited to go back to Rebelle and see what Sarah and Robyn have done with the place. It had been almost a year and a half since I'd been there, and I was so happy to see that they're doing well! Business is good, and they have a lot of new lines of yarn that I was eager to pet and fondle. Of course I had to go through my basket a time or two and put a few things back, because I really didn't have the money to go completely wild, but I have projects in mind for all of the yarns that I got and I'm so excited to make things with them!

After Rebelle, Christine and I went back to my hotel and knitted for a bit, then she had to go to class so I took a nap until it was time to meet back up with her and Kassie, who went to dinner with us at Max & Erma's. We had a great time catching up- I miss them both so much. After dinner, it was time for bed, so back to the hotel I went.

The psych eval was very unpleasant, made even more so by the hatefulness of the psychiatrist who questioned me at the end. He was very rude and made insinuating remarks about the demise of my marriage, the fact that I can't afford counseling (and the fact that my priorities, according to him, are completely out of whack because I'd rather buy groceries than pay for counseling myself), and about me going back to school to get my masters in clinical psychology (he thinks all undergrad psych students are a waste of space). I left that eval shaking with anger, and more than a little glad that all of this will be over in June after my hearing (please GOD!)... and so I guess that's all I'm going to say about that for now.

I'm glad I got to see my friends in Lexington, but I can't pretend that I really enjoy going up there, because I don't. It's too full of bad memories for me to ever be able to look on it as an enjoyable experience; the whole time I was up there I had an upset stomach and didn't sleep well. I miss my friends, but I hope I don't have to go back up there for quite a while. I'm just now starting to recover from it, and it's been a few days since I got back.

Anyways... what's on my hook/needles. I am knitting on a pair of socks for Chris for our anniversary, and I am also crocheting him an afghan out of some midgrade acrylic. It's turning out well, just taking a while and I don't have a lot of patience for it, unfortunately. I only have 13 days to get both projects done, in addition to making something for my grandfather and father's birthdays, and my mom's birthday is coming up in July so I've got to get something done for her as well. This time of year is almost as stressful as Christmas, now that I think of it!

Well, I'm going to go for now... my stomach has been sensitive all day and I think I'll go lie down and watch some TV before bed. Hope all of you are doing well!

XO-
D

Stitches and Lexington part 1 (pic heavy post!)

... aka, my yarn-buying extravaganza.


First of all, Stitches absolutely blew my mind. I worked at the Krazy Knitz booth, and Ester and I were talking about how true it was that the adjective most used by people walking by was "overwhelming". I've never seen so much yarn and knitters in one place in my whole life, and it was wonderful! Inspiration was absolutely everywhere. And of course, being the person that I am, I went a little nuts buying yarn... haha.


My first stop was Creatively Dyed Yarns.

Yarn: Creatively Dyed Yarns Calpyso
Colorway: Feijoa
500+ yards/184 g sock weight


Second stop was the Malabrigo sponsors booth, where the nice guys that own Malabrigo were giving out free yarn to all Malabrigo Junkies!

Yarn: not-yet-released pure baby merino
Colorway: Indiecita
300 yds/50g (sport weight? tag doesn't say)


Of course that got me started, because that colorway was just sooo beautiful... and WEBS was carrying the sock version, so I had to buy some!

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock
Colorway: Indiecita
440 yds/3.5oz




Yarn: Malabrigo Sock
Colorway: Persia
440yds/3.5oz sock weight


I also bought another hank that's currently in use, called Chocolate Amargo. It's becoming Chris's anniversary socks. :) I also bought a hard copy of the Sundrop Cropped Cardigan, designed by Kirsten Hipsky.


Of course I wandered around all over, and saw so much it almost made my head hurt... but my next purchase was at Carolina Homespun, where I bought some Hiya Hiya sock needles. Let me just tell you guys... these needles are incredible. They're tubular stainless steel, so they're extremely light- they each weigh just a tiny bit more than a toothpick- and they have just enough grab for my taste to keep the stitches from going off the needles when I shove my project back in my sock bag.


My final purchase was at Knit Witch, where I bought this beautiful yarn:

Yarn: KnitWitch Celestial
Colorway: Pisces
550yds/110g 100% superwash merino

The story behind that one is kind of funny. My friend Nada knew Brittany of KnitWitch, and we went by to see her together. I was just glacing around looking at all of her gorgeous yarns, when this particular colorway caught my eye. I picked it up, and Nada and I died laughing- of COURSE I would pick up the pisces colorway without knowing what it was! I just had to buy it, of course.

I also bought some adorable knitting needle bracelets from Sassafrass Creations, which I do not have pictures of right now but might try to add later. I also got a really cute keychain from her, that features a sawed-in-half crochet hook with a hole drilled through it and a keychain attached- perfect for picking up dropped stitches on the go. I highly recommend buying from her Etsy store- her products are unusual, creative, and are very attractively priced!

Now for the luck portion of my day... I was unreasonably lucky all day at Stitches, and I have no explanation as to why. First, I was walking around with my friend Abby, and we ended up talking to the owner of Buffalo Gold. Well, one thing led to another, and he and I are going to be negotiating me doing some commercial dying commissions for him! I am so absurdly excited about this- it is going to be so much fun! He ended up giving me a hank of his yarn to dye and play with, too, sort of as a test run to see how things go:

Yarn: Buffalo Gold Buffboo
Colorway: Natural/undyed (for now! teehee!)
300yds/50 g approx sport weight

Next, I was packing up my own handdyed that hadn't sold at Ester's booth, and was walking out when I stopped back by Annie Adams' booth. I had been admiring her beautiful handmade shawl pins and buttons, and had had my eye on this one shawl pin the whole time. Unfortunately I didn't have any more money to spend, so I just stopped by to say goodbye to her and let her know that I would order one from her website as soon as I had some more discretionary money to spend. Well, she and I started talking and she ended up trading me the pin for a skein of my handdyed sock yarn! I was so excited! Here is the pin:

Now I just need to finish my Tuscany shawl so that I have something to wear it with! :)

Last but not least, I was very fortunate to get to go to both the fashion show and the dinner following with Ester (thanks!!!). There were so many beautiful things at the fashion show, I can't even begin to tell you... all I have to say is, there is a particular shawl from Southwest Trading Co that I am definitely going to be making out of their yin/yang yarn as soon as I can afford to buy some! And also- everybody, go buy the Summer edition of Knitter's Magazine- most of the designs were featured in the fashion show and it is definitely a must-have! At the dinner, they were giving away doorprizes and I was lucky enough to be drawn for one! Here's what I won:

Yarn: 70% mohair 30% silk from a yarnie at Stitches (didn't get her name, but here is her website!)
915 yards/3.5oz

I have no idea what I'm going to do with this yarn, as I am allergic to mohair... so if anyone is insterested in purchasing it, please let me know via a comment or email! It will be listed in my destash section of my stash on Ravelry, as well.

So that was my Stitches experience! Next "episode" will be about my trip to Lexington... so stay tuned!

Cell phone

Most people can't live without their cell phone... so here's a survey about it. Okay? Go grab your phone!

1. What color?: shiny silvery gray w/ a black body glove cover
2. Who's the first person who comes up under the letter M?: Margaret
3. Who's the last person you called?: Chris
4. Who was your last missed call from?: Rachel
5. Who's the 2nd person who comes up under D?: Desiree
6. Who's speed dial 2?: no speed dial presets
7. Who's the 3rd person who comes up under J?: Jane & Jerald (cousins)
8. Who was your last received call?: my parents
9. Who's speed dial number 4?: like I said- I don't use speed dial
10. What is your background?: my Dockie on the front screen, me & Chris on the inside screen
11. How many text messages are currently in your inbox?: 47
12. Who's speed dial #1?: I DON'T USE SPEED DIAL!!! DAMN!
13. What's the 5th message say in your inbox?: Where u wanna mt 4 lunch?
14. Who's the 1st person who comes up under B?: Barbara (my aunt)
15. Who was your last text message from?: Sydney
16. Name every person you have text messages from?: Sydney, Kassie, my mom, Chris, Google, Verizon, Jennifer, Rachel, April, Alyssa, Wendy, Nada
18. Who's the 9th person on your missed calls?: Chris
19. What does the 6th message in your Outbox say?: i dread this so bad. i know i'll cry and i hate to cry in front of strangers.
20. Who is the first name in your Phonebook?: a Chris's Cell (I put an a in front of it so it comes up first)
21. Who is the last name in your Phonebook?: voicemail
22. Do you have a camera phone?: of course
23. Who is the last person under G?: Google
24. What does your first text message say?: silly goose
25. Who is the third person under K?: Kay Jewelers #94 (my old work)

Countdown!

So I'm counting down the days to Stitches South (2 left!), and I'm sooo excited! I'm going to be at Krazy Knitz booth (#133) on Friday all day, so if you're going to be at Stitches, please stop by and see us! :) I am bringing all of the handdyed yarn I have prepared at the moment (12 skeins) and hardcopies of all 3 of my published patterns, and they will all be for sale, of course! :)

Right now I'm just trying to finish up some unfinished projects before I go. On the top of the list are the Mermaid Monkeys, made out of my own Seawool sock yarn. Here's a picture of the first sock, which is finished:

I'm making the second sock right now, and will probably finish the gusset decreases tonight. I'd like to have them finished in time to wear on Friday, but as I've got to work tomorrow, it might not happen. Next on the list is the Rusted Root pullover, which only lacks the sleeves being finished. And as it's a cap sleeve top, I think it's manageable. :) I'm just so excited about getting to go to the market and see everyone's booths, and of course make some small yarn purchases for me. :) I'm already trying to figure out what I'm going to do for Christmas presents, so hopefully I'll pick up some yarn for that!

Also, I finished the Beckett Beret, and here's a picture of it:

My friend loved it! I hope to get a picture of her wearing it at some point. :)

On a sad note, I just saw on the Mason-Dixon blog that Kay's husband Peter passed away on Saturday after a brief illness. Here's a link to the post so you can leave your condolences for Kay to read.

Love to all!

D.