Sock Yarn O-Face

Ohhhh...Raven Clan...

Grawk...

Korppi...

Tlingit...

Valkyrie...

Ohhhh...

*waits for payday*

Dumbass Attack

I must have taken a big, giant hit off a crack pipe before I went yarn shopping, because I've just figured out that the yarn I bought for the Cherie Amour is totally unsuitable...Looking at it now, I honestly don't know what I could have been thinking...I have been swatching and swatching and just couldn't figure out why I was nowhere near gauge...

Because you bought superbulky, not bulky, dummie!!!

*siiiiigh*

Well, I think I shall go find an easy superbulky pattern for the whole NaKniSweMo, since I am already behind, and then order me some yarn that will actually work for the Cherie Amour...

I'm Very Cranky now...*scowls*

Just Where The Hell Have You Been???

Bad Blogger, no cookie...

But I've been busy, see?


Attending my cousin's Most Beautiful Wedding...


With the best party I've been to in a long time afterwards...Hey, free Grey Goose, what can I say? It's been a month, and I think the hangover is just about gone now...


While I was in Chicago, I had some time to check out Loopy Yarns...Very worth the walk from my hotel...I managed to restrain myself and only got a leetle bit of sock yarn...(Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Jungle Stripe)




Other recent activities were not nearly as fun...Eeeeeew!!!


I ended up splurging and bought myself a 3 part birthday present...

Ooooh, what is it?


Hmmmm...


What could it possibly be?!


YAY!!!


And Mr Swift's good friends came to live with me as well...*huge grin*





I brought some of my jools and things to the local PPD...




Ms Serenity Gulch was nice enough to come along and show off her Mad Spinning Skillz, yo...Which was so cool...Though I am still not going to learn to spin...No, I'm not!




With the impetus of PPD behind me, I finally got my act (ass?) in gear and set up an Etsy shop for all the various bits of jewellery and fibery goodness that I make...Though unfortunately, it made me realize that I really need to get a decent camera, since I just can't get good pictures of my baubles and colors are never right...

I finished up teaching a crochet class at IUPUI Community Education, which was a blast...It was a kind of spur of the moment thing to help out the usual instructor who wasn't going to be able to make a couple of the dates scheduled...But one of my students recommended me to the owner of an LYS, so I am now officially the new crochet instructor at Mass Ave Knit Shop!


Check me out! How cool am I now! *poses for the paparazi* It's too bad the yarn I picked for the samples photographs so poorly...*blushes*

While hanging around Mass Ave, I discovered that I have a serious Cascade 220 addiction...I mean, really bad...A little voice inside my head insists that I absolutely need all the colors...

Luckily, I found an excuse...

Afghans for Afghans has the cutest little vest pattern ever, in both knit and crochet...The In-Vest for Peace by Susan Wills and Sue Clark...It is so wee and so cute, and works up very quickly...With the stripes you can use up little bits of leftover wool doing something good for a little child who needs it badly...



Here's my first one; the edging and buttons will probably be finished tomorrow night...I've already started a new one! *grin*

I have a lot of Yarny things coming up as well...Serenity, Sleepycat and I have commandeered the services of the Sheep Street dyeing teacher in November to start learning how to handpaint sock yarn (I cannot wait!)...And in a fit of insanity, I got talked into a mini Cherie Amour KAL as well, though the idea of knitting lace of any sort scares the bejeezus out of me! Stay tuned for shrieking, moaning, temper tantrums at all hours of the day and night, and the stamping of tiny little feet...

Yarn Gluttony

I just couldn't resist...

Somebody pawned off some sock yarn on me last night, in spite of my best intentions...And I started a pair of Sleepycat's footies before I knew what was happening...(It's Lion Brand Magic Stripes, by the way...) I think the toe looks a little weird because the heel isn't on yet, so my fat little toes are making it poke out in all directions...*grin*

We went to the enormous, huge, giant LYS sale in Broadripple last weekend...It was a complete disgrace...I got some Debbie Bliss DK Merino to play with...


I figured that since I am such a knitting noob, I'd make a sampler scarf with some stitch patterns from the knitting dictionary I got at the Greencastle Fiber Fair, and learn me some new stuff with the two sticks...It needs blocking like crazy already, and though I'm only on the second section, I'm quite pleased with the result...I have four sections planned so far; more will be coming once I figure out how to do them!

Twenty Bucks

Unfortunately, the Golden Thimble in Broadripple is having a Going Out Of Business sale...The owner is retiring...But everything in the entire store is now 50% off!!!

Lookit my loot!


Apparently, my camera just does not like the color purple...But I assure you that it is a lovely, rich purple color...And apparently, it is also a Mystery Yarn...I looked it up in the Yarndex, and the name 'Topas' comes up, but it is patently not this yarn...

"Topas" by Gedifra is a thin, shiny yarn that consists of thin fibers wrapped tightly with a shiny thread. It can be used for sweaters, scarves, shawls, vests, and lightweight tops. Made of 45% cotton, 44% acrylic, and 11% nylon.

Nope...According to the label, this is from Muench Yarns in Mill Valley, CA, and is Superwash, 75% New Wool, 25% Nylon...Searched for Muench online as well, but from the business description it seems like it's an industrial textile mill in Novato, CA...

Oh well, I don't care...I'm going to have some purple socks out of it, wherever it's from...

I've never been a frequent visitor to the Golden Thimble, not even when I lived quite nearby...But I am always sad to see an LYS go...I had expected the store to be well picked-over, but was very surprised to find they still have a lot...a lot...of stock still available...I'm thinking of putting together an expedition next weekend (payday!) to go check out some more fiber...

Because I am Slightly Stubborn TM, and apparently was in the throes of a brief psychotic break, I decided to pop in to the Knit Stop on my way home...I can't learn!

They've just completed their expansion, and it has to be said that the store is a lot more easy to navigate with the extra space...There were several people in to help the owner restock and 'reorganize'...If it were any other LYS than the Knit Stop, I would cut them some slack due to the expansion, moving things around, etc. I asked for sock yarn again, and they did actually have a little bit more (pastel Lorna's Laces, and a few Art Yarns too)...Of course, it was in 4 different places...And the Tribble Dogs seem to be rather discombobulated by all the fuss, since they were barking frantically everytime the door opened...The one good thing I saw was a display piece, a felted bag, made by a new knitter...A simple black purse/bag, with large felted flowers and leaves around the top...There was no pattern available, but I will be making one very soon--it was too cute!

I won't discuss the brown baby bikini I was forced to admire immediately following my request for the bag pattern...

Now that I've seen for myself the new and improved Knit Stop, I hereby solemnly swear that I will never darken their door again...

I also succumbed to my book fetish, and picked up a copy a book I have been coveting for quite some time...I'll hold off on discussing that for now, since I think I'll save this title for my Very First Cyber Fiber Book Review...Woo hoo!

Sockies!

Never let it be said that I don't have Yarn Acquisition Issues...

I finally managed to pare down my Hysterical Tax Refund Sock Yarn Shopping Spree and make some real choices (rather than buying the entire inventory of Fleece Artist from Yarn4Socks)...

So, I got the Fleece Artist in Ebony, and the Art Yarns 140 that I have been drooling over for some time...(This is very strange...I went back to the page to link the Fleece Artist here, but the picture and description are gone...Did I get the last one??)

Anyway, I also hit Socks That Rock and got Rolling Stone and Puck's Mischief, since too much is never enough, and the state of Indiana was good to me this year...*grin*

Now I will have tons of incentive to finish up the blue practice sock that's still on the needles and really get going on this whole making socks mess...Thanks for the addiction, Sherri...*grumbles*

The Fiber Event At Greencastle

It started off with...shall we say, 'less than ideal' conditions...Ack!


But the omens were good...


I was a little overwhelmed and overexcited at first...







This was the first booth we checked out...Roving Mania!



Yarns Unlimited was another of the lucky ones in the only heated building at the fair...I am a total sucker for chenille, and at $20 a pound, well, you know...Check out the amazing chenille weaving hanging on the wall...


I am in love with LoneSome Stone as well...Two lovely ladies came all the way from Colorado for their very first show...Their sock yarn, their colorways...*sigh*...I didn't get the gorgeous purple and green that I was drooling over, but they still got a large chunk of my yarn budget for this show!


Sherri and I hit the Schacht Fleece Farm booth hard too...Mandy was extremely knowledgeable re Icelandic sheep...Sherri states that Icelandics are her third choice when she starts up with sheep...

But just look at Mandy's gorgeous roving and hand-spun...



Here she's bribing Sherri with roving from her Icelandic Babies...I think between us we can convince her...*grin*


We want Bun-Bun!


The youth Spinning group from Conner Prairie was right next door to Sherri's massage therapy booth...How cool is that?? We love Fiber Guys!


I finally managed to get some sock yarn!! From left to right: LoneSome Stone Yarn Mountain Feat Superwash Merino in Shades of Plum...LoneSome Stone Yarn Mountain Feat Superwash Merino in Charcoal Grey (just a bit for the toes and heels of the plum socks)...LoneSome Stone Yarn Mountain Feat Superwash Merino in Perfect Storm...And Fiesta Boomerang, an Extrafine Superwash Merino in Poppies...Can you tell I loves the LoneSome Stone? *grin*


I only bought ONE pound of chenille...This picture doesn't really do the color justice--it's a lovely, rich dark purple...Notice that someone...*ahem*...couldn't resist playing with it last night, though I think the shawl pattern I started here may be smarter than I am...



Did pretty well with my Sock Stash Enhancement Plan...I also picked up a copy of 'The Knitting Directory', which, though I've just skimmed it, seems really great...Full of How-To info and a mini stitch encyclopedia (helpfully divided up into basic and advanced)...I also got my hands on a great pattern at the Briar Rose booth...The Easy Bulky Sweater from Yankee Knitter Designs...I'm excited about it because it has several variations within the pattern, so you can make a fairly easy sweater customized exactly how you'd like it...Roll neck, turtle neck, cable down the front, cuffs or no cuffs, etc. Since I am just getting back into knitting after quite a few years, this looks like a great First Sweater Since Forever...*grin*