sECRET pAL Question of the Week #4 and an update

1) What yarn (that you don’t have/haven’t used) would make your stash “complete”? Probably a good all purpose stock yarn like Cascade 220.

2) What yarn do you never want to be without? Right now at this moment, what could/would be termed as sock yarn. That is my passion at the moment. I collect it when I can, knit it, may even try crochet with it someday.....and the indie dyers and the colors and so many patterns to try....oh my!

In other news I sent out a package to my secret pal!!! Just a small one I really hope she likes it. My main concern is I sent it from a preferred on line retailer that didn't have a gift ship option so I left it in the comments, eek, they are usually super good about any customer preferences and requests and I didn't get any questions back, so..... I cross my fingers and wait to see if and when she gets.

I have pair #4 d one for 52 Pair plunge and the first pair for Summer of Soks 2008. A Christmas Story by White Oak Studios in TV Sock. Colorway is based on the movie, think bunny suit and lamps,lol... these were a toe up pattern with a short row heel and turned out pretty good for the first complete toe up pair. Have the next toe up pair ONT as we speak, Summer 2008 Sock (rav link) by Wendy Knits designed for Summer of Socks 2008 and is being knit in Irish Dreams colorway from Spunky Ecletic via WoolGirl 2007 Sock club.

I have also cast on for the February Lady Sweater(Rav Link) based on the Elizabeth Zimmerman baby sweater pattern of similar name, but a kind soul went a did the math for us and posted it to Rav!!. Cast on in Ultra Alpaca in Forest Heather.

Happy Canda Day to all those Canadians who celebrated yesterday!! and if I don't post before Friday Happy 4th of July!!!!

Sock Stash

Well I finally did it, counted it all up and took one big picture....not as bad as I thought actually... I am still going to keep my self imposed diet though for personal and financial reasons. But here is the pic of it all laid out -

If I used it all for socks, ie its fingerweight or sport, superwash and/or with a nylon blend, meant for socks, I have enough for 84 pairs. Take out what is earmarked and wsa purchased specifically for shawls or scarves and I go down to 72. Still a tad daunting, but I will persevere and it will grow a bit, I still have Wool Girl Sock club and Deadly spins that may add to it, but not more than 2-3 skeins before summer is over I believe.

My self imposed goal - no buying for me, sock yarn that is, until I am down to at least half or roughly 35. Gifting of yarn to me of course doesn't count towards this, lol. Seems daunting, I have a game plan. 52 Pair Plunge will help and so will Summer of Socks (buttons on the bar) contest to get the most socks done in a summer and try to do 52 pair in a year.

I have cast-on my first pair(midnight last night) with some of the ladies from SOS08 on a chat group last night. A Christmas Story, yarn by White Oak Studios, pattern by WoolGirl. toe up, this will be my third sock and hopefully complete toe up pair, fairly easy pattern so should go quick.

The War is over and other things

Well Sock Wars III ended on May 14 for me. Good news was it was a mutual kill. I died with a lovely pair of Detonators, that arrived in a plain brown wrapper, quite unassuming...... even got a kitty sniff for my death socks......

and I killed off my target within the same day. Took me 3 days to knit up this pair, using Tofutsies. Pattern is a little hard to see with the pics, but I liked it none the less, learned how hard it is to count by three's, hmmmmm

In other combative news. Sock Madness ended a while ago for me after 3 rounds, Zombie, Reversai and Slippin'Stripin. Round 4 was Shady, which I started, but around the time of the heel turn, my "sock" started whispering to me. What was it whispering you say....."Glove" it was saying, but your a sock I said, "I need a thumb gussett" it says back. So I listened to the WIP and gussetted and thumbed and 1 fingerless glove latter: FIrst pic would have been the front of the sock and the palm side would have been the back of the leg.

In other sock news, I am a glutton for punishment or just really not quite right in the head.... I signed up for SOS08 (Summer of Socks 2008) or how many pairs can you knit between 6/21 and 9/1. And if that wasn't bad enough I signed up for the 52 Pair plunge II or see if you can knit 52 pairs of socks in a year, which starts 6/1......

Onto other events....

Had a great time at Maryland Sheep and Wool with my Mom and Sis. We got lost following the directions to the fairgrounds, but ended up there anyway with a minimal not real circle detour, the right and left thing ya know...LOL. The few pics I took are up in my flickr stream. Had a wonderful dinner Saturday night at a place called Pasta Plus in Laurel. Unassumming from the outside, wait was almost 45 mins, but Oh my stars was the food worth it!!!! and the prices!!! The three of us, with entrees, 2 desserts and sodas, just under $60!!! Defenitely worth the wait and would go back again next time I am in the area, just get there a little earlier....

Missed the Rav Party, by the time dinner was done and the sunshiney day caught up with me, I was wiped and it was late. Maybe next year or there will be something at Stitches this fall.

But MDS&W, if I go next year will need a definite plan. Missed more than I saw this time wandering the way I did. Had a good time and did get what I planned on (to be shown later), but the place is HUGE and packed with vendors and people. The bathroom line was as looonnnggggg on Saturday, not to bad on Sunday though.

As to the shopping, I stayed on budget and bought what I intended, what I needed to learn to spin the drop spindle way!

Two Spindles, the one on the left a Jim Childs from Hatchett Farms and the one on the right a Bosworth. Both were on my to eval list and very happy with my purchases. Did go by Goldings booth, very nice, very pretty, but not on budget this year. The roving in the middle pic is Corriedale, picked up at the Coopworth Registry Booth. The end pic is some MErino Roving in Forest from Cloverleaf Farms and the green orange purple is from the Coopworth Registry as well. Not shown here is some lovely BFL(Blue Faced Leicester) in a natural grey and cream, that Mom picked up for me at Mystic Farms on the way out. All in all walked out with a little over a pound of roving.

Spinning is going, not to bad so far, lots of videos on You tube I have bookmarked, helped some and some bolstering and encourgement from Kathrine from my Twisted Stichers knit group helped a lot more, when she confirmed I was doing it right and not to shabby for my first go around.

Let's see what else. After MDS&W, went to to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island with the Mom and Sis. A great time was had by all. Mych different trip this time, wasn't sure how I would handle it. Background the last time and the first time I went there was 2 days before 9/11. Didn't know at that time that I would be in the city again so soon and for such tragedy as an EMT. I took skyline shots from the boat again, someday may compare them to the first set.....

Spent some quiet, reflective time on the bow of the boat going back to Liberty State Park, thinking about how things change and stay the same, trying to find some new peace or acceptance about that day and still can't.

The last day of Mom and Sis's trip we went South. South NJ that is, heading for Millville and Wheaton Village. Watched a glass blowing demonstration, purused the shops. Will go back again. You can make appointments to do a glass workshop, make a paperwieght, vase or beads. Really cool, lot of other stuff to do when the are fully open, very artsy craftsy type of place. Learned a lot about the glass industry in NJ too.

Then off to AC (Atlantic City) since we were so close. Went to the Trump Taj Majhal, had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, pretty good actually..... saw the last of the sun on the beach... a few hands of black jack (I broke even) and Sis hit the Pai Gao tables (I am happy I can count to 21 without trying to hard).

Well I will close out the post with this......

puddle jumping in the rain, he had a blast and was soaked to the knees....