Not Gauge

So, let's face it, gauge is important. Right? Well, yeah. So, what I am going to tell you next is going to make you cringe. I never swatch. Nope, never. Therefore, I have no idea if I have gauge or not when making anything. No seriously.

Ok, let me explain. Most of what I make is baby/child clothes. I have two girls who are five years apart. Therefore, if it doesn't fit one, it's bound to fit the other some time. I also make socks. Socks generally are worked on a fairly standard number of stitches; therefore no gauge needed there either. And, up until just recently, I didn't make sweaters. Nope. Never.

Until now. Enter Emerald. So pretty. So soft. And, knit on such freakin big needles that I am having trouble getting gauge. I have tried going up an entire needle size (and trust me that's a huge difference between US 10 and 11). Luckily, the designer of the pattern is also my LYS owner, so after a quick call to her (and a brief refresher in how gauge works) and things are back on track. Hopefully.

I must admit, I am still nervous. It seems as though it may be just me overthinking things here, but sweaters have so many things which can go horribly wrong. The fit might not be right. The sleeves might be too short or too long. The dang thing might end up way too short. And, things like waist shaping and sort rows for the collar may not end up in the right place.

I love this sweater. I love the yarn. Please, Sweater Gods, help me to make this sweater fit perfectly.

Oh yeah, next post? Another unauthorized review of Cat Bordhi's new book and possibly a secret to share...

Busy Bee, Busy Me

So much has happened in the last nine days. We have all had the flu, myself and Monkey included, which has contributed to the lack of blog posting. Also, I have been gearing up to teach my sock class 101 that I committed to teaching at Make One on Monday nights. Concidentially, I taught my first class while at the height of illness and was running a fever at the same time. Talk about being out of it. I am apparently very good at faking being ok as I called my best friend after the class and she let me know that I sounded a little euphoric and not at all like my usual self. I did manage to get everyone knitting in the round (and not backwards apparently) by the end of the class so, I guess, all's well that ends well. Right? Right.

I do have some finished projects and some that are nearing completion to show you. After seeing some of the baby sized Odessa's on Ravelry, I decided that I desperately needed one right now and cast on last week. This is the end result and I must say, I am very pleased with the results.

Incidentally, I have no idea what the dangling threads are hanging out of the bottom of the hat. Rest assured, they do not exist in real life. I am chalking them up to photography error.

I also picked up Cat Bordhi's new book and I love all the sock designs. So, I have decided to work my way from the front to the back of the book. The minute I got the book home, I cast on for the Baby Sky socks. They are such an amazingly well written pattern and so interesting to knit. I know it will sound incredibly cheesy, but this is the best sock book I have ever bought - and I have only knit the first pattern.

Finally, I returned the yarn that I was originally going to use to make Emerald (I fell out of love with the color) and in accordance with the watch agreement, was able to pick up four skeins of Tilli Thomas Voile de la Mer in American Beauty. Totally Scrummy! I am planning to use this to make the Hanging Garden stole by Sivia Harding. Apparently, this is a very good beginner lace project - we shall see. I figure if I set aside 30 minutes each night and retreat to another (kid-free) room, it will be done by this time next year.

On the Wagon...

I have owned the same watch for the last, um, decade or so and it was a gift from a very ex-boyfriend and was quite possibly stolen by said ex. I like it well enough, but lately, it occurred to me that it might be time to get a new watch. So, with that intention in mind, I went out watch shopping. Nothing caught my eye. I tried on a hundred or so watches and nothing caught my eye. Until... I lured Hubby into a small jewelers in a small mall which is quite close to our house and found this. I love this watch. Love it. But, as the one in the store is slightly different and almost twice the price, Hubby had a heart attack (as he rightly should) and (only somewhat) jokingly said that if I agree to forego any yarn buying until the end of February (that is 6 months people), I could have the watch. So, I am officially on a self imposed yarn hiatus (I refuse to call it a diet), yarn moratorium, a yarn fast, if you will for the next six months.

This will be tough. So, here are the official rules (in case you are keeping score):

1. Any yarn I trade does not count

2. Any yarn I have already pre-ordered (and thus committed to buy) does not count

3. Anything that I make from teaching classes/ designing patterns does not count and may be used to purchase yarn

4. Gift certificates to yarn stores may be spent on yarn

Now, I did expect challenges along the way and my first one came tonight. My LYS received their much anticipated shipment of Claudia's Laces. But, I managed to hold out. I know I can do this. I just need some willpower. I am hoping that less buying translates into more knitting. Of course, there will still be some yarn coming in; like this Artyarns Supermerino that I received last week:

and this Seacoast Yarn which was also received last week:

On a brighter note, the shower this weekend for Monkey (well, really for me) was a hit! The Tuesday night drinkers (er, I mean knitters) showed up, spread out and promptly pulled out their knitting. I think it may have shocked a family member or two, but all in all much fun was had and sock progress was made by all. I even got the last skein of yarn I wanted (pictures to come) and Sara recorded the day. Check out her blog for some amazing photos!!

Thanks all for showing up and helping me celebrate!!

Round and Round We Go

Endless stockinette. Mindless, awful, boring, knitting. My fingers are sore and they long to cast on something more intricate and fun! I am officially sick of the Crumpets dress that I cast on for Bunny to wear to the wedding we are attending at the end of the month. The pattern called for 25" of stockinette stitch knit on 360 stitches using worsted weight yarn. As of this afternoon, I have only 8" left to go. That's 17" of stockinette stitch people!! More than I care for. And yet, I am so anticipating the finished dress, that I am working on this pattern pretty much exclusively so that it will be finished in time. And, since, as I have said before, mindless stockinette stitch makes for boring photos, I will attempt to once again distract you with something more interesting.




Pretty? Oh yes. I am in love with this sweater and think it will make an amazing addition to my wardrobe this winter. You can also see a small preview of the color I will be making it in if you look to the top left of the photo (hint: it's also the same color as the one the model is wearing in the photo). So, now, it's a toss up between this and Emerald - I really can't decide which one to cast on for first. I have the yarn for both and need some help with the decision. So, to that end, leave me a comment and let me know which one to cast on for first...



Oh, and if anyone can help me figure out how to get my month old (today!!!) daughter to take a bottle (or soother for that matter), please leave me a comment and let me know. I have to start teaching classes soon and if she doesn't take a bottle, I don't know what I'll do, but I do know I'll be in trouble!

Edited to add: Hubby managed to get her to take a bottle today without much trouble. Apparently, I need to be out of the house so she can't see or smell me. I think we will just give up on the soother... Beggars can't be choosers. Right?

Knitting Related Injuries

I am making some progress on Bunny's Crumpet Dress. I really loved this pattern to begin with, but the endless, mindless stockinette stitch is truly driving me crazy! And, my initial impressions of Lion Brand Cotton-Ease have been reinforced. The yarn is splitty and terribly hard on the hands. I am not enjoying working with it at all. I actually have knitting related injuries caused by the coarse nature of the cotton plies. It's almost like working with rope. What you can't really tell from these photos is that the skin is actually split open where the arrows are pointing. Hurts like the dickens when I stab myself with a knitting needle there.

I am about half way done the dress which needs to be ready for wear at our good friends wedding on August 31. I am therefore, working through the pain... oh, the things I do for my kids.

What I really want to do is cast on for another pair of socks. Make1 just got in their first ever shipment of Mama E C*eye*ber Fiber Sock yarn and it is amazing. So, of course, I had to get a few skeins. I picked up two of the Merino/Tencel and one of the Merino/Silk yarns. Yummy.

I signed up for Sock a Month 4, so really, I needed some more yarn to make socks with. Afterall, I have committed to knitting a pair of socks each month for the next 6 months... I may not be as ambitious as YouKnowWho, but still, it's a start right??

Bait and Switch...

Well, not much knitting is going on here, as you can well imagine. Although this baby is so much easier than Bunny, she is actually so easy to haul around that Hubby & I have been running errands and visiting people since she was born. So, that makes for a real lack of knitting progress. I am still slogging away at Bunny's dress, however, since it calls for 25" of plain stockinette on 360 stitches of worsted weight yarn, the progress is slow going and makes for lousy photos.

Instead, I am going to try and distract you from the lack of knitting with photos of our recently expanded family.

Doesn't big sister look proud??

And, of course, I haven't been able to resist the siren song of new yarn purchases, even though I am making no progress knitting from the current stash...

Clearly I have no willpower whatsoever...

Contractions?

Not here. I am still waiting. Now, granted, this baby has 11 days left before I begin jumping up and down to force the baby out, but there doesn't seem to be much happening here. Of course, my OBGYN has ordered me to do some walking, but who wants to walk in this heat?? Good grief. Too hot.

Even the knitting is slowing down. I am working on a new pair of socks out of Art Yarns Ultramerino 4. I love this yarn. I realized the other day that I own enough Ultramerino to make 8 pairs of socks and I have never actually knit anything with it. Silly me. So, when I was at my LYS the other day, I found myself buying 4 more skeins of this yummy yarn. I cast on as soon as I got home and fell in love. The colors are vibrant, the yarn itself is soft and squishy and it knits like a dream.

Otherwise, I also cast on for a new dress for Bunny. It seems as though she was feeling a smidge left out and is now a little happier that she has something coming off of my needles in the next little while. I am also making some progress on the entrelac baby blanket, but since neither of these projects have been worked on enough to make for a good picture, I will hold off on a pic until there is something interesting to photograph.

Oh, and daytime television bites... Ugh. How do people stay home all day and watch this crap??

Home Sweet Home

I am back! It feels so nice after being away for so long to sleep in my bed and wake up in my own house. I am getting to the point now, at 32 weeks pregnant, that hotel beds and working 12 hours a day is a little more than I can handle. However, I received some amazing news the other day that I will hopefully be able to share in a bit. No, we still don't know the sex of the baby...

However, I will admit that everything I seem to be making is blue. I am not drawn to green or yellow at all. I feel like this baby will be wearing blue for some reason. Although, I am trying my darnedest to pick gender neutral stuff, it sure feels as though I am unconsciously leaning one way.

I did finish the baby sweater that I was working on the weekend before I left to go to Canmore for work. I absolutely love it! I also made a matching "fruit cap" hat from an Ann Norling pattern that I picked up at Make1.


Pattern: Baby Placket Neck Sweater - Last Minute Knitted Gifts - size 0-6 months
Yarn:Rowan Handknit Dk Cotton
Modifications: I didn't sew the placket the same way as the book asks for. Instead, I sewed it closed at the bottom and sewed 2 mother of pearl buttons in permanently so that the neck would fold over or stand up on its own.

I didn't make any modifications on the fruit cap, however, I do plan to make another one using seed stitch instead of a rolled brim. I think I will also make the next one somewhat smaller as this one came out a little larger than I thought it would.

I also treated myself to some new yarn and a pattern at the one yarn store in Canmore. I bought some Sirdar snugly dk yarn in a light greeny blue and a cute baby pullover pattern. I can't wait to get started on this. Just as soon as some of the other things that I have committed to do are off the needles. I am having a hard time deciding if I want to knit it with the hood as the green photo shows. I think I am leaning toward the hooded one and I did buy enough yarn just in case I decide to make it that way.

Remember the Jaywalker that I started on at the end of April? I have had this half finished sock on the needles for a while now and am just getting ready to turn the heel. I am hoping to have this pair finished for the end of May for my SAM 3 KAL.

Of course, I did get some new yarn in the mail while I was away. The day it arrived, I had been working since 8am and called hubby at 11pm (still working!) for some sympathy. He was also seriously grumpy and we ended up getting into an argument. By way of making peace, he let me know that I had gotten some yarn that day and when he opened the box, he loved the colors so much that the argument was forgotten. We talked about yarn for a few minutes and I went to bed happy. See, yarn really does solve problems :) What did I get? Some new custom dye sock yarn from HLMiller (again, if you get a chance, check her out - her yarn is amazing) and some Louett Gems Pearl in a light pink color. I have no big plans for these yet, but once I have some time off, I'm sure that I will have it all figured out. For now, they will go to the place that all good sock yarns go... the stash shelf.

Only 4 more weeks until I am off on maternity leave... the needles will surely be flying then.

Actually, home is where the yarn is...

Let's talk about stash. I know that this has been discussed ad nauseum on other blogs, but let's face it; every knitter finds themselves looking at their stash once in a while and quietly contemplating whether or not it's over the top. I had that exact moment last night when I went to the post box, found the magic oversized parcel box key, opened the box and found... 2 bags waiting for me to take home and open. What was in the new bags? Well, in one I found my new STR rockin sock club shipment for April. I am totally in love with this pattern and the yarn is simply stunning. The pattern appears to be well written and thought out (there was a lot of criticism over the last pattern regarding gauge, instep issues, and pooling vs striping - some people are never satisfied) and the yarn - yum, yum, yummy. Silkie is my new favorite sock yarn I think!!! So soft and I love the stripe-y effect that it has. MMMMMMM.

Of course, if that were all, I wouldn't have had the moment of stash contemplation. Oh no, it didn't end there. Also in the mail box were the two skeins of STR that I had ordered previously. One is a colorway that was specially dyed for me by the nice ladies at STR (and so I can't mention the name of the colorway) and one is Lucy, which you may or may not know was aptly named by the oh so smart ladies at STR after Wendy's cat, Lucy. Gorgeous, no?

Now, I don't normally ask for custom dyes, but in this case, I was running out of options. See, I have been working on a secret project for a very special person in my life. Someone who has been my best friend and support system since, well, forever. This person, therefore, deserves a very special project. So, I choose the chevron scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and picked up two skeins of STR in Chapman Springs and Garnet Dreams. Well, when I started to knit these two yarns together, I wasn't pleased with the results and went in search of something that would offer more contrast compared with the Chapman Springs. I didn't find anything on either the Bluemoon or the Fold Website, so I decided to see if I could get a custom dye and the ladies at STR came through for me. All that remains now is to frog the scarf and re-start it in the new colors.



See what I mean? Muddy on the one end. Don't worry, soon I will have photos to show you of something decidely un-muddy.

As well, the order of Duet sock yarn that I bought last week came in. Amazing, no? This yarn is so vibrant and soft. I can't wait to see how it knits up. I promise a full review as soon as I get some of the other things off my needles. Oh and how cute is the little sock blocker? This came as a gratis gift. Too cute!!

And, last, but not least, I was at SnB night the other night and happened to be persuaded to buy 2 skeins of Tofutsies. Now, I have heard such great things about this yarn and the fact that it contains chitin swayed me. Not to mention the colors... so cool. They seem variegated and yet not. Its also amazingly soft and plushy - almost like velvet. I can't wait to give a review of this yarn too.

Ok, now comes the embarrassing part. I still am waiting on at least 3 more shipments of yarn to come in. I know. I know. I am actually turning red thinking about it. But, honestly, in my defense, it was all bought so quickly and when you are shopping online, it doesn't really seem real because of the waiting time between purchase and package. Right? So, it really comes as a shock when all of the packages seem to arrive at the same time. That's when it becomes a problem.

Also, in my defense, most of the rest of the yarn coming in has been earmarked for baby clothes and other various baby items. We have 3 babies arriving soon in this family and they will all need some togs to wear once they are here. Anyway, that's my story and I am sticking to it. I have officially put myself on a sock yarn diet, because although as we all know, sock yarn doesn't officially count as stash, but I am starting to admit to myself that maybe if sock yarn is the only thing you stash, it really does count.

I am also pledging to get rid of some of my sock yarn. In fact, if you click on the "destash" button in my sidebar, it will take you to the place that I do most of my destashing. It's a great site and the ladies that run it are amazing.

Of course, it was all put into perspective for me last night when Terra from SnB mentioned that she was over at another knitter's house the other day - apparently this knitter (who shall remain nameless) has two rooms of her house that are dedicated solely to her yarn... who knew? Maybe my addiction isn't really that bad... right? right?

Sock-lobster

Seems as though I am sticking to my pledge to knit a pair of socks a month has been working. Since I made the new years resolution in January, I have knit 4 pairs of socks and 3 singles. Not too shabby. I also have some WIP's to show you. I started on the STR socks and got hopelessly stalled after the first sock. For some reason, my cables didn't turn out quite right and so these socks were sent to time out for a while. I figured since the new months yarn was shipped last week, I better get to it, so I cast on for the second sock and am as far as the cable section. I have smartened up somewhat and threaded myself a lifeline so that if I mess the cables up again, frogging will be easier. I can just zip down to the lifeline and start over again. At least, that's the theory. Hopefully this time the cables will miraculously work out and I can frog the other sock and re-work the cables in the same manner. Wish me luck. I would really like to have these socks done before the next kit arrives.






Then I got some sock yarn in the mail from HL Miller and started my first pair of Jaywalker's. I know I am late to jump on the Jay bus, but this is such an amazingly easy and quick knit pattern that I know I will use it over and over. It compliments the yarns that I like to buy - namely self striping or verigated- so well and the finished product is fantastic. I even started a pair of baby Jays in the left over "Malamute" Yarn Pirate yarn. I think it's so neat how the different patterns showcase this yarn. I have seen this color knit up in at least 3 different patterns (including the Embossed Leaves socks that I knit with it) and each pattern shows it so well.





I also got some more sock yarn in the mail yesterday that started out being a great deal when I first bought it (10.00 a skein for hand dyed 100% bamboo yarn) turned out to not be such a great deal. I payed about $6.00 shipping for the 3 skeins when I first bought it. Then it was shipped by accident to our old address, and sent back by the new owners (despite my going over there and explaining to them what had happened, leaving my number and asking them to call so I could come pick it up when it arrived - but that's another story, grrr.). So, when it arrived back at the original location, the seller re-sent, but I had to pay another $7.00 for it. And, of course, when it came in, customs wanted another $7.00 for it. So, the grand total for these 3 skeins of yarn came to a whopping total of $50.00 US, which I am aware is not a lot for hand dyed sock yarn, but still $14.00 more than it should have been. However, it is lovely and will be put to good use shortly.





I do have some more amazing sock yarn coming in soon. Husband seems to have relented on his yarn ban, plus, I made over a hundred dollars de-stashing some of the older yarn that I had which I knew would never be used for anything, so I was able to splurge a bit. I did get some of what I believe to be the very last shipment of Sweet Georgia yarn (I hope she enjoys her well earned hiatus), as well as some other yarn that I will be able to show you as soon as it arrives. Hopefully it won't be too long in coming.


Other than that, nothing much is happening here. Yesterday, we took Bunny to a birthday party at a friends house and she played herself out. In fact, she was so tired that she asked to go home at 8pm and went straight to bed. Not like her at all. Turns out, she was getting sick and now we all have sore throats. Everyone is staying home today under soft blankies and much cuddling is happening at this house. I guess the cleaning will have to wait another few days. Oh well. On the baby front, the littlest-little is expected in just over 12 weeks! Time has flown by this time around. Being pregnant the second time around sure is different. I remember with Bunny, I stressed out about everything! I was worried when the baby moved too much or not enough, I watched what I ate, and I made sure that I read as much as I could. This time around, the weeks are flying by, I am still eating many of the things that I shouldn't be (coffee, sushi, and lunch meats - although in moderate ammounts), but I still can't wait to meet this babe... Soon, soon.

Socks that Rock...

I have been dying to start the Chevron scarf that everyone seems to be doing right now using 2 skeins of Socks that Rock, and since we happened to be in Edmonton this weekend, and since River City Yarns happens to be the only store in Western Canada that stocks STR, I just had to get some. I wasn't sure what gauge people were knitting the scarf in, so I picked up two skeins of lightweight in Chapman Springs and Garnet Dreams.

When I got back home, I was able to do some searching on what people are using for color combos and realized that if there is not enough contrast between the yarns, they tend to pool funny and look muddy. I am hoping that there is enough difference between these two colorways so that this doesn't happen. What do you think? Feel free to let me know.




Of course, I also had to buy something for myself. So, I got myself a skein of Watermelon Tourmaline in the Medium Weight. I have no idea what pattern I will use this with, but I'm sure that if I stare at it long enough, inspiration will come to me.




I also started on the Jaywalkers using this yarn from HLMiller. They look great and I would like to show you a photo, but they are in my purse at the moment and I am too lazy to go and photograph them. I will take some pics this week and get them up for your viewing pleasure as soon as possible.

Otherwise, going back to work was as crappy as I thought it would be. I still really like my job, but the joy that I posted about a while ago has gone out of it. I am tired beyond belief. I think that this pregnancy is getting the best of me and I am worried that I won't be able to get back on my feet as quickly as I would like to once the baby arrives. I am thinking of suggesting to my boss that I maybe only work part time from May onwards. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Well, here I am, which means that we are not in Virginia. I am both bummed beyond belief and relieved beyond belief at the same time. What happened? Well, on Friday Husband desperately tried to get Bunny an emergency visa. We got all the documents filled out (including spending 2 hours trying to track down a guarantor), got pictures taken of Bunny (which turned out to be too dark... grrr) and then Husband went to apply and was told that if he came back with either a plane ticket or valid travel itinerary in hand, he would be issued an emergency passport in under 24 hours. Yea, so this is when it all broke down. See, we were going to use our built up Airmiles to fly, but because we had 2 days notice, not 2 week, the amount of miles would be significantly reduced. So, our out of pocket cost for flights alone went from about 500.00 to about 3500.00 for the three of us to fly! Way too much. So, we have decided to save those miles for a trip to either Hawaii or Disney World in the new year. A little planning goes a long way.

On the needles at the moment are the socks that I am in the process of designing. I am almost finished the leg of the first toe up sock and will be on the hunt in the next few days trying to figure out what bind off would look nice with them. I want something different from the standard ribbed bind off that I normally do. I have no idea yet. I am hoping something will hit me soon.

I am also almost finished the toe up socks that I am making for my mom's b-day. She requested the yarn and I am confident that I will be able to post them as my March socks for the SAM 3 KAL. I can't wait to get them to her.

I still need to seam Bunny's sweater. I have it sitting on the back of the couch and feel so guilty every time I look at it. Hopefully I will find some motivation this weekend and just get it done. I really should. Soon it will be too warm to wear.

I really only have one thing to show off this weekend. I bought a skein of yarn that I just loved from HLMiller yarns. You really must check out this shop. She knit a pair of jaywalker socks in "Lily Petal" (her own colorway from her Etsy shop) for the SAM 3 KAL and I fell in love with them. You can see more pictures of how this yarn knits into jaywalkers here. She does do custom dying so if you feel you must have this color too, be sure to check her store out. Trust me, the jaywalkers that this yarn makes are to die for. You can see a better photo on the SAM 3 KAL blog in the February sock archives.

The Socks that Truly do ROCK!!

*Before I start, let me preface by saying that I didn't expect
to post so soon, so you all have until March 15/07 to keep entering
the contest that I started in my last post*

OK, so I will admit to being a little
sock crazy. Those of you who read this blog know that. So, what
better thing to get a gal for her birthday than a membership to the
Socks that Rock
Club! Unfortunately for us members, the gals
and guys at STR have hit some snags this year in
sending all the stuff out. First, STR members experienced a bank error
in their favor when a local bank decided that there couldn't
possibly be so many people signing up to a sock club
(turns out the final number of members is somewhere around 2000!)
so they refunded every one's money! You can read all the
details here.

Then, as if that wasn't enough, a blizzard hit STR headquarters
and the shipments were a smidge late as a result. However, despite
all this, I still got my first shipment, complete with yarn,
key
chain, bumper sticker, button, dyers notes and binder, and
of course a wonderful pattern called "Inside Out". I wanted to
share some pics and let those of you who are sitting on the fence
about STR know that this is a great club to
belong to. The support and excitement of everyone involved has
been amazing. Well worth the money! Ok, on with the
pictures:

Click me for STR SPOILER

Finished - One pair of Bunny socks.

I am a good Mommy. Yes. I. Am. I made Bunny a pair of skating socks that she absolutely adores. Her little feets get so cold in her skates that she cries at the end of each lesson. So, like a good Mommy, I knit her a pair in Drops Alpaca and some other dark pink yarn that I had laying around.




I also made her a pair of mittens to match. I can't wait to try them out this weekend at skating. I plan on stuffing the toe with some fleece if these aren't warm enough still, but I am hoping that I will only have to do that as a last resort. There was no real pattern for these, but I did use this book (The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes & Gauges) as a guide . Of all the books that I have stockpiled over the last year, this one is my favorite as it seems to have all of the necessary measurements for knitting almost anything using any size needles and any weight yarn. All you have to do is pick your yarn, choose what ever needles you feel the yarn will best swatch up on, depending of course on what you are making (i.e. more dense for a hat or mittens, less so for something that you want to have more drape - like a sweater or scarf) , and then consult the various chart in the book to find out how many stitches to cast on. Hate math? No problem. This book does all the work for you. All you need to know is your gauge. There you have it: Bunny socks.


In other news, Terry is going to be presenting at the first ever Vancouver Tech Fest and he is super duper excited. Who can blame him really? This is a big step for him and he has really worked hard over the last year to earn it. Check him out here (scroll down to the bottom of the page). Could I be any more proud? I doubt it.

Finally, it has been brought to my attention that there has been a serious lack of yarn porn lately. In an attempt to rectify the situation, please accept this smattering of sock yarn and stitch markers. I found the stitch markers and the bottom two skeins of sock yarn here (she has the most amazing stitch markers) and the rest, including a skein of Fleece Artist Merino sock (in the red/burgundy colors), a skein of purple/green from All things Heather, a skein in the loveliest shade of blues from J-Knits, and two skeins of Regia Bamboo which I just love, came from theloopyewe. Enjoy. I know I will. And, I had the best of luck at my Tuesday night stitch and bitch at Make One. I received an offer from one of the other attendees to knit socks out of the ever growing stash that I am accumulating. I casually mentioned that the stash seems to be out of control (as does my habit I suppose) and she jumped at the chance to knit the yarn. Seems she can't afford to spend money on sock yarn right now, but has a burning desire to knit more socks. I have lots of sock yarn and not much time to knit it all. Voila. Symbiosis born. I can't wait to post some photos of my new socks that are not knit by me. Once question though -does this still count towards my FO count??

Yarn... and another year older

New yarn!! I recently found Yarn Pirate's ETSY shop (who doesn't love etsy?) for hand dyed yarn and found two new colors that I just loved. One color that I bought through a different site is called Malamute and I am still waiting for it in the mail along with a skein from Zen Yarns and something else (can't recall the name at the moment). However, I did receive a skein of the Yarn Pirate swag yesterday and I absolutely adore it!! The colorway is "Mermaid" and the name is very apropos. It's a very subtle mix of greens, silver, blues, and is very soft and shimmery. A 50/50 merino blend makes for a very shiny and strong yarn. I can't wait to knit it up and since this is the year of the sock, I hope I get to it very quickly. For some reason, I am not wanting to wait to knit this up at all. Ohhh... shiny.

Ok, so, I am turning 29 on Sunday and I am starting to feel a little... well... old. Sort of like my young-ish exterior is starting to crack and the old is coming through. I feel like time is starting to slip away... My kid is already 4. I have another one on the way and soon I will be 30. 30 is old. So old. Ok, maybe not that old, compared to say, 50, but it sounds old to me. I have always had this feeling that I stopped aging at around 24. Every time someone asks me how old I am, I always have to stop and think because my first instinct is always to answer 24. And, the other thing I realized about this birthday is that I am deliriously happy with my life. When someone asks me what I would like, I can actually think of nothing that I need to make my life complete. I have everything I need. Weird isn't it? Not to be able to think of a single thing that one wants? Ok, there is one thing. A healthy baby. But, that isn't a real birthday gift is it? And it pretty much goes without saying. I suppose if I could choose one other thing, it would be my own yarn store. But, I doubt I will ever have that and it's more of a life goal than anything right? So, I suppose if pressed I would have to say yarn. Yarn works well. If in doubt, a skein or two of sock yarn will not go unloved. A safe bet to be sure.