Yarn Buyers Anonymous

I am obsessed by yarn. It truely is an addiction. I wonder if they have a group that could help me. I wonder if they call it YBA (yarn buyers anonymous). Help ME!

Well, I didn't just buy yarn for no reason. I really like WEBs and have never ordered from them. So I found two yarns to buy. One is Valley Yarns Franklin in the Macaw color for socks of course.

Then, I have heard so much about Tofutsies yarn from Southwest Trading company, that I had to try this skein in color 727.

I want to make the Noro striped scarf with Silk Garden for my husband for Christmas. So I bought 4 skeins. Since some of the colors were discontinued, I had to get them from several different places (none from Webs).

I had mentioned in an earlier post that I wanted to knit Elizabeth Zimmermans baby surprise jacket. I finally got the yarn I ordered from Sundara yarns.

And then my Socks That Rock yarn club sent me this package:

The color is called Flower Power and I think it will make beautiful looking socks, don't you?

I have more yarn coming from the Loopy Ewe (I actually was able to buy yarn during a shop update), Hello Yarn (it was tough getting yarn here, but I was able to order a skein during her shop update), and some yarn from Simply Socks Yarn Company. All yarn is for socks.....see I am loving knitting socks, but I really need to attend a YBA meeting soon. Does anyone want to join me?

I am still knitting away on my sock, but I am getting closer to getting it finished. I did knit another dishcloth for my Yahoo dishcloth group. We are trying to get pictures of all of the dishcloth patterns posted in our files, so everyone is busy knitting away. This is called the Leaf Allover Lace Cloth.

The End of Summer?

The last week of August brings back memories. By this time, I was ready to go back to school; however, back in the day when I was in school, we started after Labor Day. Some schools have already started and our school district starts tomorrow. To be that young again to have to worry about school.

I do love the Fall though. I think it's the crisp clean air that comes with it and the leaves turning colors. I love the first snowfall, but just like the heat, I get tired of it and can't wait for Spring. It already feels like fall because it is getting darker earlier. I will be glad for the cooler weather though so I can begin to get things organized around the house. It was certainly and wonderful summer and I so do not miss working.

I am feeling real good about knitting socks. I am taking my time and recording the rows I am knitting to make the second sock easier to knit. I did get past the heel with a little help from my knitting teacher. When I had to pick up stitches on the one side, I kept getting holes. She fixed it for me. So, now I just have to knit the foot and toe and then I can start on the second sock. It is going quickly though and I am having more fun that I had before trying to knit socks.

It's funny though. I am using Plymouth bamboo needles for this sock and I just love the needles. I am finding that the yarn I am using for a project and the needles I use make a big difference on my desire to keep knitting a project.

I was able to purchase two new socks books. One is by Cat Bordhi called New Pathways for Sockknitters. It's a whole new way of knitting socks. What I like about it is that you can practice by knitting baby socks. She also gives you the instructions on knitting with circular needles and double pointed needles. I will definately be trying the patterns in this book.

The second book I got is by Ann Budd called Getting Started Knitting Socks. I got this book for the basics and it doesn't disappoint me.

I finished a dishcloth from one of my Yahoo groups called the Lacy Hearts Dishcloth. This was a fun dishcloth to knit and it gave me a reason to use the new Sugar and Cream stripes yarn in Pink. I think it turned out really nice.

Speaking of Yahoo, it really has been giving me trouble lately. The emails from my groups have been bouncing and I have to keep going in to reset myself. Hopefully, it will be fixed soon.

Socks, Socks, Socks

I am finally knitting socks and I think I am starting to get the hang of it. I finished the Cascade Fixation ankle socks that I was working on. This really is the second pair of socks that I have knitted, but I really feel as if I did better on this pair.

So, I have started another pair of socks using Online Supersocke 100. Color 924 and using size 2 bamboo double points.

I had two other pair of socks on the needles that I hadn't finished and I decided that they were too complex, so I frogged them. I will use the yarn for other socks, but I need to stick to the basics before I get too fancy. Since I was frogging away, I also ripped out a doggie sweater that I had started for Sadie. I just didn't feel right using that sweater for Maggie and I really hadn't gotten that far. I now have all of my projects organized. I have thirteen projects in the works and I feel better about them all.

1. Silky Tie Wrap - I may frog this and start all over.
2. Sweater - front is done and I'm working on the back. The back is about half compete. I really need to start this again. This was the first knitted project that I started with back in June of 2004.
3. Shrug - almost complete. I probably only have a couple of rows left and then I can start to sew it together.
4. Candle flame shawl - I restarted this a second time because I made a mistake. I learned from the mystery stole 3 and I put the directions in a spreadsheet. It is more organized and will help me keep my place. I just have to recheck the spreadsheet and can pick this up again to work on.
5. Chevron Scarf using STR yarn - I restarted this scarf since I didn't like how it was turning out. I am now on the right track.
6. Mystery Stole 3 - I have three clues to finish, but was waiting for the final pictures of the wing to be posted to see how this turns out. I will probably knit the wing.
7. Beach tote - Front is complete and Back is almost done.
8. Black fingerless gloves
9. Ripple Afghan - will start this up again soon.
10. Snowflake dishcloth
11. Barbara Walker's Square A Long afghan - I have one square complete, but I'm in no rush to finish this.
12. Online Sock - just started this
13. Comfortghan squares for my Dishcloth group - I am determined to complete a dozen before the end of the year.

So, with all of these projects, you would think I would not be thinking of new things to knit. But Kraemer Yarns just developed a new yarn called Sterling that is Superwash merino, silk, nylon and yes Sterling Silver. They currently only have it in White and I had to buy a skein. My first thought was socks, but it is yummy enough for a small scarf. So, once I find a pattern, I will be trying this yarn. They are going to have this in other colors. Black is coming out next.

I also found out that Kraemers is going to come out with a line of sock yarn. They are going to start with solid colors first. I can't wait to see it! When I went to class this week, I was shocked to see that they had the Dream in Color yarn. I was ecstatic! I was even more surprised to find out that they make the yarn. So many new things and so little time to knit them all!

I am in Sock and Yarn heaven!

The Heat is ON

Boy is it hot! The next couple of days are not suppose to be cool ones. It's days like this that make me look forward to fall weather. At least we have air conditioning to keep us cool.

I'm in a funk with the mystery stole. Melanie posted Clue 5 on Friday and it's a wing. The theme is Swan's Lake and it's a beautiful story and wonderful theme, but I'm not sure about the wing. There are two more clues to finish and I figure that I don't have to keep up with everyone and can finish later when I get my mojo back. From some of the posts on yahoo, I think quite a few knitters are not real happy on how this is turning out. I'm sure many are refraining from speaking out for fear of being slammed by some of the other knitters. Melanie is being a real sport and understands. Don't get me wrong. I love how the wing looks, but I am more traditional and would rather have had the stole follow the symmetry of the beginning of the stole.

I do however love the Zephyr yarn that I am using to knit the stole. This is the second time I am using Zephyr. Although it is a laceweight yarn, it holds the stitches very well. As a result, I broke down and bought 2 cones from Sarahs Yarn. I got Peacock and Vanilla to add to my Ebony.

I have been knitting dishcloths. I finally finished the July Midmonth cloth. It's a really nice pattern. I used Peaches and Cream in Passion. I think that it shows off the knitting pattern very well. I wasn't too sure that I liked this variegated color when I got it, but it looks pretty good. I also completed the August cloth that is a dolphin pattern. I used light blue in Sugar and Cream.

Speaking of cotton yarn. I finally got the new Sugar and Cream stripes cotton. I got the following colors: Violet, Lime, Pinky, Country, Tie Dye, and Holiday. I am looking forward to trying out these new colors.

I was also able to finish the first sock that we are working on in my knitting class. We are using Cascade fixation and an ankle sock pattern. I am so proud of myself that I completed it and even did the kitchener stitch! I need to cast on the second sock before Friday and then I am anxious to try another sock. I think I am finally getting the hang of this or at least feeling a little more confident.

I have already knit one pair of socks and have two other patterns on the needles. I have now decided to rip out the two other socks and start over with a simpler pattern. I need to get the basics down before trying a fancier pattern. Socks aren't hard, it's just the heel and gusset part that are a little tricky and I need to feel more confident about knitting socks. I am using the Lantern Moon DPN's and really love them. They are 7 inches long, so they could be shorter. So, I am going to get the new Sox Stixs that are 5 inches long. I just have to decide on what sizes to order.

Well, while everyone is reading the 7th Harry Potter book, I have gone back to the beginning and I'm starting over with the first book. You can see my new glasses on the picture below with the book. I really like these new glasses. Not only do I like the shape, I like that they are black on the outside and green on the inside.

And I must end this post with a new picture of Maggie May. As you can see, she is doing a cute pose. Ah, if only she was always like this!