I'm Ready

Giant bucket of candy?



Check!

Ferocious black cat?



Check! (Actually, she's a total scaredy cat!)

Have a great and safe Halloween!

One Cable for Christmas

I ran out of yarn last weekend on this project. Luckily, my LYS had a skein in the same color. It's not the same dyelot but I don't think you can tell.



Yarn: 1.5 skeins Malabrigo Worsted in Continental Blue
Pattern: One Cable Scarf from One Skein
Needles: Daisy Straights in US size 10
Date Started: 9/15/07
Date Finished: 10/29/07
Mods: When I started the scarf according to the pattern, I thought it was a little narrow. So I added 2 extra ribs. And, thanks to you guys, I think 70" is about the right length. It hangs to my waist if I wrap it once around my neck. I think that'll be just fine.

I love this scarf and I hope the recipient will too. It's so soft and cuddley.

Of course, I got some packages in the mail too.

First up, from Sock Pixie.



Stormy Seas



Raspberry Cheesecake



Iris Garden

OK- Here's the deal. I ordered this yarn on October first. I paid the bill the same day. For about a month, I haven't heard a peep from Sock Pixie. I emailed her twice and never got a response. My yarn arrived yesterday in a nice package but without a note, invoice, or even ball bands. Needless-to-say, I'm not thrilled with the service. But I am thrilled with the yarn. It's soft, smooth, and the colors are so gorgeous. Please don't take it that I'm slamming this business. That's not the case. I know it takes time to dye yarn and this business is probably a very popular one. I've also had a time or two when I wasn't on top of my emails or orders. I just wish I had gotten a confirmation of my order or some little note that acknowledged she was working on it. Trust me. The quality of the yarn more than makes up for it!

Finally, my October Rockin' Sock Club package came...



STR Lightweight in Lenore. Black with deep purple highlights. Even plastic spiders to make it super creepy!!!

Also in the package was a pattern written by the incomparable Yarn Harlot! Very cool.

I don't have class this week but I have more than a week's worth of work to do. So I'm off to study for ACLS. Really fun, I know.

Almost Done

I started the 1 Cable scarf from One Skein in Malabrigo for my carpool buddy. I knitted away last night during the World Series. And my ball of yarn was getting smaller and smaller. But the scarf isn't long enough! OH NO!!!!! I finished the ball of yarn today and I'm about 50". That's about 10 inches too short I think.



It's really pretty but too darn short! Obviously I have to go buy another ball of yarn.

So here's my question of the day... How long should a scarf be? I tend to like longer scarfs but I'm 5'10". My carpool buddy is about 5'4". So I'm afraid it'll be too long on her. Suggestions, please!

Oh Where, Oh Where

is my Blue Moon box? Seems like everyone else has received it. Here's hoping for tomorrow!

Not that I'm complaining. I made a great trade this week. And look what arrived in the mail!



Royale Hare in Bloomfield Blues



Wollmeise Dani

Pretty. Pretty. Pretty.

I also took Lime-N-Violet's advice and visited Yarn Lust.



The Lust colorway. So pretty. And it came with a matching stitchmarker.



Charity Colorway. See the stitch marker? So cute! And the best part? She lives one town over from me. Uh oh! There may be serious consequences to knowing this!

I also joined the Sock Stash Elimination Campaign. It's all about thinning your sock stash. I really hope this helps!

Mismash

This post has a little bit of everything. Sorry for the disorganization.

First up, I finished my first Anastasia Sock



This is in merino/cashmere from The Knittery in Orchid. One down, one to go.

I received my new Yarn Pirate Booty Club shipment.



Yarn Pirate in Killer Bees- You know I love me some Yarn Pirate. But I'm not sure this is the color for me. I'm going to watch and see what other people knit up and decide then. Don't get me wrong, I think the colors go. They just might not be my style.

But look what else came in the package...



Yarn Pirate Needles!!!! How cool is that?????


Finally, I just completed my Knit Picks Options set. So I have a lot of needles to destash.

Straights-
One set of 14" wooden needles with a carrying case. I got this on ebay for about $20. It includes one pair each of US size 2-10.5. I can send you a pic if you're interested.

Bryspun- 14" Size 9- Flex Needles
Boye 14" aluminium- 1 pair each 4, 6, 7, and 8
Susan Bates Quicksilver- 10" Size 8
Clover Bamboo 9"- 1 pair each 2, 6, 9, 15

Circulars-
Clover Bamboo- Size 8 29", Size 9 24", Size 11 29"

I'm not looking for too much for these. Honestly, I'm just trying to clear out my needle overload.

For the Boye's and the Susan Bates- I'd be willing to donate them if you have a knitting club or someone needs needles.

Just email me if you're interested. I also posted this on the Knitty Boards.

I May Actually Drown in Yarn

I had a great time in Napa with my Dad. Good wine was tasted and great food was eaten. And I'm pretty sure I gained about 5 pounds. I'm a little scared to look...

There were a LOT of deliveries this past week while I was gone. Oops, now Brian knows more about the yarn problem I have. So let's get right to it!



Zen String Lotus Toes in Blue Ice. I was a runner up on Not Scarlett's blog. And she sent me this great yarn. How nice is that???? I think this is about perfect for my friend who is having a little boy.



Yarn Pirate in Fig & Honey- I'm really loving these Fall colors. So rich and luscious!



Yarn Pirate in Cicada.



Yarn Pirate in Brown Sugar. These will turn into Fratello Socks I think. I love Yarn Pirate. And these three skeins are no exception. Georgia is a color genius.

Finally, my long awaited Wollmeise delivery...



Rhubarber in medium intensity. I was afraid this would be too light but I love it.



Poison #5 in dark intensity. I hope you can see the purple in the black of this picture. This yarn has a really different spin than I have seen. It's a lot smoother and less fluffy than many sock yarns. I'm so excited to knit this up. Too many projects floating in my head!!!!

I also got a box full of needles from Knit Picks. I love my Options and I decided to complete my set and get some more magic loop needles. This means I'll probably be destashing some old needles soon. (hopefully, tomorrow)

Sorry for the delay in posting. I feel like I haven't gotten a moment to myself in about a week. But now I'm back and I hope to finish one of my Anastasia socks today or tomorrow.

AFK

I'll be away from my computer for the next couple of days. I'm going to Napa with my Dad.

Contest winners- Your packages are going out today. Although, Knitting Kris, I haven't heard from you yet!

See you on the flip side!

This Little Piggie's Name Is...

Wendell Wilson Pigglesworth

ChemGrrl, Knitting Kris, and Catherine are my big winners!

But since Elizabeth gave me a name very close to the style of the one I chose (Theodore S. Twillington), she gets a prize too!

And then I was thinking... This isn't a very objective contest. So I tossed the rest of you into a random number generator and out came 17. Cbknits80 left the 17th comment. Winner winner, chicken dinner!

You all gave awesome suggestions! Lots made me laugh. And they all would have been fantastic piggie names. If you're a winner, make sure you email me with answers to the following questions... 1. What colors do you love/hate? 2. Solid, stripes, or variegated? 3. Which sock clubs do you belong to? (I don't want to double up by accident. ) And don't forget your address!

Now just to answer a couple of questions posed in the comments...

Stripey socks- Thank you for all the complements!! I was trying to match up the stripes but I didn't know it would come out so well. I loved knitting with this yarn. It's so soft, not at all splitty, and the stripes make it fun to knit. I dunked the socks in Eucalan after knitting. So I would have been SOL if the dye had run. But it didn't! YAY!!!

Stripey Goodness

Sure I started these in May. But I'm counting them for Socktoberfest!



Yarn: Vesper Sock Yarn from Knitterly Things in Astro
Needles: Addi Turbo Lace in US 1, 2.5 mm
Pattern: Universal Toe Up from Knitty.com
Date Started: 5/12/07
Date Finished: 10/4/07- What? It doesn't take you 5 months to knit a plain sock????
This was my first attempt at magic loop. I like it. I'm not a complete convert but I did like it.

Here's more pics...





I love the Vesper Sock yarn. I know it sells out super quick. But it's totally worth it if you can get your hands on some. She's great at the self striping. I gave them a dunk in some Eucalan and there was no color run off at all.

I got another package today. (I wasn't sure the post office would deliver on my Sunday! HAHA!) I ordered from Yarn4Socks earlier this week because they had some awesome artists of the month.



Phoenix Fiberworks Fetish in Briar Rose. I think this will make a great baby sweater or hat. It's squishy and soft and fabulous.



Whorled Peace in Melba- I love how the orange mixes with the raspberry. I just want to lick it!

I realize that I'm not supposed to be buying yarn. I have no excuse. And I'll try to do better in the future. (But not the near future because there are more boxes on the way.)

Today is My Saturday

That's right now that I'm on weekends Thursday is Saturday and Friday is Sunday. Got that? Good. I was home alone all day. It was heaven. I watched a couple of movies, cleaned, and knit like crazy.

Speaking of my recent knitting, I haven't had a chance to wish you a Happy Socktober yet!!!!! To celebrate, I just cast off my Yikes Stripes Socks. Yes, you may recall these as my Socktopia socks for May. They also put me over the top for my Lime-N-Violet Sock Marathon totals. Yeah- that ended in July. As you can see, I'm totally on top of it. YAY, me!

No pics yet. It's too dark so they'll be posted tomorrow.

Also, if you're lucky enough to be home around 4 pm tomorrow, the author of Eat, Pray, Love is going to be on Oprah. Elizabeth Gilbert is a great writer and this book was truly life changing.

This Little Piggie Came to My House

A week or so ago, I won a contest on Mari's Blog. She agreed to make me a little piggie from her lovely collection of Japanese fabrics. Yesterday, you can imagine how excited I was when I got home and a box was at my door.

Inside was the pig and a sweet note telling me Mari had been nice enough to read about me on my blog. She went on to say that she was including some sock yarn because she noticed I love sock yarn and hadn't tried this brand. Isn't that cool?!?!?!



Nature's Palette in Zinfandel. As you know, my camera refuses to take accurate pictures of purple. The yarn is actually a little more earthy than this shows. Its color comes from natural dyes and the depth of color is so pretty. Plus, it's squishy soft. And I love that so much!



And here's my sweet little piggie. He's super, super cute. I love him! Thank you so much, Mari! I love the package. You're so thoughtful and the pig is too cute.

I also found out today that I'm a runner up on Sarah's Blog. And she is nice enough to be sending me a little something. So I think it's time to pay it forward with a little contest of my own!!!!

So here it is.... You'll have until midnight Pacific time on Sunday (10/7) to give my sweet new piggie a name. I'll pick my favorite and the winner will get enough sock yarn to knit a pair of socks. You'll get a pick of colors and maybe brand but the final skein will be a surprise. You can comment here or email me at nelltjeATgmailDOTcom. Good Luck!