I finished my first eye of partidge heel thanks to the Sock Knitters handbook. I did it with what i think is called a garter edge. I really like the garter edges on the heel flap I think it looks pretty nice.

The pattern: Pillars        The Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label Fingering in Pink Grapefruit

It took me a month and six days to knit these socks. It would have taken even longer if I hadn’t contracted a strong case of startitis.  I had a fire burning deep within me to start Surrender Dorothy.  This pattern was the one that came with my lastest twisted sock club package, and I love it. The yarn I’m not so sure about. It came with Hazel Knits Piquant Lite. The yarn feels like Dream In Color Everlasting which I don’t like at all. To sum up why I don’t like these yarns,  there are to many plies and no softness. It’s a shame because I really love the color of this skein of Piquant Lite but its not fun to knit with so far.

This is the pattern and yarn to refresh your memory gentle reader.  I made myself finish the Pillar Socks before I could start anything new so I knit and knit on Pillars even when I was beyond bored with them.  Oh the horrors we knitters must endure. Well everyone have a great Memorial Day. Adios

Friday was quite the mail day in these parts. I got an awesome new cookbook The All New Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook. I love the magazine and this book does not disappoint. It not only gives you recipes, but extensive info on different cuts of meat, knives, proper measuring technique, pantry staples, and equipment. I can’t wait to start using it.

There was yarn piled at the door. It was like heaven. Even yarn I had forgotten I had ordered.

The yarn pictured above is my first Colourmart yarn. I got this on ebay for about 21 dollars shipped. Its 2300 yards. It would cost me so much to get that much yarn normally. Its a lace weight cashmere blend. I heard about this yarn thanks to Lacefreak . Reading through her blog makes me want to cast on a new shawl everday. She does amazing work. 

This is the May shipment for the Twisted sock club. Its Hazel Knits Piquant Lite and the color is Happy Hour. The pattern is called Surrender Dorothy. I wanted to cast on immediately, but with six projects still on the needles I had to exercise some self control.  Next up is the Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere that I got for 19.60

This blue one is called Dusky Aurora. It kind of reminds me of the Iris colorway by Tanis Fiber Arts that I really want to buy but keep talking myself out of. 

This pretty purple is called It’s a Sparkler. The Smooshy with Cashmere is a 70/20/10 merino, cashmere, nylon.

So needless to say it was a happy Friday for me. Now the basket that I keep my sock yarn in is overflowing. It’s a problem I don’t mind having, but I think it will be a good reminder for me to not buy anymore yarn. I feel like I’ve said this before and have read this before on other blogs, but my intentions are good and I really am going to try and show some restraint. I hope you all have a yarn filled Mothers Day, and if you aren’t a mother then have a yarn filled weekend.

I finished a pair of socks with Knitpicks Felici, and it cost about 11 dollars before shipping for a pair of socks. This yarn is really soft and I’m asking myself how can this be? Whats the catch? Why is some of the cheapest yarn some of the softest I’ve ever used. Maybe it will wear out quickly something has got to be wrong with it. Or maybe I’m just to skeptical….Here are some plain vanilla socks for ya.

They don’t match until past the heel. I felt like trying to make them match would be a waste of yarn. For me to get to the same point in the striping would have taken way to much yarn. I just did these with a twisted rib cuff, and a short row heel. This is the Knitpicks Felici in the Rainbow color. A new alarming problem has developed. I’m getting ladders again. The more I fight it the more it happens.  I thought I had gotten rid of ladders for good. I don’t know what has changed.  Maybe they won’t be so noticeable once I wash them.

Sadly Doodlebug Yarn is closing. I’m on their mailing list so I got the info before it was officially announced, and boy did I score a great deal. Their Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere was down from 28.00 to 19.60. I ordered two skeins a few days ago. At that time the selection was pretty decent, upon checking now they are down to two skeins of it. I’m really tempted to order more,but that would be crazy, right? I’m excited I very rarely find great deals. Admittedly I don’t look to hard, but still.

I did get some new yarn from a Ravelry destash.

Its more Austermann Step in color 21. I love anything that stripes with grey. This was also a great deal. Austermann usually sells for around 15-20 dollars plus shipping. I got this one for ten dollars including shipping. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Austermann since it was the first sock yarn I ever bought. Misty water colored memories of the way we were….. I also got some extra cords for my Chiaogoo interchangeable set from Handsome Fibers on etsy. Really nothing to see there so no pictures. I will be back in a few days with more yarn. I’ve got the Doodlebug yarn and the latest Twisted sock club shipment coming today. Happy Friday!

I have a thing for cutesy fabric. Sometimes I feel shame. I think to myself, you should be buying adult fabric with less pink, but the heart wants what it wants. So the project bags, and wallets and whatever else will for now be cutesy and maybe even a bit juvenile. Oh well!

I’m so taken with the fabric with the little mermaids and ballerinas on it.

I ordered all of these fabrics on etsy from Stich Stash Diva. I got one fat quarter for free with the points I’ve earned. The ballerinas are Bubble Gum Girlfriends by Robert Kaufman. The mermaids are Tropical Girlfriends also by Robert Kaufman. They will become project bags perhaps. I’ve often scoffed when I read blogs and people talk about not wanting to cut fabric because they love it so much. I thought I would never feel like that. After all fabric is meant to be used. Now I know what they mean.

The latest shipment of Plucky Classics came in a few days ago.

I’m not a big collector of green but thanks to sock clubs and plucky classics I now have two different shades of green in Plucky Primo. I’m definitely not complaining, going outside the comfort zone is a good thing.

I also learned that organic gardening doesn’t always mean safe gardening. I sprayed my roses with some lime sulphur I got off of amazon. I read the warnings and they scared me a little. Especially the thing about fatal if swallowed and the whole potential blindness. I went ahead anyway.  After reading online about how the EPA banned it for a bit and how you have to be really careful when using it I’ve realized its not worth it. I thought lime sulphur and horticultural oil were organic safe options. Apparently not. I’m disposing of it, and all the other chemicals I’ve purchased to try to control disease on my rose plants. I’m going to try some recipes my husband found online that use cornmeal, dish detergent, listerine and normal household items. If that doesn’t work then oh well. I will try to find some more disease resistant roses. The gardening is not worth putting myself and my family at risk. So we shall see how it goes. Have a good weekend.