Working like a mad dog

I joined a new sock club, Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock Rockin' Sock Club. I received my first installment and immediately fell in love. If I didn't already have in my 'Q' about four other pair and more than four times that waiting to be acknowledged I would have casted on immediately. But for now, I must just continue to pet it. It is really beautiful. I love the name of it as well, My Blue Heaven.

I also received in that package an invitation to a Sock Camp. Yes, I know you muggles are wondering what the heck a sock camp is, but for me, it is like being a kid all over again. Instructors that I would give up a trip to Scotland to learn from. And by the way, is exactly what I will be doing to go. Alas, I await the final decision from Dude to say, "Book it, babe." And then I will be truly off. It is held in this beautiful place. 

Otherwise, I have been extremely busy. Classes started up again at Liberty and will run until the first week of March. I am already behind in one. I have been teaching twice a week at the store with two new advance classes beginning the first part of March and running until the last week of April. Dude's traveling a bunch the next three months. We still haven't found a house yet. Yes, I know we are currently in one but it isn't ours. Our lease is up in May and we have to tell them what we are doing by March. So we begin the scramble again. 

I have managed to actually do a bit of knitting. I finished my pair of German socks. The kids have a pair. I have a fingerless mitt started because I casted on the wrong number of stitches but was knitting it in the pattern for Dude's pair. I was so frustrated with the point-blank- dumbness of myself that I went ahead and started my pair. It is now finished and I think I will wear them tomorrow to Knitting Guild and work. 

I have completed the Noro Daria Bag. I splurged on this yarn in November at Stitches East. Normally, this yarn in $15 a skein. There was a booth selling a bag of ten for $50. So another knitter and I split the bag. She took 5 and I took 5. I immediately started knitting with it and boy is it a buggar! It is a cotton core with rayon surrounding it. It is so incredibly slippery it slides out from itself. When joining rounds, almost impossible. I was so glad to be done with the bag, instead of making a second one I gave away the remaining 2.5 skeins. For free. 'Nuff said.  

And the first panel of the Shawl is complete. (More photos to come with that one.) I am hoping to have the second one done before Valentine's Day. I have 15 swatches to do before Saturday the 7th for a class I am taking with Melissa Leapman. I know how to cable, but I am interested in her teaching techniques. If nothing else, I can learn from that. 

I also managed to score big in the yarn enhancement department. I finally got my grubby paws on a skein of Wollenmise. I am not thrilled with the colorway but am so psyched to actually use it that I can over look the generic scheme and focus on the pattern. The hunt is now for a pattern that can really do it justice. 

I am trying to stay on top of this blog but will probably resort back to once a month. I had no intention of doing the Hogwarts Sock Kit Swap ever again because the moderator and now co-moderator are too flaky with their rules. (Read 'inconsistent') but my arm was pretty heavily twisted as it will be the last one. So, that starts this week. Lovely. 

More to post soon as the camera is fixed.

And so it begins again

Hello fellow Bloggers. Happy New Year! I trust the holidays were for you as wonderful as they were for me. This was the first time in a long time that I came away refreshed and excited to begin the new year. The opportunities that await me are astounding. But first a recap of what was accomplished in the last couple of weeks of the prior year. 

Two more hanks of yarn hand-dyed to give to fellow knitters. 

A pair of shoes for Pop

A lap blanket for Grandmum

A Girly Scarf for Sassy (a very belated Birthday present. So sorry!!)

A Spa set for our Pseudo-Grandmum (okay, so I forgot to take a picture of this set. I will try and get one and update it later. Boogar!)

A Ribbed Scarf for a favorite Uncle (the mittens were scrapped and supplemented with this)

And An Office Party. Here is Dude with his greencrown on. Isn't he handsome? Then myself with our Pseudo-Grandmum, and last but not least Tyler. He's so cute! (In a younger brother sorta way. Great guy. If only I could hold him for one of my daughters.....) 

So as you can see alot happened in two weeks. This isn't even posting anything on the in-law visit. They came for four days. It was truly a wonderful weekend. 

Just as every other person will do with the New Year, resolutions have been made. I don't really want to call them resolutions, more like goals. My goal this year is to finish what I have started. This means, at least for me, no more WIPs just hanging around. I am not going to start any new projects until I have finished the ones that were started in 08. Luckily, there are just a couple left. 

The Green Cardigan. (Really that was started in 2006 but hey, who's counting? That really should mean that it is started this year because it was hibernating so long that I need to start it over and with all the ripping that I need to do it really will be so..... I don't think I am going to count this as a WIP that NEEDS to get done. Yep, I am not. Good thinking.)

The Noro Daria Market Bag. This has just become a PITA. I am almost done save for the bind off. I have never been good at trying to connect the dots and this is going to be the bane of my existence.  I have tried to connect the handles and edge to make it all one piece without having to weave in a bunch of different ends. This yarn is not that conducive to weaving in the ends. We shall see. (Though it is starting to become a bit more obvious that a new camera will be needed soon. YIKES!)

My Hemlock. The only thing that is holding this up is the need to wind more yarn. I have the yarn, I just need to wind it. Best get to it. 

Socks. This really doesn't count. 'nough said.

So those are my goals. I have a BUNCH of yarn just screaming my name to come and play with it. I lye awake at night listening to it call to me like a siren in the sea. Resistance is futile. 

Another goal is to post a couple of times a month. Here's trying. 

Happy Knitting.