mommysew

Give them all your money

I had a delightful surprise last week - Jillian over at Sknitty posted about the haul she got from a new yarn shop. I hopped on over to check it out, and not only were there gorgeous yarns, but the shop is run by Kris, my very first sockpal! Of course I had to check it out, and give her some of my hard-earned cash - and so should you!


Left to right - Chewy Spaghetti in Meandering, Mama Llama in River, and Zen Yarn Garden in Maraca. Oooh so pretty.

Where did I get it? Sonny and Shear which wins my personal award for best yarn shop name ever. Go. Give. Money.

My Halloween treat

Madelinetosh in Bullion, Socks that Rock in Lenore.

All crawled out

Home from the yarn crawl/shop hop, and moderately caught up with school work, so here's a quick look at my goodies from the weekend.



We left from Hill Country Weavers, where I managed to only purchase two skeins of Nature's Palette in a chocolately brown. Such restraint!


Our first stop was Yarn Barn in San Antonio. A large combo shop of needlepoint and yarn, we nearly destroyed the book and sale areas (there were about 35 of us). I managed to score an Interweave I don't have in the sale bin, along with seven skeins of Rowan Denim for the Indigo Ripples Skirt. And well, that Trekking couldn't be helped. It's orange after all.



From there we headed to Yarnivore in San Antonio. This is a small shop in a strip mall area, but it is clean, well-lit, and the owner was very sweet. I did manage to find more yarn here I needed (shocking, isn't it?) Some Kraemer Tweed (cotton acrylic blend) that is more pink than the picture shows, and a pretty pattern book.



On to Boerne, where our first stop was Rosewood Yarns. A new shop that is crammed with yarn, and we completely took over. I did restrain myself from yarn here, but I managed to find three patterns and a beautiful needle-felted notions case made by a women's cooperative in Nepal.



A short jaunt down the street, and we were at Ewe and Eye. A charming shop, filled up with toys, needlepoint, baby items, and yarn. The owners were lovely to us, and I came away with another back issue magazine I don't have, sock yarn for the hubbo (to make up for being gone all weekend, and spending money!) and a 660 yard hank of the softest alpaca I've ever felt. It comes from Switzerland, and has no tag, so I can't tell you about it, other than to tell you to call the shop and get you some. YUM. I'm envisioning a wrap to wear in my classroom. Hubbo wants me to make him a pillow out of it. Ha.

And that's it! We didn't get to Bluebonnet Yarns in Cedar Park, or Stonehill Spinning in Fredericksburg, due to the tight bus schedule. Ah well, just another excuse to do it all again next year!

Fall yarns are yummy!

One of my favorite things about fall is the new fall yarns. Especially the sock yarns (aren't y'all surprised?). I may have had to buy some, and hubbo may have picked some out.



For me - new Lana Grossa.



For hubbo - new Classic Elite Alpaca Sox. Aren't you shocked at the originality of his color choice? Totally different from the grey pair I'm currently knitting him.


I haven't cast on for these yet, but they are both calling to me.


In other sock news, it seems that Socktoberfest is nearly upon us. Last year I had a great time, and ended up with two new pairs of socks finished. This year my plan is "single sock-toberfest." I've got plenty of pairs of socks that have one sock finished or nearly finished. Plus, I'm hoping that by knitting wool socks I can will fall to arrive. Think it'll work? What are your plans for Socktoberfest?

Run-by Fruiting*

There has been almost zero knitting progress this week, owing to the enormous amounts of schoolwork I've been doing. However, I did run into Michael's yesterday (for cute Mary Engelbreit Christmas stuff in the dollar section), and happened to bump into the clearance aisle, where they had Lion Wool for $2.00/ball. Um? Deal? Yeah!


I may have purchased enough of the red to make the cute skirt on the cover of Folk Style (sans flowers),

and enough grey for a project TBD.

Unfortunately, having enough knitting time to complete either of these projects (not to mention any of those already on my needles) is not looking so likely these days. I did, however, have enough time to rip the scarf, per y'all's advice, but now I don't know what to do with the yarn. I didn't quite have enough for my socks last time, and I don't really want to buy another skein of yarn for each (especially at $24.00/pop), so I need ideas. If you're interested in swapping for it, let me know (via email, since I can't reply to comments - knitnlit AT gmail DOT com).

*Every time someone uses the title "Drive-by blogging" for a post, I think of this line from Mrs. Doubtfire. One of my favorites.

A mission from God

I'm on a mission this year. A mission to try new sock yarns. OK, at least BUY new sock yarns. I've been scouring The Loopy Ewe, snatching things up right and left. I'm trying not to buy things I've already bought, and/or used. (Except for Trekking. There has to be an exception to every rule, right?) I've been popping over to some of the smaller online sock dealers, checking out their wares, when lo and behold, I get my email update from Simply Sock Yarn, and they have the Dream in Color that the Ewe is always out of. Hmmmmmm, oooh, that's pretty, and that's pretty, and before you know it, I'm at free shipping (my favorite!).


Left to Right: Soft Touch Ultra Heathers (which I've been wanting to try for months), Dream in Color Smooshy (I can't remember the color name, but she's out of it), ShibuKnits in Peacock (this yarn is GORGEOUS), and Sleeping Dragon in Lipstick Lava (also GORGEOUS).

I was good, and tried to get mostly solids. I have a ton of varigated sock yarn, and while I love it, some of the more detailed patterns look better in solids or nearly solids. But my stash is woefully low on those. I found the remedy!

This is all lovely, and the only thing keeping me from casting on is, well, I'm not sure. I do have a few pairs of empty needles, but I'm trying to finish things up, not start new.

My credit card is all better, for now. But it may have taken a swipe today for something, but you'll have to wait about two weeks before I can show you that greatness. What's new in your stash? What's your favorite sock yarn? I need more ideas!

Hit or Miss

I had three (mostly) wonderful packages in the past few days.


From Scout - Zuluknitty sock yarn (Love the colors!), from The Loopy Ewe - Seacoast Panda, and from the Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club.


I love the Zuluknitty. The Seacoast is gorgeous, but feels a bit acrylic-y. I'm hoping it softens with knitting. And I don't like the BMFA Sock Club yarn. It has a rust color in it. Rust is so not my color. I also don't care much for the pattern (an ankle sock with a fold down top). I knit my wool socks to keep my feet and legs warm in the winter. I don't have much use for shortie socks. I'll keep this in the stash and let it marinate for a bit. Perhaps someone else will like it more, and I'll knit gift socks. We'll see. It does look OK in the pictures I've seen of it just in plain stockinette, so that is a possibility too. I suppose it had to happen - out of the six shipments, I had to dislike one.

I may have accidentally tripped and slid my credit card through the internets. More on that news as it develops.

I totally lied

I forgot to count 7 skeins of the new cotton ease that hubbo and The Girl picked out for me (more on this later), and the 2 skeins I purchased for the bee shawl. I didn't come out on top last month. Damn it.


However, I did come out ahead in books! Thanks to the Knitpicks book sale, these arrived a few weeks ago (the sale is ending this week - if you haven't been over there go now!). Now if I only had time to read them.

Eye Candy Friday (and a contest!)

It's been too long since we've had any good eye candy. How 'bout some yarn porn?


The Knittery Merino Cashmere, Yarntini, and Gypsy Knits, all from The Loopy Ewe. I may have to buy some new sock needles to take advantage of this goodness!

And what's that I spy they're laying on?



Could it be a countertop?

But what kind of countertop is it? (And if you already know, please don't ruin it for everyone else!)

Submit your guesses by midnight CDT on Monday August 6. If more than one person guesses the correct answer, I'll draw a name. What do you win? Dishcloth cotton, of course!

I just love that new yarn smell....

Goodies have been arriving at Chez Knit 'n Lit again. Some in the mail, some from the shop.


From Knitpicks and from Blue Moon Fiber Arts (for winning a contest on the Rockin' Sock Club Blog - Woot!) - Knitter's Almanac, "real" size 1 and 2 DPNs, and a skein of Nodding Violet in Mediumweight STR.


From a recent destash - enough Silky Wool for Jarrett from Rowan Vintage Knits for Hubbo.









From mom for me and for a sweater for her.







From the shop - enough Flash for a cute tie front cardigan (here - scroll down), the new Knitscene, a new notions case and a gorgeous skein of Madelinetosh sock yarn in Ginsing. YUM.



I can stop anytime I want to.