Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
So Happy!
I just purchased Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn from Simply Socks Yarn Company! Yeah! I've been drooling over this stuff since someone used it in a sweater pattern on Craftster.
Here are the colours:
Chinatown Apple
Flamingo Pie
Giant Peach
Of course I also had to order some Lorna's Laces, which I've been eyeballing for YEARS! I thought it only fitting to order two colours especially made for SSYC and they just happen to be really fun! (Images courtesy of the SSYC website)
I'm also trying out some Classic Elite Alpaca Sox in Tango Red and Watercress:
And some Malabrigo sock yarn in Boticelli Red:
Hope it come soon! I can hardly wait!
It's not like I need more sock yarn...wait...I can always use more sock yarn! Sorry, my brain just rebooted there.
Here are the colours:
Chinatown Apple
Flamingo Pie
Giant Peach
Of course I also had to order some Lorna's Laces, which I've been eyeballing for YEARS! I thought it only fitting to order two colours especially made for SSYC and they just happen to be really fun! (Images courtesy of the SSYC website)
I'm also trying out some Classic Elite Alpaca Sox in Tango Red and Watercress:
And some Malabrigo sock yarn in Boticelli Red:
Hope it come soon! I can hardly wait!
It's not like I need more sock yarn...wait...I can always use more sock yarn! Sorry, my brain just rebooted there.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Triumph in the Big City!
Shamefully, I've neglected to post on my adventures in Calgary in October. First of all, I had 2 1/2 glorious weeks of vacation! I love vacation time! I wish I could always be on vacation. I believe I need a sugar-daddy. But enough of that...
I was fortunate in that I was able to spend the entire day alone in the big city. I feared I would have to take Hubbo or the mother-in-law, neither of whom enjoy knitting stores, searching for new and exciting yarn or rummaging through Ikea.
I wanted to get to Shuttleworks bright and early, so I set off from Lacombe at about 8:00 am. Father-in-law graciously loaned me his GPS, into which Hubbo dutifully programmed the addresses of all the shops I wanted to hit. The weather was perfect and traffic was light. As I was driving along the highway that links Edmonton to Calgary, the sun came through the clouds and I could see the Rocky Mountains in the distance. I'm a prairie girl but seeing the mountains always takes my breath away!
I knew that Shuttleworks was on the south side of Calgary, somewhere out in the boondocks. The GPS kept me company by squawking directions at me..."Turn right at the next exit....bear left". At this point I "bear left" and the GPS tells me I've arrived at my destination. Unfortunately, I was sitting in the middle of dirt road with no yarn to be seen! Crap!
No problem, just take that exit up there and I'm sure it's around the corner. Ummm...nope...right back where I started...the middle of a dirt road. I decide to explore said dirt road and promptly drive up the hill. Hmmm...no yarn up here. Maybe down that side road....nope...horses...yarn doesn't come from horses. I get back to the top of the hill and use my trusty cell phone to call. I get voicemail saying they don't open until noon. Hmmm...no problem. Ikea it is!
I spent a couple of lovely hours snooping around Ikea, getting my life organized and fending off mothers with giant strollers. Then I headed back to Shuttleworks. I figure that now they'll have a sign out or something to guide me on my quest. I was wrong. After a phone call and several sets of poor directions...success! I found it!
The first thing that hits me is how well organized the place is! Then I notice that they carry Lamb's Pride! Never having seen this line of yarn in person, I took the time to undertake a thorough investigation! I finally settled on 3 shades of Wilefoote sock yarn. It's so soft and yummy!
Then I spied some drawers labelled "Silk". Hmmm... Upon opening the first drawer I nearly faint at the sight of skeins of gloriously coloured silk hanks! Then the owner says that there are more in the drawers below! Well! My brain went into overload! Eventually selected these:
I also purchased a lovely set of EZ Blocker wires and a set of wool combs. Because of my decidedly large purchase, I was entitled to a free tote bag. I love tote bags! What a fun place!
Upon my return to Lacombe, I had enough time to stop at The Crafty Lady, one of the best crafts stores I ever seen.
Every trip to Lacombe necessitates a visit! She carries the most amazing selection of yarn I've ever seen! I love it there and can usually spend a couple of hours nosing around! Here are my eventual purchases:
Once again, I received a tote bag. I love tote bags!
The next day, all of us headed into Red Deer and stopped at a yarn shop called The Wooly something or other. Here are a the results:
Then we headed to a really yummy Indian restaurant. The in-laws had never tried Indian so it was quite a treat for everyone!
While I had anticipated finishing several pairs of socks, I ended up working on a scarf made from Noro Kureyon sock yarn.
Detail:
I love the colours of this yarn but don't care of the texture. It's not a plied yarn, just a single and a bit rough and not as sturdy as most sock yarn. It has to be hand washed. I don't do that when it comes to socks! I thought perhaps a scarf would be more appropriate and I think it looks quite pretty!
I was fortunate in that I was able to spend the entire day alone in the big city. I feared I would have to take Hubbo or the mother-in-law, neither of whom enjoy knitting stores, searching for new and exciting yarn or rummaging through Ikea.
I wanted to get to Shuttleworks bright and early, so I set off from Lacombe at about 8:00 am. Father-in-law graciously loaned me his GPS, into which Hubbo dutifully programmed the addresses of all the shops I wanted to hit. The weather was perfect and traffic was light. As I was driving along the highway that links Edmonton to Calgary, the sun came through the clouds and I could see the Rocky Mountains in the distance. I'm a prairie girl but seeing the mountains always takes my breath away!
I knew that Shuttleworks was on the south side of Calgary, somewhere out in the boondocks. The GPS kept me company by squawking directions at me..."Turn right at the next exit....bear left". At this point I "bear left" and the GPS tells me I've arrived at my destination. Unfortunately, I was sitting in the middle of dirt road with no yarn to be seen! Crap!
No problem, just take that exit up there and I'm sure it's around the corner. Ummm...nope...right back where I started...the middle of a dirt road. I decide to explore said dirt road and promptly drive up the hill. Hmmm...no yarn up here. Maybe down that side road....nope...horses...yarn doesn't come from horses. I get back to the top of the hill and use my trusty cell phone to call. I get voicemail saying they don't open until noon. Hmmm...no problem. Ikea it is!
I spent a couple of lovely hours snooping around Ikea, getting my life organized and fending off mothers with giant strollers. Then I headed back to Shuttleworks. I figure that now they'll have a sign out or something to guide me on my quest. I was wrong. After a phone call and several sets of poor directions...success! I found it!
The first thing that hits me is how well organized the place is! Then I notice that they carry Lamb's Pride! Never having seen this line of yarn in person, I took the time to undertake a thorough investigation! I finally settled on 3 shades of Wilefoote sock yarn. It's so soft and yummy!
Then I spied some drawers labelled "Silk". Hmmm... Upon opening the first drawer I nearly faint at the sight of skeins of gloriously coloured silk hanks! Then the owner says that there are more in the drawers below! Well! My brain went into overload! Eventually selected these:
I also purchased a lovely set of EZ Blocker wires and a set of wool combs. Because of my decidedly large purchase, I was entitled to a free tote bag. I love tote bags! What a fun place!
Upon my return to Lacombe, I had enough time to stop at The Crafty Lady, one of the best crafts stores I ever seen.
Every trip to Lacombe necessitates a visit! She carries the most amazing selection of yarn I've ever seen! I love it there and can usually spend a couple of hours nosing around! Here are my eventual purchases:
Once again, I received a tote bag. I love tote bags!
The next day, all of us headed into Red Deer and stopped at a yarn shop called The Wooly something or other. Here are a the results:
Then we headed to a really yummy Indian restaurant. The in-laws had never tried Indian so it was quite a treat for everyone!
While I had anticipated finishing several pairs of socks, I ended up working on a scarf made from Noro Kureyon sock yarn.
Detail:
I love the colours of this yarn but don't care of the texture. It's not a plied yarn, just a single and a bit rough and not as sturdy as most sock yarn. It has to be hand washed. I don't do that when it comes to socks! I thought perhaps a scarf would be more appropriate and I think it looks quite pretty!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Fibre Snot was officially added to the Knitting Blog Ring today! Yeah!
And on a sad note, we woke up to this:
I hate snow! *sigh* On the other hand, it's a good day to sit on the sofa with a ball of sock yarn and some double points.
And on a sad note, we woke up to this:
I hate snow! *sigh* On the other hand, it's a good day to sit on the sofa with a ball of sock yarn and some double points.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Exciting News!
Next week I'll be heading to Alberta. Hopefully, I'll be in Calgary for a day. That means that I'll be able to go to Shuttleworks! According to a few people in my spinning class, it's the mecca of fibre in the prairies! If their website is any indication, I'm in for a treat. Soooo excited! I can't wait. I'm also going to try and hit Gina Brown's, a knitting shop highly recommended by a friend who's a native of Calgary.
I've consulted google maps and I've got my route all planned. I plan to come back with all kinds of treasures. But don't tell hubbo! He thinks I have more than enough yarn to last me through armageddon!
Since we are driving, I'll also be able to knit the entire way there and back. It usually takes me about 2 hours of dedicated knitting per sock, so that means I should be able to complete ...*calculating*...about 3 pairs on the road. Hmmm...that sounds pretty good! Then there's down time during the visit which could result in another pair at least. Either I'll be very proud of myself upon my return and/or crippled! What we won't do for the love of sticks and string!
I've consulted google maps and I've got my route all planned. I plan to come back with all kinds of treasures. But don't tell hubbo! He thinks I have more than enough yarn to last me through armageddon!
Since we are driving, I'll also be able to knit the entire way there and back. It usually takes me about 2 hours of dedicated knitting per sock, so that means I should be able to complete ...*calculating*...about 3 pairs on the road. Hmmm...that sounds pretty good! Then there's down time during the visit which could result in another pair at least. Either I'll be very proud of myself upon my return and/or crippled! What we won't do for the love of sticks and string!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Knitting Night - October 8, 2008
Knitting Night was held at my place this week. Here are a few of the highlights!
After showing the ladies the "wool wall" (as they have dubbed it), we got down to the serious business of brownie-eating, show-and-tell and stitching!
Ms. DC's infamously hideous acrylic Roughrider mitts are half complete. She quite proud of the intarsia and I'm proud of her patience!
Here Ms K. inspects the recent additions to my stash.
She is continuing with her hooked rug and has all her little bundles of yarn set up for the evening!
Ms. D inspected my Knit Picks yarn samples and perused the new catalogue.
Ms. DV continues to work on her cute little cardigan.
Please take note of her cute pin which supports the Canadian Museum of Civil Rights which will be the first Canadian National Museum outside of Ottawa. It will be located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Later, by sister Ms. DC wound some lovely 100% wool that she'll be using for her thrummed mittens.
I, unfortunately, didn't get a whole lot done. We we had fun nonetheless!
After showing the ladies the "wool wall" (as they have dubbed it), we got down to the serious business of brownie-eating, show-and-tell and stitching!
Ms. DC's infamously hideous acrylic Roughrider mitts are half complete. She quite proud of the intarsia and I'm proud of her patience!
Here Ms K. inspects the recent additions to my stash.
She is continuing with her hooked rug and has all her little bundles of yarn set up for the evening!
Ms. D inspected my Knit Picks yarn samples and perused the new catalogue.
Ms. DV continues to work on her cute little cardigan.
Please take note of her cute pin which supports the Canadian Museum of Civil Rights which will be the first Canadian National Museum outside of Ottawa. It will be located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Later, by sister Ms. DC wound some lovely 100% wool that she'll be using for her thrummed mittens.
I, unfortunately, didn't get a whole lot done. We we had fun nonetheless!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Great Blog!
For anyone who has ever seen a pattern and said "Why would you knit that?" with disgust or mocking in voice, there is now a blog just for you!
Why Would You Knit That?!
Here's a brief sample of the crazy hilarity:
Why Would You Knit That?!
Here's a brief sample of the crazy hilarity:
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