More fuel for the selfishness fire....

I got another present in the mail yesterday (and now I am completely sworn off Ebay.. I've spent my lot!)

10 balls of Regia Silk 6-ply in linen. I've already started a project with it and will show you tomorrow. In the mean time...Rocky is keeping it warm for me.

Who likes short shorts...

I mean socks....
I do! I do!

I was having a bit of an A.D.D. weekend, and I couldn't seem to focus on any one thing. I couldn't even bring myself to touch my cardi. But I did manage a few more squares on the sockghan. And, as you can see from above, I managed to kick some Second Sock Syndrome butt, and finished my second sock!

And... I'm never knitting full length socks again!... at least for myself. I love ankle socks.. when I buy socks at the store, I buy ankle socks, so why in the heck am I knitting long socks? (Although I have to admit, I do have a bit of a penchant for knee socks, but I don't think I'm ready for that yet).

And the best part is... they only used one ball of yarn (200 m) with just a little left over (The yarn is Fabel in Dark Red/Bourgogne Mix.. someone asked me that before and I never answered) .. which means....
... more yarn from the sockghan. The golden ball is leftover from Mom's shawl ) and she generously donated it to the cause.

It's a really long work week (hours wise) this week, so I'm likely only to knit more squares on the sockghan... and pay attention to the cats. They demand extra love when I'm only home a few hours each day.

Feeling selfish

As I mentioned before, my intention for Christmas presents this year was to knit every person on my list a pair of socks.

But now I don't want to.

I'm feeling selfish.

I just want to knit for myself and no one else.

And this is partly to blame:Fourteen scrumptious balls of Rowan Classic Cashsoft DK in poison, a deep, dark maroon. The picture doesn't do it justice and it's not quite that redish. It's a super soft blend of superfine merino, cashmere and microfibre. It came in the mail today and I've been fondling it all afternoon.

It's slated for this:
Empire Cardigan from Debbie Bliss' "Alpaca Silk Two" that I'm pretty sure she designed just for me.... if you saw my wardrobe you'd think so too.

So, sorry family... you're all getting store bought socks this year.

And in the spirit of selfishness, I decided to get back on track and finish the back of my cardi. Of course I had to get it back from Peno first:
The back is blocking now and I've cast on for the left front. If Dave doesn't bother me too much this weekend (unlikely) I might be able to get it done.

I couldn't resist...

... jewellry is near and dear to my heart, so I just had to combine it with my passion for knitting.
And the best part? You can share. There are a few new items up in the Wandering Cat Yarns Shop including alpacas, spinning wheels and yarn! All are cast in sterling silver, feature genuine semi-precious stones and are a perfect addition to any wardrobe. (For non-knitting jewellry you can check out the Wandering Cat Studio Shop )

On the knitting front, not much progress on anything. I ripped out the sock I was designing - it needs some major revamping. I haven't touched my cardi.

The only thing I've managed to do it knit six more squares on the sockghan. And now I'm going back to knit three more and finish the fourth row. That will make the blanket about six inches long.... this is going to take a while.....

Just a little quickie....

Too tired and sore to knit or write...
But I just wanted to let you know there is some new yarn up in the shop (clicky the ad on the right)

This one is my favourite:

Colour: Witching Hour
Blend: Alpaca/Merino
Weight: Lace

Now I'm off to stretch out in bed and read some historical fiction until I fall asleep.

Sidetracked....

Well I had full intentions of working on my cardi this weekend.. and I did get about four rows done... but then I took a trip to The Needle Emporium...

I went up there to pick up a couple of balls of Noro Silk Garden for a hat I want to make later, and pick up Debbie Bliss' Alpaca Silk Two pattern book (I have some yarn on the way for a sweater in it) and Mom wanted some extra cables for her Addi Clicks. While I was there, I decided to grab a new pair of 2.5 mm sock needles because I have one really crappy wooden set, (they splintered and are total crap) a metal set which are too long for socks, and a nice pair I stole off Mom, which are currently tied up in another project.

Well.... when I got them home, I wanted to try them out.... so I cast on for a sock: ...and I was having so much fun knitting it, I decided to finish it. Then I cast on for the second sock of one of the other socks I knit a few months ago (Second Sock Syndrome hits me like a mother sometimes)... but then I decided to take a little nap... which was a wee bit pain-killer induced (back's been getting worse since I started working at the second job.. too much sitting... no it's not all the knitting I swear) and my muse came.... with a vengeance... I couldn't sleep. So I got up, printed off some graph paper and got the design out of my head...

But it wasn't enough....So I cast on. This will probably take most of tomorrow night too. I just want to get the cuff done.... then I can stop and go back to my cardi... really...

And poor Rocky"When are you going to put down the needles and play with me?"

Rain, rain, rain...

Well... there's no doubt about it, it's been a pretty cool summer. Normally by now we are all sweating our socks off and complaining about the heat (though really it's the humidity) here in Southern Ontario.

But not this year... this year we've only had a few day above 25, and even fewer above 30 (that's Celsius, not Fahrenheit) which is the norm for this time of year. And we've had rain... lots and lots of rain. Today alone we've had about 50 mm.

Now while most people are bemoaning the drizzly days, I am quite enjoying it. (Though admittedly, if I had children and had to spend the summer holidays with them cooped up indoors, I'd be a-bemoanin' too.) We've had some awesome thunderstorms, and I've barely had the air conditioners on. I can open the windows, curl up with a good book and listen to the rain fall. And... because Dave hates going out in the rain... I'm not being dragged all over the place... which means more knitting time! Who wouldn't love that?

This week I've manage another row on the Sockghan:
As you can see, I'm not knitting the half squares on the sides, as some people are. I like the rough geometric edge the corners create. I am loving this project for several reasons:
1) I love blankets. I have lots of blankets, all over the house. Quilts, afghans, comforters, throws... even in summer, I'm usually wrapped up in a blanket. Just like Linus, I love my blankies (though Dave keeps saying I'm more like Pig Pen.. only I'm walking around in a cloud of cat hair and yarn fibre)
2) Almost every square is different. By the nature of most striping sock yarns, and the way the squares decrease the chances of getting two squares alike is slim.
3) It provides a little bit of instant gratification. While the whole blanket is going to take quite some time (possibly years) each square only takes about 20-30 minutes. If I only have a little time to knit, I can whip up a square and still feel like I've accomplished something.
4) I get to knit with lots of different yarns. Most of the yarn my grandma donated is Opal and Regia, but there are a few bits that came from mom, (Socks that Rock and Cherry Tree Hill) which are sproingy and soft, and delightful to knit with.

I will probably set this aside the weekend however, as I'd like to finish the back of my cardi. I also have a few more "presents" on the way (Damn you Ebay!) so I'd like to get make some real progress on it before I feel the uncontrollable urge to cast on again.