Already tempted

So I decide I need to go on a yarn diet until the end of the year (crazy idea, I know) and Knit Picks decide to release these yummy sock cocktails: Mojito, Violet Martini and Rob Roy.

Yum.

Don't worry, I'm tempted but I won't buy. :)

PSA

April 24 - May 1st is National Infertility Awareness Week. As you play with your kids today, or tuck them into bed tonight, please take a minute to empathize with the millions of couples out there struggling to achieve what you have. If you or someone you love is affected by infertility, please post this in your Facebook status (or blog!) this week to show your support.

Stash. Meet new yarn.

My last post ended with a little bit of yarn porn and I'm now continuing where I left off. I got a big box from Knit Picks a few days ago, filled with goodies. I had gotten a 10 % off coupon and couldn't resist ordering. Wanna see?

First, I got a set of 2.75 mm Harmony DPNs. I love these needles so much, I already have three sets of the 2.25 mm but sometimes I need a little bigger so now I'm all set.

But I know you all really want to know about the yarn, right? Well here you go.



I got 8 skeins of Comfy Worsted in Honey Dew. My best friend is pregnant and due in November and I definitely want to knit her something. My first plan was to do something like this. But then I was browsing projects made with Comfy and I found this. I think we have a winner. I still have a long time to make this but I want to start on it ASAP so I don't have to do a knitting marathon in the Fall.

Ok, I also got this:



Stroll Tonal in Springtime. What can I say? I love me some sock yarn and it's new and I just had to see it in person. Very pretty and very soft.



Shadow Kettle Dyed in Clementine (2 skeins). It's definitely not as bright (though it IS very bright) in real life, but I couldn't get the colour to photograph well. It reminds me of orange popsicle. You can see better pics of the colour here. That colour had been on my wish list for a while and when I ordered, I noticed it was now a "last chance" colour so I decided to buy it. Plus, I sort of have an obsession with laceweight these days.



Alpaca Cloud in Peppermint. This was an impulse buy. The soft was calling me. So I put it in my cart. I do NOT regret it. It's beautiful and omg soft! In fact, my only regret is that I got only one skein, because after my order had shipped, I found this pattern that was made for this yarn, but it requires two skeins. Oh well. I'm sure I can find a cute scarf pattern that'll only use up one skein.

So, that's all for the yarn porn. I kind of felt guitly about buying that much, so I decided it was time for me to start a little yarn diet. No more yarn buying in 2010. Eeek. That's a long time! But with the house we just bought, I can't justify buying more yarn, I have more than enough to last me until the end of the year (and the next, and the next, but a girl's gotta indulge once in a while). I hope I can do it!

Bits of softness

This post is brought to you by the word SOFT!

It's been 11 days since my last post (sorry!) and I got a lot to talk about. I've kind of gone crazy with my credit card (well crazy for me, I know some people are a lot worst). But before I get to the yarn porn, let me show you the current WIPs.

First, a sock of course. Cookie A. is the designer of the month for the Sock Knitters Anonymous challenge, so I figured it would be a good time to knit something from her fabulous book, Sock Innovation. I chose Kai-Mei because it's the one that had first caught my eye when I got the book. Here's the first sock in all it's unblocked glory:



Let me tell you, this picture definitely doesn't show the beauty of the sock. But I like to save the sock blocker pics for the finished pair.

Also, I'm someone who's usually late to the party and if there's a trend, I'll probably end up following it... two years after it went out of style. I find the same thing happens with knitting. In fact, I'm currently thinking that maybe I should make a Clapotis. ;) I'm saying that because my Kai-Mei are made with Socks that rock, and yes, it's my first time using it. And I LOVE it. I just love the fabric it makes, it feels sooooo good on my foot. *sigh* I'm sure that in 5 years, I'll tell you all about my love of Wollmeise... ;)

Ok, WIP #2. Believe it or not, I'm making a cardigan! I haven't made a garment in a long time and I hope that I'll finally make one that I actually want to wear. The fact that it's seamless will help. It's made of laceweight so it's not a quick knit, but here's the little bit I had done a few days ago:



It's the Honeybee cardigan and I'm using Knit Picks Gloss in Bordeaux. The yarn is very very soft and I love the colour. Funny thing: the Honeybee stitch pattern is very similar to the pattern on the foot of my Kai-Mei socks.

Ok, now I give you YARN PORN!

After looking many many times at SlackFord Studio's web page and hearing good thing about the yarn, I decided (after yet another bad day) that I needed yarn. So I present you:



Stalwart Sock in "From Dusk Till Dawn".



Stalwart Sock in "Steelyard Blues".

The yarn is really, seriously beautiful AND soft. And from what I've seen on Ravelry, they make beautiful socks. Looking at those skein makes me happy. But not as happy as when I feel this:



Nimbus Lace in "True Blood".

OMG! So soft! Of course, the fact that it's 70% baby alpaca, 20% silk, and 10% cashmere definitely helps making it soft. I love love love love it. I have 650 yards of it and I need the perfect project (a scarf, I'm pretty sure).

I've been obsessed with laceweight lately for some reason, but I've been adding the yarn to my stash without actually starting lace projects. That needs to change.

Oh and if you thought that wasn't enough yarn porn, it's not over. I got a big box from Knit Picks waiting for me at the post office (I had a 10% off coupon, I couldn't resist). Expect more laceweight. :)

Just a scarf

Just as the weather is getting nicer, I finished a beautiful wool scarf. Oh well, we still have a few scarf-days ahead of us and I can always use it next fall :)





Pattern: One Row Handspun Scarf, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers
Needles: US8/5.0 mm circulars
Notes: I had two skeins of Cascade but I ended up only using one. It's a bit on the short side, but I like it.

Now that I finished the scarf, I sort of want to start a new project or ten. I already have Kai-Mei socks on the needles (LOVE!) but I also want a non-sock project. I hesitated... A cardigan or a shawl? And then I thought... Why not both? Wild, I know. I have yet to cast on but it shall be done soon. Stay tuned.

Some people drink, some people use drugs...

... I buy yarn.

After a BAD day this week, I needed some retail therapy, and then I heard the Canadian dollar was pretty much equal to the US one and I knew that some yarn shopping would make me feel much better. Yarn diet, schmarn diet. Who cares? I had been eyeing the sock yarn at Slackford Studio for a while so I decided to treat myself. I wasn't too bad. I just got two skeins of sock yarn and one of laceweight. I'm not saying which colours, I'll show you when it gets here.

In the meantime, here's a pic of my latest FO:



Pattern: Ice Cream Cone Socks by Veronik Avery
Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll in Mermaid
Needles: 2.25 and 2.75 mm

I love them, they're pretty. I think I'll keep them in my Christmas box and give them to my sister.

Making Cookie...

Today I took this:



And I cast on for Kai-Mei, by Cookie A.

I think... I know... I have a sock addiction. I want to work on something else but I keep seeing sock patterns I want to make and I can't resist.

Speaking of socks, I also finished a pair, but they're lace and blocking right now so you'll have to wait for pics.

Oh and did you guys see the new Twist Collective? I'm usually not much into Spring/Summer patterns but I gotta say the newest issue is just lovely. I have queued Poplar & Elm, Azami and Tanis because they're just so full of deliciousness. Whether or not I'll ever get to knit them is another story. The queue is, after all, 468 patterns long, as of right now.

WIPs and Wants

Apparently, I only blogged ONCE in the whole month of March! Cray-zee. I know I've been out of the country for half of the month, but I could have still posted a bit in the two other weeks! I'll try to do better in April, promise!

Thanks to those of you who congratulated me on the new house! We're very happy, excited and scared (because of the OMG25yearsmortgage!) and we can't wait to move in in July. The "house" is actually a condo. We have the first floor of a duplex + basement. The frontyard and (tiny) backyard are also ours. And it's in the Notre-Dame the Grâce neighbourhood, which is a beautiful place, even though we are not *that* familiar with it. We can't wait to discover it though. It feels like we're moving in a whole other city and it's very exciting! But I'm going to miss being close to the Marché Jean-Talon and Effiloché!

But enough about the house, as this is a knitting blog, right? And I've been knitting a little. I'm almost done with a pair of socks:



The pattern is "Ice Cream Cone socks» by Veronik Avery, from the Steppin' Out Too booklet. I'm pretty sure they're going to be a gift for my sister, but I may wait till Christmas to give it to her.

I've also been working on a scarf:



The pattern is the One Row Handspun Scarf by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and I've used almost a whole ball of Cascade 220. I'm not sure how long I'll make it (I have another ball of the same colour). We'll see. I'm not too motivated to work on it right now since the weather is so nice.

I have, however, been hit by a bad case of startitis! As soon as I finish the Ice cream come socks, I'll cast on for a Cookie A. sock from Sock Innovation. I'm not sure which one... possibily Kai-mei.

I also really want to make me the Honeybee cardigan... Oh and a shawl! A little while ago, I was able to get two skeins of laceweight from Tara:



(Knit Picks Shimmer in Maple Leaf)

I wasn't sure what to make with it, so I browsed projects in Ravelry and I saw a beautiful, beautiful shawl made with this exact same colourway. And I already have the pattern. Soooo... I'll probably cast-on for it soon and tell you which one it is.

Speaking of Knit Picks, did you guys see their new Tonal sock and lace yarns? OMG! Semi-solid! Beautiful! Want!