yarn therapy

I've been having a crappy morning...and since I got paid today, I decided I would make myself feel better by buying some yarn online. So I ventured over to Little Knits, a website suggested by Ms Messie on Ravelry for its cheap prices. And what awaited me there but some delicious Cotton Fleece in Raging Purple and some Lambs Pride Worsted in Jaded Dreams. Mmm, mmm! And both were on sale big time, so I decided to get both...a little splurge for myself. I will use the purple cotton fleece for a Rusted Root top, and the jade yarn for my first Central Park Hoodie.

I've started brainstorming ideas for gifts this year--planning ahead never hurt. I want to make my dad some socks for his birthday this year. I have a pattern in mind, a manly sock with some simple ribbing details, but I just need to find a good, neutral, "dad" yarn. No crazy dye colors for him, but I don't want plain black either. I'm thinking something woodsy..hmm. For my brother's 21st birthday this year, I'd like to make him either some Knucks or a cap with a brim. He normally wears baseball caps only, so I'm leaning toward the Knucks. Plus, they are just so darn neat looking. I don't have any ideas for Mom yet. She's already gotten 2 scarves..maybe a pair of socks for her too.

I just need to find some good sources for sustainable yarn. I made a commitment to try to buy sustainable or more environmentally friendly fiber this year, and so far I'm not doing so well, considering this purchase today is my first of the year and it wasn't sustainable or necessarily environmentally friendly. But I'm going to give myself a break for today, because I just needed a little bit of yarn therapy..no matter where the yarn was coming from. I'm definitely going to look into sustainable sources for my other projects though..I need to find some eco-friendly wool.

in the works

So in the past, I have made a couple of scarves..

some hats, and a set of armwarmers. But I won't take up lots of space posting those pictures here. If you'd like to see them, you can check out my projects page on Ravelry.

Currently, I am working on my very first pair of Monkey socks. They have been taking me forever, mainly because I am slow and have been in the midst of moving over the last few weeks. But the first sock is done and in order to avoid second sock syndrome, I immediately cast on for the second sock after I finished the first. I've been blowing through the second sock, and am currently half-way through the gusset.

Here's a picture of the first, glorious sock:

It is so lovely and wonderful and squishy on my foot. I'll never forget the glee I felt when I slipped the mostly finished sock onto my foot for the first time and behold! it actually fit like a sock! And I immediately knew why people would take the time to knit socks, rather than just buying them at Wal-Mart. I don't even care that I'll have to hand-wash them. It just gives me a reason to buy some delicious smelling Soak!

Besides my socks, I'm working on a modified Tiara Scarf for my mom using this yarn:

But I don't have any pictures of the actual scarf yet..I'm really behind on that..but I will post some as soon as I get around to it.

Well, this seems to have been a productive post. Hopefully this is a glimpse of things to come.

hello

i've been inspired to start my very own knitting blog, which will hopefully chronicle all the bumps, blunders, and successes along the way.

happy travels!