Monday, August 21, 2006

Knitting - Not So Much

Is it the weather? Is it lack of sleep? Is it just a case of the ho-hum's?

Whatever the reason, there's been little progress on the knitting front. I abandoned the idea of knitting a shawl in time for the wedding this weekend. I'm going to wear the shrug I made in the spring. The Leaf Lace Shawl is still on the needles and I'm quite enjoying it when I can focus. Something clicked with this pattern - I found myself reading off the chart instead of the written instructions and suddenly charts were easy!

After the self-imposed moratorium on yarn buying for the Yarn Focus Challenge, I've been acting like a gambler let loose in Las Vegas. My yarn stash has grown by several purchases - a total impulse buy of 12 skeins of discontinued Kool Wool on eBay (they were *cheap*!), 8 skeins of Valley Yarns' Longmeadow and 1 skein of Florence, and the latest obsession: Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Sock Candy. I stumbled on this yarn at Farmhouse Knits on a business trip last November. Since then I discovered a cult following of BMFA for the Socks That Rock, a hard-to-find merino sock yarn in gorgeous, unconventional colorways. Sock Candy is a cotton and lycra blend that's even more difficult to find. They don't even advertise it on their website, you just have to know about it.

In other news...I go back to work in less than three weeks. Karalyn is past her colicky stage and is changing rapidly every day. It's fascinating to watch her learn everything. One of the coolest things about being a mom is re-discovering the joys of life through a child's eyes.

As I'm writing this, Karl is playing with Karalyn while she's in her crib, teaching her words from a book..."What have we here? 3 Shells...and 4 turtles...and 5 starfish. What do you think of that? Can you say it with me?" She is concentrating really hard as he turns the pages. What could be better than this?

6 comments:

Agnes said...

How do you like Sock Candy? I haven't seen this yarn in person ... but I am pretty much done with Socks That Rock. I mean after 3 kits ... and with 3 more to come, I have enough ... and would really like to knit with other sock yarns! Besides, I just don't like anything other than their lightweight yarns.
The baby girl is so cute! Look at the smile and the sparkling eyes!

AJ said...

Your baby is absolutely beautiful. Life sounds blissful...enjoy it! :)

Birdsong said...

Oh, her darling little, happy face! You will get around to all those lovely yarns, and they may end up being Karalyn hats and sweaters instead of socks, all in good time.

Anonymous said...

Great, now I want sock candy and I don't need it, just want it.

Karalyn is even more adorable when she's awake.

Anonymous said...

man... such an enabler you are, with all that sock yarn you're tempting us with!! =)

karalyn is SUCH a cutie in that pic. how was karl doing when you got back home last saturday?

Jen Da Purse Ho said...

I WANT THAT SOCK YARN!!! hahahaa. i'm jealous!!

karalyn is TOOOO CUTE!!!! i just want to squish her little cheeks!! :)