Too Much Yarn

On the way

The Tadpole made through security. I may also cast on the Honey Cowl. We will see. The flight is less than 3 hours long. Later!

Pair #5 & #6

 Just a quickie to show you the last 2 pairs of socks I finished.  This is pair #5, Thuja - started in 2011 - meant as a High School Graduation gift.  Michelle is now starting her 3rd year in college!

 

Pair #6 - The Secret Fan from Tour de Socks.  Unfortunately, I miscounted and was short one repeat on the second sock, so I've called the project The Hidden Fan (aka missing!)

I'll be leaving in 8 hours and I have a few more items to do!  AND watch Game of Thrones!  I started watching this series on Monday night.  Season 1.  There are a total of 30 episodes for 3 Seasons.  I'm now on Season 3, Episode 6!  4 more episodes. Would be nice to finish watching all of them within the next 8 years... Nah.. don't think that would happen.  I wonder if there is wifi at the airport?  If not, I'm going to watch it on my phone - I have unlimited data!!

OK - I'll be blogging on my trip... Stay tuned.

Pair #4

Things are slowing down.. Took me a week to finish Solfar Sock #2.  Last Sunday, the second sock looks like this: 

Just an hour ago... Interestingly enough, earlier during the week, I was fighting the pattern.  I had trouble with the SSSK and K3TOG.  After further analysis, I determined that one of the needles was an Addi Turbo, not the Addi Sock Rocket.  I switched it and things just went smoothly from that point on.

This is another Sock club pattern that I can count towards my goal - even though it's a pattern from the 2012 Cookie A Sock Club.

Up next for  Pair #5 - Thuja socks which I started for Michelle, a friend of my son's, who graduated 2 years ago from High School.  I'd better get this done before she graduated from college!

I mentioned on the SKA board that I haven't really taken the time to learn Kitchener - I think it would be a skill that would be very useful.  But in the meantime, I've always used 3-needle bind-off to finish my toes.  Since I took the photos, I thought I would share here as well.

This is the inside:

 

This is the outside...

Just wondering.. does any one watch the new series on STARTZ called The White Queen?  What about Breaking Bad from AMC?

Pair #2 and Pair #3

I'm copying Amphibiaknitter's post title on her blog, except she's one pair ahead of me. 

Finished my Monkey Socks at the lake last Tuesday:

I think this is only the second new yarn I've tried this year - Zen Yarn Garden Serenity 20.  The other new yarn being Sweet Fiber's Cashmerino, which I finished Pair #1 in.

Pair #3 is Katniss in Bugga in one of my favorite colorways, Love Bug.  This is for Emily as she is a big fan of the Hunger Games.

Up next, Solfar socks which I started in April of this year.  This is also using Bugga.

Based on last year's stats, I'm going at about the same pace, which could allow me to finish 6 - 7 pairs.  I have no more socks which I've started, so I have to start by casting on the second sock.  So far, all the socks I'm trying to finish were cast on in 2013.  Won't it be cool if all the socks I cast on in 2013 were finished in 2013?  Well, I think this one may not get finished this year, but I do want to finish it some time.... my Owlie Socks:

Unfortunately, this was as far as I went - on the FIRST SOCK!  Maybe I'll work on it a little at a time and then, I can finish it in August, 2014!!

Knitting away

    I finally caught up with updating my stash pages on Ravelry.  I also checked to see I've downloaded all the patterns I should be - I'm missing the May pattern from Twisted Sock Club.  I swear to my stash now that I am not going to join any clubs next year.  Maybe JUST ONE.  I have only finished one pattern!  I have too many patterns, too much yarn!  No more clubs!  Will you please remind me this at the end of this year?

Since August 1, I've been knitting my Tulip Socks - remember, I'm just finishing PAIRS of socks this month.  I started the month with this:

On Aug 7, I finished the pair:  This is the Cookie A April pattern.  It was quite intuitive to knit, thus fast.

Up  next are my Monkey Socks.  I've finished the leg of the first sock.  I finished the heel flap last night.  Having knitted so many pairs of Monkey socks, I tend to try something different.  The pattern calls for a plain heel - just knit on the right side and purl on the wrong side.  Apparently, I decided to do an Eye of Patridge heel on the first sock and I did not look at it before I started on the second sock.  I did a slipped stitch heel.  Well, I'm not changing it!  I will have mismatched heel flaps for this pair!

Some folks (for some reason, a large percentage of Canadians - they must have a bad habit of not finishing the socks; I'm wondering if I should have been born a Canadian!) have finished 3 and 4 pairs of socks already since the beginning of the month!  My goal is to finish 5.  7 would be great!  But I don't think I will have time.  It's very busy at work and I don't have a week off this year in August.

I've made plans to visit my very first roommate (not counting my Grandpa, my very first roommate (two in a room!) when I was 5), nor my sister when we were in college - not counting when the 4 sisters and the maid slept in one room when were were little... then, I was old enough to move out to share a room with Grandpa.  My sisters were jealous!), Grace, who now lives in Washington DC.  Are there any yarn shops there?  It's closed to the Bugga's in Baltimore!!  BUT, my husband will be with, so maybe not a good idea to visit the Buggas...

Last night, I got to meet a Ravelrer from Texas.  Deb was in town for a convention and I met up with her and took her to a couple of yarn shops.  I only came home with this skein of Pashmina.  Thought I could make a shawl with it with gold beads... what do you think?  The color is called Sand Dune.

I got my photo taken with Deb at Needleworks, Unlimited:

Let me know if you're ever in town!  Minneapolis, i.e.