Did I mention I love the mail?
There hasn’t been much to see Chez Blue Garter, save the frantic blurs of pencil on graph paper and madly swatching needles on Jaeger Luxury Tweed. Yes, we are in the throes of holiday knitting. It’s not looking good for some of the secondary projects (certain people may be getting IOUs for socks, scarves, etc.), but the gansey may just come in under the wire, barring disaster. No pictures, but I’m sure you can imagine grafted shoulders and six inches of the left arm, picked up at the shoulder and worked on two 32″* #6 Addi circs (thanks, Lisa!). So nothing to see…until the mail arrived today:
Y’all, I may just have a new favorite online store. When I ordered sock yarn from Earthfaire, I was hardly expecting it to come wrapped in color-coordinated tissue paper, several packets of beautiful beads, a special little beading tool, and a page of instructions with a hand-written note. I know you can’t see all that in the photo, because I took this crappy picture on the ironing board under the fluorescent light in the living room. But I did get some fairly decent shots of the contents:
The first picture is Nature’s Palette merino sock yarn in colorway “Odd Duck 4”, a happy accident of the dye process for their green colors. It’s going to be those pretty leaf socks in the winter IK. I was planning to make nearly identical socks using Barbara Walker’s notes, but I’m not sure I would have thought to make the last leaf curl up the toe so beautifully. The second picture is Shelridge Farms Soft Touch Ultra in “Deep Blue Sea”, for these. A sock pattern so tricky it looks like it could make you cry? Sign me up, baby. I can’t resist. Who wants to make me a button that reads “Sock-Knitting Fool”?
And now, to bed. We’re not quite at the crisis stage of the holiday knits where we have to burn the midnight oil. A girl needs her rest and her wits to stay on top of Twisted Tree and Twist Stitch Diamond Patterns, you know.
*oddly enough, the needles are not actually the same length. Lisa’s is about seventh eighths of an inch longer than mine. Hardly the rigid German quality control I would have expected, but of little import for this project.
Posted: December 13th, 2005 at 4:06 am
i’m definately going to try out that new online yarn store. I love the colors of your new sock yarn. thanks for the tip!
Posted: December 13th, 2005 at 7:14 am
I’ve been thinking of making buttons that say “No, I did not knit this sweater.” or something like that. That way you wouldn’t have to utter those words in a yarn shop again!
Posted: December 13th, 2005 at 8:38 am
Ooo, I love that sock yarn. Might have to order from them one day. I love the little “niceties” that smaller yarn purveyors provide, such as matching wrap and extra goodies. Love that. Makes me feel special.
As for the Winter IK sock, LOVE IT. I love that pattern. It’s so elegant and I must try it once holiday knitting is done and I finish up my Jaywalkers…
Posted: December 13th, 2005 at 7:53 pm
i ADORE that pattern from Knitty. That pattern is inspiring. i think that would make a nifty sweater, as well. hmmmm, makes ya think, eh? like you need anything beyond the gansey on your plate right now, lol. you go girl, that yarn looks delish!
Posted: December 14th, 2005 at 8:52 am
uh oh I’ve been on a sock yarn craze lately and now I’m going to have to buy some of that sock crack!
Posted: December 16th, 2005 at 7:57 am
I’ve never heard of earthfaire, it looks like an good shop. I love the sock yarn, the colors you got are really pretty!
Posted: December 16th, 2005 at 8:46 am
haha towards marie’s comment – sock crack! *giggle* that yarn looks YUMMY. i will practice some restraint since i still have that STR yarn waiting. unless i can think of someone else in need of socks… hmm….