Sigh... and something good

Apparently the all-bags (with my design) issue of Magknits has been moved up to next month :(. Have to keep waiting.

In good news, my Sock Yarn Swap package arrived! Amy Hamilton of Toronto sent me some nice Kroy and Regia- I don't know her blog, unfortunately. Thanks Amy!!

Socktoberfest, Fuzzy Feet and actual pictures!

I haven't actually finished a PAIR of socks, but I have finished some singular ones.
Behold! One of my Socktoberfest socks in Trekking:

I also joined the Fuzzy Feet Along. I'm making mine in Kureyon. One is done (though obviously not felted yet:

And last but not least, the moment you've all been waiting for. What my husband bought at String (he met Ivete too:)

(He left the price tag on to explain why he only bought one- it's Supercashmere by Karabella, $47!! He wanted to be fancy.)

Right now, my husband is buying me yarn

He just sent me this picture:

to prove he walked down to String to get a present for me from New York (never mind Tiffany's and all that crap, he knows what I like!) He'll be back late tomorrow (with my camera too, by the way!) so I can offer photographic evidence of the spoils.
P.S. Thanks for the nice comments about the possible Interweave Knits business-- I am holding my breath!

Still no pictures, sorry

Still really busy, so I still haven't finished anything :( The Hubbo (I almost typed Hobo) went to New York on business and took my camera, so even if I had I couldn't show it anyway. He's supposed to bring me something back from one of their many yarn shops (!), so I can forgive him.

I got Handknit Holidays- what a cute book! I like all the little quick projects- I might actually have time to make some of those!

The tank top for SWTC continues unabated. I have to finish it before I got to Louisville for a conference on November 9- even though I'm working weekends to pack for the big move at school I think I can make it- no sleeves, right?

One little potentially exciting thing-- I got an email from Pam Allen the other day- Interweave Knits saved the design I sent for Spring 2006 for the summer issue instead- she says it's lovely and she'll let me know in a week or two if it makes the cut. I'm totally holding my breath!

Little mini-update

I didn't get very far on the Trekking sock this week for 3 reasons:
1. Had too much to do at work
2. Spent a lot of time working on the new project for SWTC (the Twize yarn is soft and pretty)
3. Started a new sock (in Karaoke, more of a thick cozy one)
I'll show and not just tell once I get a bit more done-- maybe later? We'll see how much housework I can avoid doing first.
P.S. South Beach news = 19 lbs!

At last

A ring just for me.

Socktoberfest progress! I have almost finished the heel gusset- next stop- the foot.

Thanks Secret Pal!

Pictures of something knitted

to appear very soon. Like hopefully tomorrow. Today we have no students (it's parent-teacher conferences) and I have to work until 7:30 but by some odd twist of scheduling I have 1/3 of my class today and 2/3 next Friday- allowing me (hopefully) some serious sock knitting time (I find it completely impossible to get ahead on lesson plans and stuff on conference days- it's stressful, okay? I need my yarn-- so like long, stringy Valium.) And after conferences? An actual date with Hubbo. Believe it or not, grandma has taken the girl for the night. Too bad we're starting packing (to move the school) tomorrow! I'll still have to get up early.

And the winner is...

Samantha! Look for your goodies to arrive soon! Thanks to all who entered.

A contest for you, plus new project for SWTC finished

I finished my newest project for South West Trading, and while I can't show you the whole thing, I am going to show a closeup peek of the stitch pattern, just for Cathi, who is tempted to get some Karaoke (I say get it- I have used it thrice now and love it.)
Behold!


Edited to add: There is a picture of the whole purse up now at the SWTC blog.

Plus I am announcing a contest (my very first)!
At least where I live, summer has just now ended and it's time to pull out the cozy handknit socks. In honor of Socktoberfest (as Lauren is calling it) I have two lovely new balls of Fortissima Socka Disco (variegated denimy blues with silver sparkles) to send to one lucky blog reader. Just leave me a comment letting me know how much you love to knit socks and your email address. My charming daughter will pick the winner, and let me know if you'd also like 2 nearly complete but labelless balls of Opal too- I'll throw those in for the heck of it. Good luck!

Edited to add: Emma will randomly select the winner Tuesday 10/11 after school.

Socktoberfest, and a review

Okay, so this is pretty much all for Lauren. First, my official Socktoberfest socks, done in Trekking, though just in their beginnings:

That's my beloved Knit Knack Sack, which I use for sock projects.
Also, per Lauren's request, a quick review of Sally Melville's new book Color. If you liked The Knit Stitch and The Purl Stitch, you will definitely love this one. Even if you didn't (or felt the patterns were too easy) you will still love this one. It has a slew of gorgeous designs (some of which I fondled at Stitches Midwest) in a wide variety of skill levels, though on the whole they are too much for beginners. Every type of colorwork is represented, from Fair Isle to intarsia to slip stitch patterns. There is also a lot of information about using color effectively, color theory, etc. as well as good technical info regarding the techniques themselves and things like matching stripes and handling color changes. As a bonus, it's about 50% thicker than the first two books. I only wish I wasn't so busy designing myself, or I would knit up a few of these beauties!

Been preordered for so long...

And now it's here! The new Sally Melville book in the Knitting Experience series- COLOR! I'm way too lazy to take a picture because I'm going to read it. Right now. This minute.

New WIPS

Over the weekend, I actually BOUGHT yarn- haven't done that much lately since I've only been knitting projects that aren't for me- at that new yarn store that's dangerously close to my in-laws, The Knitting Den in South Lyon. They had some nice stuff. I bought some Trekking for me for socks-which I started and for the first time I'm doing the Magic Loop, some chunky wool to make a hat or something for Emma, and some Kureyon for my Secret Pal. Speaking of Kureyon, it's one of Emma's vocabulary words for Japanese this week- it means crayon, just like it sounds! Besides that, I started one of my new projects for SWTC- it's for their new purse kits. They have a sort of plastic canvas form that fits inside to give them support, which is pretty handy. I'm doing this one is a mosaic pattern with the 2 colors of Karaoke I showed the other day, with a bit of Fur Real at the top (yes, like most things, fur is okay in moderation, and this fur is nicer than most.)

Yarn P*rn

I finished my second project for Creative Knitting today, and as much as I long to show it to you, I'll have to settle for a pic of the yarn I used (and will be using for my next 2 projects for SWTC)-had to use Hello since Blogger wouldn't upload my photo today! :(

Big purple one is SWTC Twize (bamboo)-using that for a tank top design, little one on the right is SWTC Amerah (silk, but with a raw silk feel- I used it for the Creative Knitting project), 2 in front are SWTC Karaoke (wool/soysilk)- using that for a purse design.