Wow! Sock Club Box Arrives

I'm not sure how Sheri at The Loopy Ewe continues to outdo herself with the incredible contents of the sock club boxes. For those who are unfamiliar with sock clubs -- you join for the specified number for a year and then your box magically appears in the mail. I like Sheri's for a number of reasons -- you pay each time you get one and not all upfront which is much easier on the purse strings and she always amazes and thrills me with the content.

Today's box contained what is in the bottom photo: gorgeous sock yarn from Smooshy Dream in Color in colorway Spicy Smooches which is shades if beiges with a little gray to make it even more interesting; a fabulous TOP DOWN (yeah!!!) sock pattern called Hugs and Chocolate Kisses designed b Debbie O'Neill specifically for The Loopy Ewe' a cute little button thingy that says "born to knit"; a pack of peppermint candy (always peppermints in the summer and Hershey kisses in the winter -- in ALL packages sent by Sheri and the Elves); and the most fabulous notepad and pen. Lots of lines pages to make notes about patterns, a heavy duty vinyl cover complete with Loopy on the front and a cute red pen.

No wonder her sock club fills up fast each winter...I don't know how she is going to manage the number of people who will want to rejoin and join for next year. The desire to join was high this year -- can't imagine what next year will be like for her as more and more people discover her wonderful on-line shop.

Are you wondering what types of things have been in other packages? See the cute red zippered case that holds a ton of knitting accessories and necessities...that was in a recent shipment. The first box of each of the past two years has included a larger version of this zippered case. The plastic is top grade and sturdy but flexible. Very nice way to hold projects, keep them together and keep those darn stitches on the needles! There have been other cute gifites too...a tiny crochet hook on a ring holder, specially made row markers, etc. etc. All very clever and fun surprises.

Thanks Sheri and Elves! Will September's box soon be here??? hehehehehe

Look what I got!!

Last night our Penns Valley Knitters held a very delayed holiday (and yes, I mean Christmas!) potluck and and "Almost Christmas in July" gift exchange. We played the "stealing" game and had a ton of fun and lots of laughter. I hate having my photo taken -- can ya tell -- but Melissa insisted. I am wearing the prize I got -- a mobius scarf knitted by Billie. I am thrilled, to say the least! She used Lorna's Laces yarn and it means so much to me that Billie made it. I only have it draped around my neck once but when winter returns, it will be wound more tightly to keep me warm. Thank you Billie for being such a wonderful knitter and friend!

A Busy Two Weeks

I looked at my last post and it was 13 days ago. I'm not sure where the last two weeks have gone but those are days I will never get back. It has been wild around here with a lot of storms, but nothing like the people in the midwest have been struggling through.

On Sunday night we had major high winds and large hail. Winds strong enough to split a tree next to the garage. The part that fell landed on the fence, forcing it out of the ground. Fortunately, the man who installed it 12 years ago has a work ethic rarely seen these days. He says his former customers are "special" to him and he made sure to break from a new job and send a crew to cleanup and make repairs -- the day after the storm. What a relief ... always worried that the Golden Retrievers will escape!

Not a lot of knitting going on but I did get these self-striping wool socks finished. Don't you just love the colors? I do.

I even made some candy tonight. For charity. My neighbor and her friends are having a bake sale during this weekend's townwide yard sale event and all of their proceeds go to Relay for Life. Their team is a busy one and does all sorts of fund-raisers. I told her I would make my mother's grapenut and chocolate candy and I did. Yes, there is one piece missing. I felt it was my responsibility to taste test.

Hopefully some more knitting content next time.

Finally: The PERFECT Knitting Bag (I think...)

Yes, I'm a bag snob and also probably what could be called a "collector" of fabric bags. All sorts of fabric but primarily quilted. I have small bags, medium-sized bags and large bags. There they are on the closet shelf in a variety of pretty colors. I use them...yes I do. But none seemed to be the right knitting bag. You know the one ... with the interior pockets, large flap to cover the opening, a large size bag with some zippered storage spots for valuables such as my iTouch. And I need to be able to stuff it with a variety of projects and not tip over when I carry it! Oh, and since my shoulder injury one of my key requirements is a wide, long strap so I can wear it messenger bag style.

I think I found it...fits all the descriptors. Much less pricey than many I own and in a beautiful combination of red, khaki and black...gee, there was a color combination not on that closet shelf. The maker, MaggieB, who designs all sort of bags. This one must have had me in mind. No I didn't shop online but came across the bag by chance (perhaps luck) in a nearby tiny town that has a gift shop stuffed with all sorts of wonderful items.

Check out the photos. I think you will agree.

An Array of Scarves

While reviewing projects in the works, I realized I have a number of really nice scarves in the works.

First, there is the "Bucknell" scarf which will be worn at basketball games this coming season. It is shades of orange and blue, of course. It is the very popular Chevron Scarf that uses alternating rows of 2 colors of yarn. The pattern calls for 2 skeins each of 2 colors of Koigu. But, while in FLA in March, a very helpful woman at Great Balls of Yarn showed me her finished version using 1 skein each of 2 colors. Half the knitting time and half the cost. A win-win!

Oriel Lace Scarf is a nice lace pattern that I am knitting from a skein of something-or-other bought on-line at The Loopy Ewe. I can't remember what is it as the label is gone. It is in muted shades of eggplant, olive green and brown.

Last, but not least, is Eyelet from Ann Norling's 6 lace scarf leaflet. Some other cute patterns on that one, too. This yarn is in deep pastel colors of blue, raspberry and green with a little lavender. It was frogged after the photo was taken as I discovered that I hadn't cast on enough stitches. But, its current state is longer than in this photo. A nice easy pattern.

Eyelet and socks in progress will accompany me to Corning, NY this weekend where I will get tons of knitting done at the LPGA tournament. An annual jaunt for my husband and me.

Yes, there is one more bag...this nice one from Loopy Ewe. Love the combination of chocolate brown and blues. It comes with a nice drawstring brown bag to hold the yarn. Nice! This is from Ham's Jams and I love her stuff. Very well made and useful. The bottom is nice and wide and flattens nicely. I really love the adjustable strap so I can wear it across the body to alleviate stress on the shoulder. Perfect!

Have a safe Memorial Day weekend.

Then

New stash yarn

As memories of this past weekend at Maryland Sheep & Wool fade in my mind, I have my purchases to remind me of all that I saw, all I wanted and didn't buy, and things that were just fun to look at in the booths.

From top to bottom:

First purchase: a skein of Sockotta from The Mannings. This self-stripes in shades of raspberry speckled with other colors. I love it that this shop has most of their yarns knitted into a finished sock. Always a draw when knitters know the look of the final product.

Second purchase: a skein of sock yarn from Autumn House Farm, a small dyer in nothercentral PA. Aren't the colors gorgeous? And I love the speckles of other colors. Can't wait to knit this one.

Third purchase and my favorite: 3 skeins of Tess's fingering weight yarn in shades of lavender and teal which I will use for an oblong shawl. I have been perusing the patterns and books and am almost certain about my selection.

Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

These photos depict a small part of the fun day at Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival on Saturday. Briefly, I will describe what these photos show. I was intrigued by the shirts on the line -- one each of all the shirts and sweatshirts that were being sold with the MDSW logo (this year's was not a fav of mine so I didn't buy one), the long line waiting to make a purchase (obviously others had a different opinion than mine about the logo), the baby goats, Billie and Barb and a little stuffed hedgehog gift from Barb's cousin, and just a few shots in general.

I went with a great group of ladies on a comfy bus -- let the driving and parking to someone else! -- sponsored by my LYS, the Knitters Underground. We began the day with Molly distributing tote bags that held a fresh bagel, cream cheese, jam and a bottle of OJ. Yummy way to begin the day!

Sadly, I only took a couple of photos because as the day developed it just didn't seem to work. Next year more photos will be a priority and also seeing some sights I missed this year -- such as the music and clogging -- are already on my agenda.

I was wondering how the extremely high gas prices would effect attendance. I don't think the sales barns were as jammed as ususal but I heard vendors say they were having good sales days...which is great news because then they will want to return next year. I and others did comment on the increased numbers of buses at the show. I think double of any of the 5 years I have been attending. A bus trip is fun, someone else drives AND buses are parked more closely to the entrance which makes walking easier. This is a very large show and the fairgrounds are a lot of space to cover.

What did I buy? Humm...let's see.. patterns -- one for a cute sock, a sampler lace vest, a felted purse and a baby kimono. I also purchased some yarn but much, much less than in previous years (my stash does not need enhanced right now!). I bought a cool skein of sock yarn from Autumn House Farms in colors of red, brown, blue and off-white but it is speckled with other colors and the fiber speckles are loose on the yarn; a skein of self-striping Sockotta in shades of raspberry and 3 skeins of Tess's fingering weight yarn in shades of lavender and and teal to use for an oblong shawl. I picked up the first skein of the latter yarn for a pair of socks but loved the colorway so much I want to wear it in a more obvious manner -- and I will have enough leftover to make those socks. Last but not least I found my favorite stitch markets at Ellen's 1/2-pint Farm yarn stand. I bought a package last year and really wanted more so I bought them in 2 sizes.

Two merchandising notes: I noticed a lot more hand-dyed rovings for sale this year than the other 4 years I have attended. Spinning seems to be increasingly popular. Also, saw an electric spinning machine...one needs to manage the roving as it spins but it goes more quickly than with a traditional wheel...to each his own.

Additionally, instead of 2 or 3 button vendors there must have been at least a dozen vendors selling gorgeous handmade buttons. Really unique ones that would be nice for felted bags.

I love the atmosphere at Fiber Festivals and already am planning two more events for myself this year -- the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival in Hemlock, NY in early September and Stitches East in Baltimore, MD in early November. The NY event will require missing a Penn State football game but they are only playing Temple so other than the general fun of the game I won't miss much!