I have made an official Contest Page. It’s My Very First Try at xhtml/css so no laughing, please. I’ve also decided to open the essay portion of the contest to anyone. The sad, pathetic comments from Lorna’s Junkies have rent my heart in twain. If there are any addicts who would like to tell us in 20 words or less why you need MORE LL, feel free. M is still picking the top three essays so I feel that this is fair. He has seen many of your sock yarn stashes (I would get excited and say “Dear, come see THIS one! It’s MUCH better than mine!”), but I’m sure that won’t prejudice him at all. Only entrants who have never tried LL will be in the drawing.

Drum roll, please!

That is the Bedspread yarn. It’s going to need its own container.

Does anyone know how you’re supposed to knit off of a cone?

Ladies and Gentlemen, up until this very week, day, hour and minute, Cherry Tree Hill Supersock has been my hands-down favorite sock yarn of all time. But I have to tell you, Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock is giving CTH a run for its money. Yesterday (or was it the day before? things have been busy), a wealth of sock yarn arrived with the mail.

Lorna’s Laces in Black Pearl and Mother Lode

These are from Amanda and Leah who both were deeply touched that I had led a life empty of Lorna’s Laces (LL). At first, I was hesitant about accepting the yarn that has been referred to as “crack” by many many many many bloggers – “your first hit free” is how the Drug Dealers get you, you know. But it’s sock yarn and I was really powerless to resist.

The first thing I noticed (after salivating over the richness of the dye and the inspired color combinations) is that the twist is completely different. It’s smoother, more like Kroy, Wildefoot or some of the other workhorse sock yarns. And yet it retains the softness and spring of CTH or the infamous Socks that Rock. After a little pattern research, I cast on (So what that I have three other ongoing sock pairs? What’s it to ya?!).

The pattern is free: Staggered Rib Sox.

It’s an absolute pleasure to work with. Now, having only made a cuff, I cannot attest to its wearability. If the twist is any indication, it should last much longer than many of the other “premium” sock yarns. I can absolutely see why people wept for the void in my life. And I can’t thank my Knitting Role Models (a.k.a. “Pushers”) enough. This also means that my trade with Becky was brilliant! Don’t you just LOVE the color?!

That’s LL in Bittersweet and then some sparkly stuff that I will use to trim something. Becky did warn me that she was sending pink…

Now, if you have read this far, you are either a True Lorna’s Laces Fan or dying to try some. So I tell you what I’m gonna do:

I hereby announce the

Your First Skein is Free:
Lorna’s Laces Socky Goodness Givaway

To enter, tell me in my comments (which will be more fun for everyone) or send me an email that outlines in 20 words or less why your first skein of Lorna’s Laces should be free. Be sure to include the name of the colorway that makes your heart go “pitty pat”. Winners will be selected in two ways: Everyone who enters at all will be put in a “hat” and a winner will be drawn, and M (who is impartial, yet understands the Call of the Yarn) will select the top three essays which will be featured in a blog entry to be voted on by the Knitting Public. The two winners will receive two skeins of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock (enough for a pair of socks) from Knit2Purl2. Entries need to be in by Sunday, March 26. Voting will happen from Tuesday, March 28 to Wednesday, March 29. Winners will be announced on Thursday, March 30 and the yarn ordered on the 31. I’ve got to get the order in before April 1, that’s when the Sock Yarn Addicts Club starts.*

As an anticlimatic moment, the Red Socks and I have made up. I frogged them completely (I didn’t like the toes anyway) and have now increased to the appropriate number of stitches.

The Fairhope Fudge Bag is so I like the socks a little bit more. Sadly, there is no fudge in there with them.

*I don’t believe my sock yarn buying habits are a “problem” really. But M is questioning my self-control and I certainly can’t have that. Plus, Abigail is giving out Gold Stars. I love Gold Stars.

I have learned something this weekend. I have learned why an individual should never make something two-at-a-time when said individual doesn’t know what she is doing: making things two-at-a-time means that there is twice as much to rip out.

I measured M’s foot, accurately determined my gauge, calculated how many stitches I needed to increase and dilligently increased until I achieved the prescribed number of stitches. After that, I proceded to knit for three inches, all the while thinking “Hey, these look really big.” I checked my gauge and my math several times, told myself that it was some kind of Optical Illusion and knit for a couple more inches. It wasn’t until we were in Montgomery on the way home that I finally admitted to myself that there was No Way this was right and re-measured his foot. Turns out I can’t work a tape measure. So I yanked both socks off the needles and frogged back to the toe increases. Then I attempted to sort things out. The first sock was fine: I stuffed all the stitches back on, tinked back a round to catch up all the ones that were droopy in the back and then knit an increase round so that I had the appropriate number of stitches. The second sock was a problem. I got all the stitches back on and by slipping the first sock around, managed to get all the droopy second sock stitches corrected. Yes, I know it would have been easier to use dpns to correct each sock individually, but I was in the car and had to make do with Available Resources. As I began to work forward again this happened:

The socks did this on their own. I was paying close attention the entire time.

That, my friends, is three sock pieces on one circular needle and one sock piece on the other circular needle. Now, if you’ve never made socks on two circs, I just want you to know that this is NOT how your socks should be arranged. At this point, I told the socks exactly Where They Could Go and hurled them onto the back seat. I fumed the rest of the way home.

I forgot to tell you! I finished these last Saturday, they are washed, loosely blocked and drying.

Yaaaaay, Bloomin’ Feet!

The two-up socks are a little longer/wider, but look pretty much the same. We are running to Atlanta this weekend so there should be some Travel Knitting to show you on Monday.

I have been devoting a large amount of time to Pondering Summer Knitting. For me, I want to make a tank or two, some short sleeved pullovers, maybe a short wrappy cardigan to go with a sundress. I want to make a sweater vest in cotton (shine?) for M and several things for the house (yellow throw pillows for the couch, a runner for the table). I’m not sure where I want to start! I love possibilities.

One last little thing: I love to order from stores who do just a little bit extra for their mail-order customers. Pretty tissue, a yarn sample, a note on your invoice, little things that make getting mail just that much more of a treat. PurlSoho.com is one of those stores.

Pretty!

All I got were a couple circular needles but it was still fun to open! I am a sucker for presentation.

Yesterday was my darling Sister’s Birthday. In honor of the day, I frogged her entire Over the Knee Sock and returned it to its component parts.

Happy Birthday to you!

It didn’t hurt as bad as I would have thought. I did get to use the ball winder. That’s always good for a laugh. I am going to doctor the Handknit Holidays pattern a little and make her Knee Socks.

I also ordered the yarn for the Bedspread. How much? Well:

• I can make two squares from 2.5 oz with a little left over (for seaming)
• the squares are about 7.75″ each (which easily become 8″ when blocked or because the spread is going to be really heavy)
• I need 140 of them to make an 80″x140″ spread (10 squares across, 14 squares down – I want to be able to make the pillows up in the spread)
• two inches of border take 4yds
• If I put the border on three sides (I don’t need it on the top because I am making the pillows up) I’ll need 608yds for the border
• What if I change my mind and want to put border on the top too? 768 yds

I determined that I needed 12 1-lb cones of Sugar’N Cream for this project. To be safe, I ordered 14. They are coming from Mary Maxim, who didn’t have the best prices but would guarantee dyelot. I’m not spending all this time making a bedspread that’s going to fade to two different colors in 30 years!

Math was apparently not enough of a challenge for me yesterday so I have started Toe-Up Two at a Time Socks for Project Spectrum!

The Wildfoote is from Jean, of course!

I am using Queen Kahuna’s Crazy Toes and Heels for these. I found out about this book on Dianna’s blog (she’s teaching a class). I am always up for new things, and Dianna is very sweet and helpful so there you are! I wasn’t able to manage the Aloha Cast-On (I seem to be yarn-finger-wrapping disabled somehow) so I cried to Becky. She told me how to do an Easy Toe, thus Saving the Day. There should be a SuperKnitter cape for occasions like this. I am now increasing diligently to 84 stitches. I’m not sure about this two at a time thing, all the strings make the socks less of a portable project. But I am liking the toe up so far – Queen Kahuna’s first increases for a round toe are pretty cool.

Three more sock yarns I want to try: Lorna’s Laces anything, Sock it To Me and Bearfoot. Oh, and Claudia’s Hand Painted (kpixie). Leah has a bunch of it in her sock stash. Seriously, have you seen Leah’s sock stash? I am awed and humbled by the realization that I am only the most amateur of collectors. Visit Stress Reaction to see the work of a True Professional.

We should do this again in a few months when you can see the flowers! But here you are:

I need to order a new gazing ball!

That’s my little shade garden to the left.

The back porch is off of the kitchen. The cats like to bird watch out the kitchen windows. My back (while taking the pictures) was to the road and the large amount of back yard that has just been cleared of blackberries (one can hope anyway) and then filled with little stick trees and bushes. They are all decorated with pink flagging tape that says “Mr. Brown, don’t mow me!” The whole thing looks a fairly pathetic, so I have decided not to show you that. Rather, imagine what it will look like 20 years from now whent the trees have grown up and you can’t see the road…

My plan for today is to finish the BF sock so that I can start on my stuff for Project Spectrum. We will also be waiting for AAA to come. The battery in the truck has died, leaving us Stranded. This is fine with me: I can make 29 pairs of socks (I found two more balls of Fixation in the bottom of my needle bucket).

The radio box has reached it’s destination! And may I say “Kudos” to cooperation between postal services? That was a Quick Trip. Y’all run over to Rachel’s Site and peek. While you’re there, take a gander at her sock photo album – it’s truly inspiring! There are some pretty things going on in Germany (ie Rhapsody in Tweed).

Did I really just say “gander?” What the heck is that about?