Time for the overdue Stitches Midwest post.

For a review of the haul, we have:

A mitten kit, 2 skeins Jojoland sock yarn, 2 skeins Koigu, 2 skeins Tessa's superwash laceweight, a set of HiyaHiya doublepoints, sushi wallet kit, 1 skein of Tofutsies, and 2 skeins of Socks that Rock.

Already on the needles are the Tofutsies and the Sushi kit.

In other news my Sockapalooza socks arrived in the mail all the way from Thailand!

They fit absolutely perfectly. I can't wait until the weather cools down so I can wear them. They are made of Fleece Artist, which is a yarn I have never used. I just love the color.

Well, I took Beth's advice and tried the Pomatomus socks in the Regia Bamboo.

I think the twisted rib in this pattern really helps it stand out. You can actually see the pattern despite the business of the yarn.

In other news I sent off my sock pal socks. I included some sock yarn from Northwoods Dyeworks. These socks have a long way to travel. (And no, the cat is not going with the socks!)

My photography assistant, Gerhardt, would like to say hello.

My sockpal socks are done! That was a lot of knitting. It didn't help that I had to rip back the first sock a few times. I just hope they fit my pal. The are made with Regia sock yarn and the grey is Sisu. The pattern is just something I made up. I think they seemed to take a long time to knit because my available knitting time has seriously decreased. I now have to commute to work 45 minutes each way, instead of the 5 minute commute I used to have. (No I didn't get a new job. They merged our office with the south St. Louis office.) That's 1 1/2 hours that could be spent knitting. Maybe I will have to learn to knit and drive. Maybe not.
The next pair of socks I am working on are in Regia Bamboo. I am having difficulty deciding on a stitch pattern because the yarn is kind of busy.

You Are Cookie Monster

Misunderstood as a primal monster, you're a true hedonist with a huge sweet tooth. You are usually feeling: Hungry. Cookies are preferred, but you'll eat anything if cookies aren't around. You are famous for: Your slightly crazy eyes and usual way of speaking How you life your life: In the moment. "Me want COOKIE!"

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

It's about time to post an update on my sockpal socks. Wait actually I think this is the first post about them. Well I was thinking of doing knee highs with a cool argyle pattern down the front. I knit the whole foot and starting doing the intarsia argyle pattern, but I didn't like it. The stitches were all uneven, you know how it is with intarsia. So I ripped it all out and started over. I think I will do horizontal stripes on the leg. The toe and heel will be in contrasting color. Here is the start of the foot along with the other colors I will use.

As I was knitting I noticed that the left over ball of STR that was sitting on the table somewhat coordinates with these colors. Maybe I'll throw in a few stripes of the STR.

Also on the needles right now is the drop-stitch lace tank from Fitted Knits. I am making this in Cascade Pima Tencel. The yarn is very soft but sometimes sheds little fuzz balls.

Saturday I visited a new yarn shop in St. Charles, Knit and Caboodle. She has some yarns I haven't seen in other LYS's, so that was nice. I did buy some sock yarn.

On the left is Hand Painted Knitting Yarns superwash. It has little tweedy flecks which contrast with the dark color and remind me of stars on a night sky. The other is Online supersock.
All I seem to be buying lately is sock yarn. I think it's because I don't have to have a specific project in mind when I buy it. I did sign up for Sockapalooza 4. This will be my first sockapalooza and I'm excited! Of course my match happens to like knee socks, so I'll have lots of knitting ahead. I have never made knee socks and I'm a little worried about doing the calf shaping, but I'm sure I could find a pattern.
Speaking of socks; I finished the RPM socks. These were made with STR. I did these on DPN's from the top down with a short row heel.

I really like the STR, I'll definitely buy some more at Stitches this year. (Note to self, turn off date stamp on camera)

Welcome to my new blog! What a better way to start than with a finished project. These are the "Go with the Flow" socks from Interweave. They are done in Regia Silk. Next pair of socks on the needles are the "RPM socks" from Knitty in Socks that Rock. I also recently finished a sweater that has been on the needles for a few years. I'll have to wait to post that until I can get a picture of it where I don't look like a whale!