Miracle on LYS Street

All week I've wanted to go buy yarn to make some LSU socks (purple and gold) for the football season, but as you know, the LYS posse puts me off. Finally, I could put it off no longer. The shopkeeper AND the posse (don't they have jobs- they are ALWAYS there?!) were...nice to me!!! I'm still in shock. She actually helped me pick out yarn. Of course, I was in a bit of a hurry on my way to work, so I didn't look at her alternative choices carefully and when I got home, I realized I bought three skeins of DK instead of sockweight. Oh well, I'll just use them for Sock Wars.

So, I can't cast on for the LSU socks yet, but I don't have to dread the next trip to my LYS. They couldn't contain their curiosity about my socks anymore, either. Last time I went, when I told them my frequent purchases of one of this, two of that were for socks they looked at me askance. Yesterday, they asked me to take off my shoes so they could fondle my socks. I had just walked a mile or two in about 80 degree weather, so we'll call that payback. Anyway, I was wearing k2, p2 rib anklets, so I told them I would be sure to wear cuter socks next time. Perhaps my socks soon to be seen in MagKnits made with yarn purchased from her...

In other knitterly happenings, I finished my second pair of self-striping socks from that one skein (with enough left for about half of one more sock). This pair looks better, except I decided to experiment with a picot edge and didn't understand why I needed to knit so many rows just to fold them over. Well, the reason is, the edge just curls out and the hem shows. It's not too noticable when to socks are on, so I'm just going to leave them. I have figured out the best stretchy cuff and I love the gusset heel I've done on the last three pairs of socks.

I finally (about three WEEKS after ordering) have received "sock weight yarn" from a Chinese vendor on eBay. Now, when yarn takes three months to get here from Germany, I understand- Deutsche Post seems to be where all disorganized/ lackadaisical Germans are put to work. When yarn takes two months from the States, I understand- all surface mail takes that long to get from there to here. When a padded envelope takes three weeks to get from China to Korea?! WTF?! For those of you who may not immediately recall the exact location of Korea- it borders China! Okay, technically, China borders North Korea, but since it was airmail, not mulemail, that should not matter. So, was it worth the wait? NO! It is sock yarn (80/ 20), but it is machine weight, ie about a nanometer thicker than thread. I figure I will have to put three plies together to make it usable. Or I could use it for lace. Well, I've got 500g, so I'm sure I could do both. I am still excited by all the dyeing possibilities it gives me- I could dye each strand separately and make a marled yarn, I could dye one ply a bunch of colors and save it for such time as I am ready to take on a lace project that it would be suitable for, or or or... Too many choices. Hopefully I will have some "happy accidents" ala Katsara yarn.

Did anyone else instantly recognize who Lime and Violet were talking about in the 11th episode of their podcast? (http://media.libsyn.com/media/limenviolet/LV11-eggsforsalecheap.mp3) I actually laughed out loud, because I, too, have been put off from ordering from such a bitter, angry person (I was on a bus, so I got the usual "crazy foreigner" glances, of course). BTW, if you could help me create a nicer looking link, like everyone else on the planet seems to know how to do, I would appreciate it. You know, the kind where I could just highlight "podcast" or something. Coloring it half lime half violet pretty much pushes the limits of my capabilities. Ditto for helping actually post a pattern in my "Patterns" category- I still don't know how to actually post a file.