Space Cadet

OK - I went back to Fibre Space today. That Miss Babs sockyarn was haunting me (lol). But could I just walk in, grab the sockyarn & go?

Of course not! That's the Miss Babs "Yummy" sockyarn in Plum; 4 skeins of The Fibre Company Terra (alpaca, wool, & silk - YUM); a Fibre Girl tshirt and my Fibre Space tote bag (free with purchase). The Terra will become a Springtime Bandit scarf. The scarf was on display & immediately caught me eye. Will look great with jeans.

Sock Bandwagon

I knit my first pair of socks last year. Loved the finished product - didn't catch sock fever...... Well, it's a year later & after a couple of false starts, I'm knitting up my next pair of socks.
It's the twin rib pattern from the Sensational Knitted Socks book - my sock bible. The yarn is Trekking XXL & a wonderful colorway of blues, grays and a tinge of red. My knitsis, Deb, was kind enough to give me a refresher in the Heel Turn & Gusset (totally forgot the process & somehow the instructions weren't clicking). Well I may now have caught the sock bug cause I'm shooting to finish these this weekend so I can start another pair.

Of course the "bug" was helped along by a visit to the Grand Opening of "Fibre Space" in Old Town Alexandria. It's a wonderful shop with friendly staff and a unique inventory of yarn. Fell in love with the Miss Babs line of lace & sock yarn (hence my motivation to finish the current socks). I am definitely blessed to have a choice of LYS in this area.... In Stitches, Knit Happens, A Tangled Skein, Stitch DC - the list goes on & on. Fibre Space will see me often because 1)they sell pretty yarn; 2)they're on my route home everyday; 3)they sell soft yarn; and 4)I'm a yarnaholic.

BTW - DD didn't like the neckline of the striped tank so it's hibernating right now (that'll teach her......)

Knitty Goodness

Dang - can't believe I left my current knitting project on my desk at work. I carry my projects with me cause I knit daily - in the car or on the metro, on my lunch hour & again on the trip home. But yesterday was the end to such a hellified work week, that I literally ran out the building....... Oh well, what better reason than to start a new project.

I've taken advantage (again) of Knit Pick's great 40% off Summer Sale. My BFF - the mailman - left these goodies for me last week:







Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I've also found a unique way to store my needles - straights & circulars:



Hilarious! It's a wooden button scupture I found in Marshall's clearance aisle. You know you are a knit-a-holic when you spot something like this & immediately envision a knitting needle holder. The sales clerk asked me what I was using it for & I did not hesitate. The look I got from him.......priceless!

How 2 Be A Bad-Ass Knitter

If I had to name the top 5 ways to spend quiet days, it would be: knitting, reading, music, movies, and cross stitch...... in no particular order. My knitting and reading worlds have collided and I'm straying from my mysteries & african-american authors to enjoy the Maggie Sefton and Debbie Macomber series as well as KnitLit, the Urban Knitter and Wendy Knits to name a few.

I chuckled after reading Wendy's Bad Ass Knitters' Manifesto and have officially adopted at least 4 of her top 10.......

1. Knit whatever the hell you want...whenever you want.
2. Buy as much yarn (& books & needles, etc) as you want, whenever the hell you want.
3. Never, ever apologize for knitting.
4. Never, ever apologize about how you knit: right-handed, left-handed, or with your toes.

So when my girls tease me for my knitting & yarn obsession, I just smile. When I cast on my fall sweater coat in the middle of June, I smile. As I clip the weekly A.C. Moore/Michael's 40% off coupons, I smile. And when I wrap, throw, or toss my yarn around my knitting needles, I just smile.......cause I Am A Bad-Ass Knitter!

Blowing the Dust Off.......

Been away from the blogworld but not knitworld.

I love summertime! The sun, the heat, the humidity - my favorite time of year. My knitting usually soars in the summer cause I can escape my sleeve-o-phobia. The 2 sleeves on my Minimalist Cardigan took longer to finish than the entire back & front (oh yeah - it's still in the basket waiting for seams). In the meantime, I started and finished this Soleil by Alexandra Virgiel. It's made from Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy - so soft & drapey.... Will definitely make it again & I'll follow the recommendations on Ravelry & add a few inches length to it.

Also started a striped, ribbed shell for DD. On a recent roadtrip to Roanoke, we got this fantastic Kollage Delicious (soybean) yarn at Sereknity Yarn Shop. DD fell in love with the turquoise color and when I got home I found a couple more skeins of a burnt orange in the stash. Planned to rib the entire piece but switched to stockinette stripe at the top. I'm diggin' the result:
Hope she likes it as much as I do.

For all you bargain knitters, don't forget to check your local Marshalls, Ross, T.J. Maxx & Tuesday Morning for knitting books. I've gotten quite a few books for less than $6! Lastly, found this great buy at Littleknits.com:
It's the Namaste Knitube. Very cool carryall for summer projects. Long enough to carry straights; divided so both ends open separately; strap long enough to carry backpack style.

Happy knitting & Happy Independence Day........