Celebrate by buying yarn. Oh! The possibilities!

A day of zen and contemplation. Well, first of all, let me explain the title of the post. This week and next week are the dual weeks from hell. Basically, I have either an exam or a paper due in each and every one of my classes. Yesterday I had an exam first thing in the morning. Today I had a complex paper due at 2 pm. Next week, I have an exam on Wednesday, and a paper due on both Thursday and Friday. I know I should be kicking into gear and getting those papers done while I have the time... but I haven't even begun thinking about them yet. Why?

Today is the first Thursday of the month. Austin, marvelous town that it is, holds a monthly event on the first Thursday of the month, where artisans and stores on South Congress St stay open late and showcase their wares, usually at a discounted price. So, patient little girl that I am, I wait until today to make my way down to the yarn store and see if the Muench Touch Me I've been lusting after for the Vintage Velvet scarf in Pam Allen's "Scarf Style" has come in. Although they didn't have it in the rich red I so desired, they had it in this absolutely gorgeous shade of midnight blue. It is the softest thing I've ever touched. I mean, chenille is fabulous to the touch, but think of it as synthetic angora. And the beautiful thing about this yarn is that it has a slight bit of wool in it, so when I wash the scarf, as per the instructions, it will felt a wee bit.

I also got myself some lovely self-striping yarn from Lana Grossa. I can't help myself, the richness of the colors, and the absolute wonder of the socks I'm knitting now in a different colorway just spoke to me. Besides, I returned some Rowan Kidsilk Haze, because it wasn't useful for my knitting class, and was able to buy that yarn and reduce the price of the Touch Me by several dollars.

Ok, in the realm of projects:


These are the socks I'm currently knitting with Lana Grossa. I like the yarn, although the pattern has yet to grow on me. I think the grey spots mixed within the the blue and green stripes look like cow spots, and much as I like cows, I'm neither loving nor hating this yarn.


Next is the progress on the Clapotis. I only have four more repeats to do on the straight section, as I got a lot done last weekend while chilling with my gal pals.


Finally, a finished object, as promised. Here's my lovely little beret that makes me look like a Scottish golfer. Please excuse the blurriness of the picture, as it was taken in my bathroom mirror. Isn't it cute, though? I used a pattern I found online here when I was trying to find the Elsie cap from Rowan. I used Wool-ease on needles one size smaller than called for in the pattern (I only have size 4 circulars that measure 12 inches, which was a little tough to work with as I got to more decreases). I'm sure if you use what's called for in the pattern, it'll come out nice and loose. I may re-try it again in the same yarn, but just with bigger needles.

Alright. I mentioned zen, didn't I? Well, as I perused the new Knitty (slightly disappointed in the lack of variety, I must say) I read the articles on taming the stash and reducing the stash and the like, and it made me feel slightly guilty about the ever-increasing size of my stash and the ever-increasing unfinished projects on the needles. I enjoy being able to switch projects with my mood, but I'm a royal procrastinator. That means that the more projects I start, the fewer I'll be able to finish within a reasonable amount of time. As I ponder the way to best organize my stash (it's small compared to some I've seen) and finish my projects, I shall celebrate probably by buying more yarn before I leave Austin and over the summer, as well as rejoicing that the world has a new sock knitter. A woman I met at Hill Country Weavers, named Susan, was contemplating my contemplation of sock yarn, and as we got to talking, she became inspired to try self-striping yarn and double pointed needles. I hope she succeeds! Socks are fabulous, and above all, this is the year of the sock!