So very long...

I've been neglecting the blog again. When I was thinking of what to write about today, I realized how much (and in some ways, how little) had gone on since the last entry. Now, being blessed with more thoughts to express than time to express them, I will, by necessity, have to make this as brief an update as possible.

Shopping wise, I've hit some high notes. Chris returned from the Flinders on a Friday. His father had picked up a satellite phone for him to take along (on the schools tab, of course) for emergencies, and it needed to be returned to his dad so he could return it properly, so after work that Saturday morning, I went and had a cuppa with his mom and dad and handed over the phone. Not wanting to waste the opportunity of a little city shopping, but being too tired to make an occasion of it, I decided to drop by the Highgate Needlenook. I'm trying to fill out my collection of Addi Turbo circular knitting needles in any event, but also decided to pick up some white Heirloom easy care, mainly to see how well it would take Koolaid dyeing. It will, most likely, wind up as some color or another socks.



A few days later, I decided to peek in my LYS here in Murray Bridge. She had gotten in some of Heirloom's "Jigsaw" yarn, which is a self patterning sock yarn. I bought the pattern to go along with it, as it will work fine with any Jigsaw colorway. Seemed the thing to do, and I like to support my LYS. But with Ravelry, it seems silly buying patterns of any kind. That doesn't stop me though, now does it?



Yesterday was the last of my yarnie shopping excursions. They are building a street full of courtyard homes almost directly across the road from my house, and were going to shut my electricity off for a good part of the day, I suppose so they could run power lines over there. So, knowing I would have nothing to do...no TV, no computer...I stopped off in Mount Barker, had a bit of breakfast at McD's and then waited for Spotlight to open.

For the record, my previous trips to the Mount Barker Spotlight have not been that satisfying, at least not for yarn. It's a new Spotlight. It only opened it's doors last spring, and there was a bare bones "summer" supply of yarn to begin with. Half of the regular yarn space was being used for Christmas space. Then a couple months ago, when the fall yarns finally started to trickle in, they would sit in the boxes in the aisles, for days or in one case a week (that I know of). It was as though they had staff for every part of the store but the yarns and crafts. I was NOT impressed.

I had heard they had some decent, cheap sock yarn this year. Also, I wanted to get this years "Knitting Essentials" book, which has the patterns for their "house" yarn, Moda Vera. This trip, finally, the yarn section looked all put together and was in order, more or less. I found the sock yarn, but there was no price on the shelf. A salesgirl checked and told me it was $4.99. I thought, perhaps, she was mistaken, and half expected it to be higher when I reached checkout, but I got two balls of Moda Vera "Socks". To add to my blessings, they had the book I was looking for as well, although some of the patterns are simply repeats of last years, and all in all I'm not as impressed. Maybe it will grow on me.



As for my knitting accomplishments, I finally finished the "Magic Fruit Loops Socks", and I'm reasonably happy with them. The spiral rib pattern on the leg part did give me some fits and starts, and at one point I had to rip out about 30 rows...which was seriously frustrating, particularly when I was trying to get the two socks back on the one needle properly.



I started a pair of socks for Chris with the black Patonyle. I'm doing them in a similar fashion to the last ones...toe up, two at a time, magic loop. I'm basically improvising a pattern. Chris hates tight socks, so I'm doing a 2x2 rib on the top of the foot and will do the same for the leg. They are getting along. I'm about half way down the foot I imagine, perhaps a bit more.




I recieved the pattern from my Ravelry friend, and it looks fantastic, and I can get gauge with the Peace Fleece. The only problem that I can see is the size, which wouldn't fit me...and I haven't been awake and alert enough to read the pattern thoroughly and see if there is anywhere I could easily increase the size. Also an option...bigger gauge, but I'll have to play with that a bit. I don't want it looking gappy, so I'll see how far I can push the Peace Fleece and take it from there.

Speaking of Ravelry, I also recieved a lovely package from a fellow expat in the Random Acts of Kindness groups. American candy (Peeps, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and M&M's, a lovely card, and a book by Diana Gabaldon called "Crossstitch" which from all accounts is devine reading. I'm reading Debbie Macombers "Return to Blossom Street" right now, but as soon as I'm finished, I can't wait to dive into the Gabaldon!




Last but not least, I've done a bit of spinning, and promised mom a pic of me at the wheel when I did, so here's one for mommy!



So much for being brief!