The Big Payoff

YES! The moment you've all (ok Colleen, and maybe Natasha) have been waiting for! Your eyes do not deceive you...that is the Yarn Harlot, THE Yarn Harlot, holding MY sock, while I hold HER sock! ACK!!! (That's the side of my face over on the left of the top pic - thanks Col!) I told her I hated the sock (it's my first real pair of socks - the other pair having been knit for my daughter and being so small they didn't count - didn't even use a whole skein of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock) and needed inspiration to finish and if maybe, just maybe, she held it, I'd be inspired. So she did! How cool is that? Oh, and I guess I should mention that it's only an ankle sock from here, and it's only the FIRST sock. Nope, no second sock syndrome here, I have FIRST sock syndrome. This does not bode well for the ever-growing sock yarn stash upstairs plaintively wailing to be used. Oh, woe.


And this is the haul from Loop. It's not much, just the Yarn Harlot's new book, a Mac n' Me pattern for a chunky kiddie sweater (#65 Children's Cotton Tape Sweater - I'm a sucker for chunky sweaters on wee ones), and a skein, one single skein, of Schaefer Yarns "Anne" yarn. It sat in its little bowl on the table next to me the entire time whispering sweet nothings at me, and when I saw someone knitting a pair of socks with it, I knew it had to be mine. (I resisted the skeins of Blue Sky Alpaca Bulky that my elbow was buried in the entire time, even though I'm a sucker for both gorgeous charcoal greys and yarn names like "Grey Wolf.") There are 560 yards of gorgeous superwash merino/mohair/nylon blend. I don't know if it's going to be socks, or if I have enough to do something else (a small lacy shawl or scarf, perhaps? It's variegated yarn, but subtle - charcoal grey, dark cadet blue, dark fern green...hmm). The yarn haul was so much smaller than I thought it would be that I actually stopped on the way back to the car because I thought I'd forgotten my bag. Ha. Didn't have one, didn't need one for one skein of yarn. I decided to be "responsible" (plus, facing $52 skeins of yarn that probably aren't enough to knit much with, I decided to be "smart".) The DH should be so proud!

Here is a cute picture of my daughter Ella enjoying her poncho. Funny, when I first knit it, she was just ok with it, so maybe she just had an inordinate amount of sugar in her system...who knows? All I know is she's too cute and loving something her mommy knit - that's good enough for me.