A Wonderful Weekend

What a wonderful weekend! First on the agenda was watching the US Figure Skating Championships on television Thursday through Sunday.  I have this thing about ice skating that goes back many years.  I can remember when the skaters were required to actually skate figures!  Anyway, I loved the competition and am glad that Michelle Kwan and Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto will be going to the Olympics this year.  My fav guy was Matt Savoie – his long program was supurb!  I’ll be glued to the TV when the Olympics come around.

I was also productive while watching the competitions.  I finished the socks for The-One-Who-Married-The-Daughter.



They are my own design and although you can’t see it, there are diamond lozenges running down the side of both.  They are done with Mountain Colors Bearfoot in the Granite Peak colorway.  I used size 2 Brittany Birch and once again snapped a needle.  I had done this before and the company had graciously sent me 2 new needles so I still had a set of 5 needles even after I broke the one.  I’ll just have to be more careful in the future.  These socks will be on their way to Virginia once I finish the novel I’m reading that I wanted to send along to The-Daughter to read.

After much resistance, I joined another Internet fad *sigh*.  I had started some socks in Koigu KPPPM back in September during Hurricane Rita.  I was using Maruerite’s More Fun Than Cables sock pattern but the mock cables were just not showing with such dark and busy yarn.  So I frogged back to the ribbing, increased 12 stitches to 84 and started Grumperina’s Jaywalker pattern.  



Since it seems everyone is doing this sock I was not going to follow the crowd but this is such a wonderful pattern, I just couldn’t resist the brainwashing.  I’m very pleased with how it is turning out in the Koigu.   The picture doesn’t show the colors well – they range between black to purples and include a bit of apricot-ish color in there.  I had to make the cuff a bit shorter because of my ski-length large feet and I’m still worried about running out of yarn.  If I do, I’ll finish in some pink yarn I have for the toe.  I guess I’ll have to see about joining the Jaywalker knit-along now.

I also took a trip to a yarn shop that I hadn’t visited before.  I live in the Piney Woods NW of Houston and rarely make it into the city.  Exceptions are for the International Quilt Festival each October and for shops that I really, really like.  Well, I found another I will visit again.  It is Yarns 2 Ewe on Shepherd St. in Houston.  I spent nearly 2 hours there on Saturday morning and my credit card is still smoking.  Although things seemed a little picked over after the holiday season, they still had a very nice selection of yarns for all types of projects.  


I came home with several to swatch and see if I like.  They include Elsebeth Lavold Classic AL in maroon– a lovely 50% baby alpaca, 50% merino wool worsted weight (I think).  I also brought home a skein of Nashua Julia by Kristin Nicholas in a natural shade.  This yarn ins 25% alpaca, 25% mohair and 50% wool.  I’m thinking this would make a lovely Aran sweater. GEMS Topaz superwash wool in red was another I wanted to try to make things for my relatives that don’t understand the term “hand wash”.  I may make one of my baby sweaters out of this for the next time my hubby asks for a hand made ‘something’ for a baby I’ll never meet.  2 skeins of Koigu KPPPM in a variegated blue came home with me also.  I love this yarn for socks.

On the way home, I swung by The Hen House on Louetta in Spring. Although I don't like this shop much (too many novelty yarns) occasionally I will find some yarn that I like. I managed to pick up 9 skeins of Galway Highland Heather in a lovely royal blue at a nice price. It will become a sweater sometime in the future.

I’m off to knit the saddles for the FLAK sweater and make up a package for my secret pal.

Till later ~~ Dene