Sunday, December 06, 2009

Lost and Found

Usually when I start looking for one thing in my stash, I end up finding something else. Actually, I'm not the one who found it -

"That would be me!"

I was searching for some red yarn I knew I had stashed along with my sock yarn. (Don't ask why, I don't remember now...). Pulling everything out of the sock yarn bin only asks for trouble with the guys. Malcolm decided to stuff himself into a plastic bag, and managed to pull this out.


A lone burgundy sock. I'm not sure why I have just one sock sitting in a bag at the bottom of my sock yarn bin. There's nothing wrong with it - it fits, there are no dropped stitches, the yarn is Fleece Artist Merino Sock Yarn, which is soft and the colour is great. Sure, it's top down, but that's OK too. I'm not sure why it ended up in a bag at the bottom of the bin, but I decided to finish up the second one. Even though I'm already working on another pair of Fleece Artist socks right now.

So it'll almost be a 2 for 1 deal when I'm done. Both skeins of sock yarn were gifties from my sister and SIL. A few years ago they stumbled upon a yarn store in Nova Scotia (where they now live. Not in the yarn store, in Nova Scotia. That would just be weird. But not for me. For them.), and thought - "hmmm, what is this Fleece Artist yarn? Must be local. Won't Brigitte like it if we brought her some local yarn from Nova Scotia?!". For non-knitters, they made excellent choices.

"Since when do you knit socks?"

Since I discovered the right yarn to use. I've learned over the years which wool is best for working with - and maybe I've become a bit of a yarn-snob as a result - and now I'm learning about which sock yarn I prefer using, and those that produce the best results. After all, if I don't like the yarn I'm using, I'm not likely to complete the project. I'm late arriving at the sock party... So, I'm actually giving myself a break from the big projects, and working on socks a couple of nights a week. And - sometimes after a long day at work, socks are about the only thing I can concentrate on.

There's more to it now, but here's the start of St. Aula's sleeve #1. This is such a beautiful design - a perfect example of 2-colour stranded knitting producing maximum results. I've been finishing up a few stealth projects as well, so - yes, that's what I have to show for myself.

Luckily, Malcolm has gotten into napping after dinnertime, leaving me with a few hours to knit without having to peel him off the body of the sweater, or try to unclench his jaw from around the stitch markers. What is it with those things?!! There's only one other cat in the household who does that...

"I love you, man."

Now that I have the last of my stealth knitting completed, I can finish up St. Aula. Oh, and work on *cough* Dunadd *cough* when I'm not in the mood for stranded knitting. (Ooooo, how gorgeous is this!)

"If I were in California, I'd be doing this cuddle action with my Auntie Carrie. She needs cuddles right now."

14 comments:

Bridget said...

Once again, great kitty photos and captions!

Welcome to sock knitting - I find it's always good to have at least one pair on the needles, then you can feel virtuous if you just knit a couple of rounds.

Mae, you are a good girl - I'm sure just seeing your cuddle picture will make Aunt Carrie feel better.

Chris said...

Yeah, poor Carrie. :(

Remember when you were worried that Malcolm wasn't going to be orange?! Heh. That picture of him and Gandalf? LOVE IT. So sweet.

Finding that completed sock is a big score - look at how close you are to having a pair!

miyamojo said...

St Aula looks fabulous!
Yes! I love Ripple too - don't know why, something about it grabs me.
and Dunadd! Love those cable twists - wow!

Malcolm sure is getting big fast.
He sure looks like my childhood kitty Browser.

yeah, poor Carrie :(

Marina said...

So cute, the pic of Gandalf & Malcolm cuddling! Reminds me of my Pennsyl & Nyx.

I never thought I would say this, but I'm wearing handknitted socks and they do seem to be warmer than the store bought 75% Merino. I think I'll be knitting a whole lot more of them ;-)

Hugs to Carrie, if she's reading this!

Lynn said...

I LOVE Malcolm!!!! And impressed how well he's adapted to the others.

My Little Room In The Corner said...

Better late than never with the socks. And to find a half pair in the bottom of the sock yarn bag! What a gift. Tell Gandalf seems to have a true buddy in Malcolm. Lucky dudes.
Take care and enjoy your knitting.

Rebekah said...

I am so in love with St. aula. The colors are sooo fabulous.

And the picture of the cats snuggling is almost too much to bear its so cute.

Nicole said...

That's one way to combat second sock syndrome - hide the first sock until you've forgotten about it, and then knitting the second one is as new as knitting the first one! :)

mrspao said...

Poor Carrie K :(

Malcolm is so cute and helpful!

Sonya said...

Sweet Mae is always concerned about others. Malcolm is growing like a weed! I'm loving St. Aula more every time you show a picture.

Lorraine said...

Wow- Bonus completed socks- how come that never happens to me?

Shannon said...

Squee...I love the picture of Gandalf and Malcolm.

carolyninalaska said...

WOW! I just love your St. Aula. You were so lucky to have some the the best "extinct" 3 ply colors stashed!
I wanted those colors too... but I got left-overs because I didn't plan ahead. LOL

Carrie K said...

I could've used those cuddles! Thank you for thinking of me!! But we had snow on the 7th, can you believe it? In MY BACKYARD.

So Fleece Artist Sock yarn is good sock yarn? Any others?