Falling for this yarn

I haven't been a big sock knitter, but after taking Cat Bordhi's workshop yesterday I've been inspired. I think the class was a bit over my head since I've made a whopping 2 pairs of socks over the past year - ever. There were some major brainiac sock knitters there so I was a bit intimidated. My head wasn't partly in it because my mom has been in the hospital for a couple days now but it was a nice distraction from worrying.

It was interesting to see how excited people were over knitting socks and Cat Bordhi. There were a lot of tips and advice to keep in mind. I have to say that Cat is awesome though. The way she thinks outside of the box about new ways to knit is amazing. At the end of class I was able to have her autograph my New Pathways for Sock Knitters book.

We practiced making our heel turns making a small bowl using Cat's methods and instructions. Here is my effort.

Then we got to dive into making toe up baby socks by the second half of the class. I kept forgetting how many rounds I was making so it's wonky. I only got to the heel turn of one sock by the end of class and finished the "wings" at home. Here's my half baby sock (can't figure out why blogger is uploading this picture vertical instead of horizontal).
With some help at Yarn Boutique, I found this gorgeous colorway for a sock pattern I admired from the Bobbin's Nest last weekend. There's no name for the colorway but it's Anne by Schaefer Yarns. I am absolutely in love with the autumn colors. And for once the yarn isn't green.
I hope I can get these on the needles soon so I can wear them for this fall instead of next fall.

Hello Fall!

Fall? Autumn? Whatever you prefer to call this season, it's my FAVORITE time of the year. Why? It's the season that my birthday falls under (I get bday knitting gifts and $ to spend on yarn!). I don't have to use the a/c because of the cooler weather so PG&E isn't sucking my checking account dry (more $$ for yarn!). I love the colors of Autumn that Mother Nature has given (lots of yarn color ideas!!). Last but not least, IT'S GREAT KNITTING WEATHER!!

I thought the Backyard Leaves scarf from the book Scarf Style was a perfect way to start the season.
I haven't had much experience with chart knitting but quickly figured it out (after royally screwing up once). It looks intimidating, but once you figure out all the symbols it's a cinch. I'm using a merino/cashmere blend. Super soft.

This year's LYS Shop Hop snuck up on me. It was this past weekend. It's basically a yarn shop crawl...an excuse to check out different shops. 19 yarn shops participated between San Mateo and Carmel. We got a late start but Erin, her mom and me got to check out 6 of them on Saturday. I'm sure with more time we could've visited all of them. Next year...better planning. Each shop had a single skein project pattern free with the yarn you purchase for the project. My crocheting skills are rusty but I LOVED the crocheted fingerless glove pattern from Creative Hands in Belmont. What was even better is that the sock yarn for the pattern was only a whopping $7!! It was the only yarn purchase I made. Can you believe it? Most of my spending budget was spent on accessories and patterns. I was so happy to finally find inexpensive sock blockers at Bobbin's Nest in San Jose. It was a great end to an exhausting birthday week. Lots of gifts, family, friends, and everything knitting.

A friend reminded me that Stitches West registration is now open. I bit the bullet and signed up for a class on Understanding Japanese Knitting patterns. Of course I realized after I paid that it's an Advanced knitting class! I'm scared!!! But how bad can it be? It's just deciphering symbols and figuring out how to read the charts, right? But...it's a 6 hour class. I'm guessing it's more involved than that. I'll find out next year in February.

I also happened to be lucky enough to find out that my favorite LYS has a guest instructor coming this weekend. The one and only knitting celebrity, Cat Bordhi!!! I'm taking her sock workshop. Well, I'm one of the first on the waiting list but there is a great chance that the shop owner will rent out a small conference room to accommodate a bigger class. Again, I hope I'm not in over my head. I've only made 2 pairs of socks ever. It's also a 6 hour class. I'm looking forward to it.

Overwhelmed

Stressed, overwhelmed, frantic, worried...ugh. That was my week in a nutshell. I treated myself with some retail yarn therapy. I needed it badly. Needless to say, I went overboard. I should know not to shop when I'm in need of comfort. I had heard that a store had a bunch of premium yarn on sale for 50% off retail. As soon as I was able to break away from work one day I went on a yarn hunt. I hit a goldmine full of good stuff...angora, cashmere/silk blends, and merino wool/cashmere blends. I wanted to buy EVERYTHING. I think I almost did. 

I got home and looked at my bags of purchases, I thought..."What have I done?!" I got over it because I love all of what I bought. I normally dump my bags with the rest of the other stash I have stored in a giant basket. This time I set out everything in front of me to see the stash I have. I felt a sudden need to organize and focus on something else besides work and get my mind off things that happened the past few days. I took photos of all my yarn stash and uploaded it on Ravelry. I have way too much yarn. Talk about overhwelming. Yikes. I also need to find a better way to store the yarn...must keep yarn away from cat that likes to sleep in the yarn basket.  

I have to start knitting my ass off and get my yarn under control. So glad the weather has been cooling down and it makes me want to knit lots of sweaters and cool weather accessories.