Everybody Can Relax; I've Invented the Wheel

And now for a confession:  I'm a late arrival to the sock knitting party. 

For the longest time, the world of socks was a complete mystery to me.  I was focused on knitting that covers other body parts, and it seemed to me that there were SO many designers making socks exclusively (and brilliantly) that the world didn't need me to get interested in them.

Which is, of course, exactly when somebody asked me to design socks.  No grocery-needing knitwear designer can afford to limit the body parts they cover with yarn, so of course I agreed, and started cracking books.  The learning curve was steep, but not insurmountable.  I'm proud of the socks I've designed, and I've enjoyed sock-knitting as a palate cleansing activity that fits nicely in between larger projects. 

But last week, something weird happened.  I figured out how to make socks from the toe up.

I know.  It's like reporting the huge news flash that water is wet.  I have made the groundbreaking discovery that the Earth is Round.  I'm screaming with glee from the rooftops that socks can be made in the completely opposite direction from what I've done before, while the knitters below smile indulgently, and keep on walking.  Everybody else already knows this, but I am so excited to have finally figured it out.

And I made these!

Of course, when you try to take pictures of your own feet wearing new socks (toe-up or otherwise), the dog will think you have lost your mind and come over to offer an opinion:

I tried to explain it to him: "But they're TOE-UP!" I said.  Bailey remained unmoved.

Some people's pets are just too hard to impress.

"Dogwood" toe-up socks, with proper gussets and heel flaps.  Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight, in a Rare Gems colorway.  Click HERE for the pattern, to share my newfound joy.
 

Observing Nature

To celebrate the end of Spring Break, BFF Carson, the Smallies and I all went to Whidbey Island last weekend.  In one day, we spotted Snowy Egrets, a Bald Eagle, A Great Blue Heron, Lambs, Calves, and best of all, a pack of Fiber Artists, in their natural habitat.  The Whidbey Weavers Guild Annual Spin-In:

I don't know how many hundreds of wheels were there, but we had a great time admiring them all, and meeting friends we didn't know would be there, and inhaling the wool fumes. 

Here's a super-dreamy bump of spinning fiber that Carson got me for a surprise (he got one for himself, too, so we can make matching projects):  
 

It's a silk and Polwarth blend, in a color called "Dragonfly", made by the adorable and talented Scarlet, whom I hope you will visit HERE.

Remember the time my husband threw away half my fleece before I could finish processing it?  Well the Spinning Gods (whom we all know are way more benevolent than the Knitting Gods) smiled upon me when I WON this bag of glory from our friends at Island Fibers.  Look how happy I am!  It's a whopping 5.5 lbs of Romney, in the blackest black I've ever seen.  So black it's blue.  So Black it disappears.  Inky and mysterious and mine, all mine.  When I got it home I placed it lovingly Phillip's desk chair, so that he could become familiar with what it looks like.  Next I'll be putting it in his favorite TV watching spot, and later, on his side of the bed.  I want him to be REALLY clear on what it is, and how it looks, so he won't think he is allowed to touch it in my absence.  Or in my presence.

We got so excited we forgot to eat anything all day, which left us so punchy that we almost failed to find food in the unfamiliar geography.

Fortunately, Carson's razor-sharp Snack Radar even works when his other faculties are near to shutting down from starvation.  He navigated us to the Gere-A-Deli in Anacortes, where we were administered emergency sandwiches.  And cookies, too, just as a precaution.

Then we took a drive through the bulb fields of Mt Vernon, because Carson has never seen Daffodil time in the Skagit Valley.  Here are some for you, in case you haven't either. They literally go on for as far as you can see.

On the way back home (Carson to the airport, and the Smallies and I to the freeway), we stopped at Pike Place Market in Seattle.  The sun came out, which I haven't seen in so long I actually took this El Tourista picture, just so I'd have proof.  It was even a little bit warm, but that might have been caused by my excitement.

We're all home now, where it's raining again (of course), and the pile of receipts I'm supposed to go through for the tax guy is actually snarling at me, and making crumply noises.  Knowing how much I love numbers, you can imagine what my level of enthusiasm for this project is like.  It falls on my initiative scale somewhere between Oral Surgery and DIY Plumbing Repair.  I've promised myself when I get it done that I can play with my spinning fiber.  In the meantime, I'm closing my eyes and remembering fondly what Nature looks like:

Marketplace at the Spin-In

Free Patterns Friday

Greetings, Gentle Knitters!  Some of you may remember seeing my episode of Interweave's Knitting Daily TV, in which I demonstrated some stranded colorwork techniques on the Ebony Jewel-Wing hat and purse.  That pattern is being offered for free today, in Interweave's new e-book,

Exploring Color Knitting: 7 Free Patterns Using Intarsia, Stranded Knitting, and Fair Isle Knitting Techniques
A Free Downloadable eBook

Click HERE to get your collection.

I'm off to visit my family (and possibly some sheep) on Whidbey Island today.  Have a great weekend: Knit On!