Knitting@roosterhillfarm.com

It’s true, I joined yet another sock yarn club this year, Fiber Baristas. It’s a collection of indie dyers and they maintain an active blog and Ravelry group. Their first shipment from Bare Sheep Yarn Co. arrived with a contest to see who could finish their socks first. I’m halfway there.

The main yarn is a stripey-stripe of reds and browns, and the contrasting yarn is a mostly solid brick color. The pattern is from a new book, Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn by Carol Sulcoski. This is a great book, BTW, with many interesting takes on sock patterns. I highly recommend it!

I modified the pattern in 2 ways, one intentionally I made the sock longer as the original pattern was for a anklet. These socks are 7″ high, longer if you unfold the lacy cuff! I missed the part in the pattern that called for ribbing underneath that lacy cuff, so they are a bit snug. I am hoping the blocker helps in that respect.

So I am about to begin sock #2. I have to finish soon as the new shipment from Rockin’ Sock Club is in the mail, and I have seen sneak previews of the yarn and the pattern, and I need to cast that one on as soon as I get it – it’s that good.

Yarn: Bare Sheep Yarn Co. “Holy Crab”
Pattern: Zig Zag Cuffs by Pam Grushkin published in Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn by Carol Sulcoski

Believe it or not I finished my 2008 Christmas knitting — this week. yup, a little behind. But the pattern was great, and the yarn amazing! I didn’t realize until I was finished and looking for the yarn wrapper that I was knitting with some cashmere. No wonder I loved the yarn so much. So off they go to their recipient. I think I have more of this yarn in my stash so I may do these over for me.
 
Yarn: Pagewood Farm Alyeska
Color: Santa Fe
Pattern: Hidden Path Socks

 
So as soon as I wove the last end in, I cast on for yet another pair of socks. This yarn I found on sale at Michael’s – I mean someone else found on sale at Michael’s and I found empty bins. Morose, I wandered the aisles of their knitting section and came across a woman with about 20 balls of the sale yarn in her basket. “So that’s where all the sale yarn went to,” I joked. She laughed too and admitted she would never knit all that yarn, and did I want some?
 
Turns out she was the wife of a co-worker of mine, only I didn’t realize it at the time (she knew me however. I hate that when it happens!) She allowed me to pick some yarn from her basket. I think it’s only fitting that she receive socks from the yarn she gave me (she doesn’t knit socks as it turns out). So these will be hers.
Yarn: Patons Kroy Sock Stripe
Color: Bronzed Berry Stripe
Pattern: Basic Cuff down

 
The same visit to Michael’s is when I bought the yarn for the scarves in this post. They finally were mailed off last week or so and surprisingly enough were received by First Class Mail the VERY NEXT DAY. Impressive. More impressive is this card. I’ll be pinning this on my bulletin board: it’s just that beautiful.
 
Don’t you think so? And so …. SPRING LIKE!

You may have guessed it if you read my farm blog, but I think about chickens a lot. A lot. So much I think it has affected by buying habits.
For example, over the holidays I did a little shopping.


Here is some lovely merino yarn from jilldrapermakesstuff.etsy.com and it is as soft and squishy as it looks. She’s a fast shipper and has lots of nice yarn. I think these will make up some quick socks for me.

Did you know Offhand Designs was having a fundraiser? All purchases benefit the Alameda food bank. This is a Stella Bella bag, something out of character for me but it’s cute and I think it will make a great project bag. And the pattern? It’s called “Chicks In a Row.”

And these boots from PiperLime complete with little chickens (they called them Fat Birds, but to me they are chickens). I won’t be wearing them until spring but I have a feeling the real chickens (and turkeys!) will really get a kick out of them.

These scarves have nothing to do with chickens. I finished up some Christmas knitting and will be sending these out. They are in Lion Brand Moonlight Mohair, a yarn I have always wanted to try. Guess I got that out of my system.

I still have 2 socks to finish up and I will be done with Christmas 2008. Does anyone ever finish Christmas knitting by Christmas?

Especially when Noro can be *so* distracting!