The October Fiber Baristas shipment. This one comes DT Craft & Design from the UK! She sent it along with some candies and a recipe for Rhubarb crumble.

The color is inspired by rhubarb and the included recipe. It’s “Crumble Rumble,” a mix of reds, purples and dark pinks.

It’s amazing how inspiring this poisonous little plant can be! Look at the sampling of pix from Flickr. Many are inspired by its color, taste and texture. The leaves contain oxalates and are poisonous, the stalks not so much. Other plants that we eat that contain varying amounts of oxalates in their leaves are spinach, peas and potatoes.

But it continues to inspire dyers, and apparently me too. Here is Fiesta Boomerang in Rhubarb from my stash.

And Numma Numma ToastyBoo.



And that third one from the left is Rhubarber in Wollmeise.


I find rhubarb inspiring for it means spring and warmth and green growth. And for the next 6 months we will have none of that! Are you inspired by rhubarb?

The Nanner socks have been OTN forever and I finally finished #2 this morning. Sometimes the ribbing can take a very long time, as it did here.
Nanner Socks by Wendy Johnson
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Silkie “Pond Scum”

The second sock I finished should have been a quicker knit, I am not sure what my problem was. This took me 4 days. A nice, short, lacy summer sock.

The yarn was the second shipment of the Fiber Baristas sock club and is from Zen Garden. Although I don’t have close-ups, the heel on this sock is really spectacular. Instead of typical SL1 K1, the lace descends and gradually tapers off.
Tripolini Socks by LImedragon
Yarn: Zen Yarn Garden serendipity sport in “Falls”

Wendy’s new book! If you are a knitter and you like socks and it so happens you do not have this book, I highy suggest you get this book. Now.
I’ll wait.
It is full of advice, different approaches, and of course, PATTERNS. If you are on Ravelry there is a KAL for the book too.

Here is the newest shipment from Fiber Baristas club. This month the dyer is The Painted Tiger from Iowa. The theme is Field of Dreams and she even included a stitch marker with a tiny baseball. I’ve never knit from one of these sock flats before but now that I have 2 (I received a Conjoined Creations in a swap last year) I don’t have any more excuses to put it off.

I joined a postcard swap on Plurk and have so far received 2 out of 3. I remember as a kid sending these all the time- my parents took me everywhere and we camped. It’s been a long time since I sent a post card! My have gone to California, Ontario and the UK.

And finally here is the latest shipment in the Booty Club. I’ve actually canceled my subscription for the upcoming round as my skeins are piling up. She has very nice yarn. Other clubs have spoiled me by throwing in extras though. I’m all for the swag!


I will continue to do my part to keep our mail carrier busy. Did you know today is Etsy Day? I may have bought yarn …

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