RHINEBECK!

This is the sight that Boyfriend and I walked into when we passed through the front gates of Rhinebeck. Had I actually taken the time to see him from the front, I'd have seen a little joey peeking out of his pouch. But no. I was in much too much of a hurry to buy yarn! And buy I did.

Boyfriend and I happened upon a stall where the colors were vivid and eyecatching, the colors blending with each other and I just knew I had to have some of them. The ones above and below are from www.creativelydyed.com, and let me tell you, this woman has a following. I had no idea until I came home and checked out her website; all I knew was that these colors were amazing and that I HADTOHAVETHEM for socks. I'm so proud of myself. I bought stuff that I loved and thought was beautiful--turns out it's kind of famous.

And these two below are for Boyfriend. He picked out the colors that he liked, and I, for some reason, bought two hanks. Maybe he'll get thigh high socks. Or two pair. Or one pair of socks and a hat. Well. We'll see.

And this...oh, my, and this. This is my favorite. I saw this and I had to have it, price be damned. She was coming home with me, dang it, she had to. It's from Great Adirondack and it's got some bamboo in there, which is why you see a little of the sheen happening. It's absolutely gorgeous, and it's going to be a pair of fingerless mitts and a neckwarmer. It's going to be the first thing I cast on for myself after holiday knitting has been completed. If that's not the carrot on the end of the stick that'll get me to finish holiday kntting, I don't know what is.

These are the buttons that Boyfriend spied. "Hon," he said, holding one out in the palm of his hand, "Doesn't this match the yarn you've got a death grip on?" And by golly friends, he was right. The picture doesn't do them justice; when you moved them they change color, to just about every color in that hank from Great Adironack up there. Now honestly. If a man can pick out buttons to match your yarn...you KNOW he's a keeper (Not that I didn't know before.)

Lastly, the mate to my finished sock is in the heel gusset stage. We're in the homestretch after a couple of whoopsies (thank goodness for Lisa at www.theyarngirl.com) and I can't wait to wear them! I think I love knitting socks a little, and when I get more proficient, it's bound to get quicker, and therefore, I will have tons of socks.

Dudes. Knitting rocks.

FO! My first sock EVER!

Look at that baby! Jitterbug in Sweetdreams is beautiful and I'd knit with it again in a heartbeat (which is good, since I've got two feet...) I snapped a picture of her taking a nap on my bed after a long and arduous stay on my needles.

Here she is after a nap, simply reclining in bed and smiling for the camera. She looks well-rested and ready for a mate, doesn't she?

And this. Her best angle, taken on the couch as she gets ready to see if the Ravelry Logo totes are back in stock yet (they're not). Look at that toe (and what appears to be an awesome kitchener [from this angle], if i do say so myself)! What beauty! What pizzaz! Note: Yes, I'm pretty sure I'm smitten. And slightly off my rocker.

Things I've learned while knitting my first sock:

-I knit tight. Super tight. I broke two Sox Stix during the course of this sock. Not good. Those things ain't cheap.

-I cannot have a conversation, watch television or breathe while doing anything other than simple knit rounds. The lack of concentration led to numerous starts to the ribbing and several dropped (then picked up) stitches further along the sock.

-Kitchener only sounds complicated. In practice, it's actually quite easy and beautiful. 'Course, maybe that was knowing that there were less than ten stitches left to my first sock.

In other news, ordered some stuff from KnitPicks last night. I want to try their harmony DPN's...if they're good, they're a heck of a lot cheaper than Lantern Moon's Sox Stix. I love the Sox Stix, but 25 bucks is kind of pushing it, budget-wise. Especially when I know I can buy a skein of Jitterbug for that. I also got a pair of their metal DPN's, some wool wash, a small gift for my Favorite things swap partner (whoever that may be), and some brown sock yarn. I want to give their stuff a try; it's certainly more affordable for my money situation right now. I shall post a review when I receive the package.

Wow. This turned into an awfully long post. If you're still reading and not bored to tears...thanks!

HEYLO!

Sorry about the little hiatus I've been on, but when you've got that view, who doesn't get distracted?! (okay, to be fair, i was only looking at the view for a weekend, but still) anyway, spent a weekend up in Woodstock catching up with an old friend who's 8 mnths pregnant (and gloriously radiant, no less), shopping, and spending quality time with Boyfriend. Spent a lot of time sitting on the front porch reading and knitting and looking at that waterfall in the picture above. It was glorious. I also snapped a picture of this little guy on our railing.

Since I've come home from Woodstock I've actually had a couple of ideas for short stories for this semester (which is wonderful because the only thing I've written this summer are grocery lists), started a new job (yay bookstore!) and played Florence Nightengale to Boyfriend when his knee decided not to work anymore. After a trip to the Emergency Room, rest, and some awesome painkillers, he's back at work today.

In knitting news, I'm almost done with my first sock. I haven't taken a picture of it in awhile, but I promise I'll get one up here soon.

Ahhhh...finally! Ribbing! I finally have the ribbing done for my first sock, as you can see (you can probably also see ladders on the right hand side too, but I'm just so thrilled tofinally be done with the knitting I just can't seem to mind. I figure my second sock will be better and I can use this one to kind of the show the "before" and "after" as my sock knitting skills progress. I absolutely love this yarn, Colinette's Jitterbug in Sweetdreams. It reminds me of summer, cotton candy, grass and blue skies. And though I'm still trying to get used to working with such a small strand (and uber tiny needles!), i really like the way the yarn works up. So I ordered a different colorway that I will *hopefully* be able to knit up as Christmas gift for someone special.

I wish I didn't have to work. It takes away so much time from my knitting.