New Socks

I really don't know why it takes me so long to finish socks - in this case it was probably doing the cross-over stitch, which wasn't hard, but definitely fiddly. The yarn is Lorna's Laces, gifted to me by ReluctantMango, who had it left over from a beautiful shawl she made. With my size-5 feet, I had more than enough for a pair of socks. This was my first time using Lorna's Laces, which I've heard so many raves about. I though the colors were exceptional, very saturated and complementary. I've worn them 3 or 4 times, however, and they are getting something like a halo of fiber. I'm sort of concerned about this, since I think it might start obscuring the pattern, and might mean that they won't last as long as more hard-wearing sock yarns. Anyone else have experience with this? Otherwise, I'm very happy with them and look forward to wearing them, oh, in probably November when it finally gets cold enough in New Mexico. Darn you desert, you are thwarting my knitting!

FINITO!

I FINISHED GRAD SCHOOL! [Insert huge sigh of relief.] For two years I have been fantasizing about this moment, for a time when I no longer had any school work to do. In these two years, I have read THOUSANDS of pages, written hundreds more, spent over 1200 hours at assistantships, sat for hours and hours in classes, and have continually felt guilty during the few moments I had a break, because I "should be doing something." (If you were/are a grad student, then you understand this nagging guilt.)

But now I'm free!! Exciting times are ahead - in a couple of weeks I'll be moving 2,000 miles away to New Mexico, where I will finally get to live in the same zip code as my fiance. There's a lot of unknowns out there, but it just makes life more of an adventure, right?

In addition to finally getting to "read for pleasure" and settling into my new home, there is always more knitting on the horizon. I'll have to content myself with a pair of socks for now, though, since my yarn has been packed away in preparation for its long journey.

I finished Green Gable a few weeks ago, in time for Maryland Sheep & Wool. I was originally concerned about the fit - so I made a Frankenstein version. The top half is a size larger than the bottom half - to accommodate my bulging biceps, of course. I'm quite happy with how it turned out, and I will definitely be getting a lot of use out of this sweater in the future.

One of my little experiments over the past few months (mainly done while "working") was starting a blog of all the books I read. I'm not sure if I'll stick with it, but for now I thought I'd give it a shot. You can see it here: Read It Like You Mean It.

Also, one of my former roommates has started a blog. She's originally from Pakistan, and has recently moved back home to start a new job. Her writings are really interesting comments on a country that most of us Americans know little about. Check her out at: Thoughts.

Maryland Sheep and Wool 2007

I was able to get out of the house long enough to experience some serious yarn overload this past weekend. It was my second time to Maryland Sheep and Wool, where I was accompanied by some lovely ladies from my knitting group. Having learned how to improve our experience from last year (i.e. bringing our own lunch!), the girls and I left at 6:30am to get a good parking spot and first dibbs on all the yarn we could catch. I spent nearly three times what I did last year - although considering last year I spent $12, that's not really anything to brag about.

Of course, there were plenty of sheep to go around. I totally need a baby lamb now. I'll keep it in the backyard.

We were such amazing shoppers that we had to sit on a bench and rest to get our energy up again. Here are my knitting buddies, whom I'll miss very much when I move 2000 miles away in only a few weeks.

Here is my personal yarn enhancement. I love, love the Tess designer yarns sock yarn. At $15, it was the most expensive sock yarn that I've ever purchased. But one look at the colors, and I doubt you could turn it down, even if you are not a knitter. I also got some deeply discounted Regia sock yarn and some multi-colored yarn for a big scarf (which I'm sure I won't be needing in the desert.)

Check over on the sidebar to read the accounts of my fellow knitters: ReluctantMango, Yarn Mama, and the SmileSpot.