Now with 15% more natural or artificial flavouring!

Yes, I promised photos on Monday.
Work demanded attention though, and as much as I may like to believe that I get paid to sit in front of my laptop and knit all day while listening to podcasts, it just ain't so.

On the plus side, I have some piccies. Well, two.
Today is all lovely and sunny, and good photo taking weather. Naturally, my camera batteries have picked this time to run out.

First up, the blue monstrosity.
Like how it's artfully draped over the bannister? I've also just noticed that my laptop case has weaseled into the frame. It's such an attention whore. Still, at least it's not something really embarassing, like...bras left out to dry, or a shrine to Debbie Bliss.


I don't really mean monstrosity though. I think it will be lovely when I get it finished. It's just a bit boring to knit. The wonderfulness of the yarn is all that lies between me and it being an eternal UFO. This afternoon, I'll get the body cast off, and get the first sleeve on the needles. Or that's the plan.

The really exciting bit o' news is that I went to my first Belfast Stitch N Bitch session last night. Much fun was had, and despite the girls *coughNikkicough* thinking that they've scared me off, I'm really looking forward to next week.
I didn't bring my camera, in an attempt to keep from looking like some crazy woman with an obsession. The purring noises when Collinette was mentioned may have killed that. Oops.

Sock 1 got quite an outing yesterday! My fingers are still cramping. I knitted on the bus to town, in Starbucks, while waiting for the bus home, on the bus home, and managed to have 3 glasses of wine while watching a movie til 1am and still knit away without any frogging being required this morning. Well, I thought it was impressive!

As a result, today we have artsy shot 2 of the day:


Taaa daaaaa!
My first magic loop sock. Complete with yarn tails hanging out, and with a severe need for blocking. It's a plain vanilla sock, but it's a pattern guaranteed to be acceptable to everyone, especially manly men who shy away from colours, stitch patterns or yarns that might possibly mean that they'd be taken for being anything less than manly men.

Addi turbos are wonderful things. I never really got the hype until I finally tried them for myself. I love them so much that I have 2 more sets on order - which I should have tomorrow. Squeee!

Things from to do list done:
One sock.

Things from to do list to cast on this weekend:
Second sock *gulp*
First cardigan sleeve.
Baby shrug.

Yeah, this whole thing of having one handbag project and one sofa project really isn't working out too well for me.

Take that, DPNS!!!

Of course, last night being the utterly bloggable moment that it was, I forgot my camera. I am teh dumB.

Well, I am blonde!

I am also now the proud owner of not one, but 2 sets of these babies

Addi Turbos! One set of 3.25mms, for that delectable sock yarn from the Natural Dye Studio that I have in my stash, and another set of 2.5mms, cos there's nothing quite like leaping in at the deep end.

We had been instructed to bring "scrap yarn" to get started on, which I did. Unfortunately, I hit a large problem, in the form of Jacqui and Lisa, the owners of This Is Knit. They were just so damn nice, and so enthusiastic about everything knitting related, that it blew me away. It took every ounce of self-restraint not to melt my credit card, and give myself a 2 year long knitting list, based on their recommendations.

I know that we knitters have a special bond. One that breaks down all walls and sense of shyness as soon as that stranger sitting beside you on the bus pulls out some yarn. It's one of the reasons I love my hobby so much.

Within about 2 seconds of arriving in the door last night and introducing myself, I had a cup of blackcurrant tea in my hands, and was wittering on about the new Debbie Bliss yarns that are in. (Which are, by the way, amazing when knitted up.)

As I walked around, squishing and fondling their stock, I resisted the urge to buy the yarn I plan on making a Clapotis from this summer. I stopped myself hovering by their shop mannequin, which was draped with the Noro Butterfly cardigan (another item on my to-knit list now).

With all of this self restraint, I felt I deserved a little reward. So I popped a ball of sock yarn up on the counter. It's teal, which is a good colour for my planned fathers day socks.




I bypassed the Tofutsies, while a waiting classmate was sucked in by their softness and lovely colourways. I grinned as she made jokes about not being able to leave it behind, despite telling herself that she was not going to buy more yarn this week.
She handed over her credit card, while I quietly added a ball of soft apple coloured baby cashmerino to my little pile on the counter. It will make a baby hat, I justified to myself, and a late present for OH's sister.

Yeah, that's it. Presents. Yarn can always be justified if it's being used to make presents for other people. See, I'm not a yarn ho. I'm a kind and giving person....

I went back to the Opal again, but didn't add another ball to the growing pile, as I remembered my small splurge on Tuesday (was that only on Tuesday? I could have sworn..) Suddenly, karma bit me on the ass for laughing at Tofutsies girl.

Two words.

Shepherd sock.



How I didn't strip down and roll around the floor in it, I'll never know.
It is some of the most delicious yarn ever. Ever.

Next minute, I'm sitting on a bean bag, more tea in hand, and there seems to be a shopping bag beside me. Further examination reveals the 2 addi's, the ball of Opal, my nice creen cashmerino and 2 skeins of shepherd sock in Mountain Creek! Another poke and I find some of this


10% discount? I'll take it in yarn, apparently!!!

So on to the knitting.
The casting on took me more time than any cast on in my life, as the funny yarn-related stories had already started, and I kept laughing til I lost count.

Magic loop rocks my socks.
Literally.

It makes perfect sense to my brain and fingers, which dpns never did.
After a few minutes of being all thumbs, I cast on again, for my first sock, with plenty of encouragement from our noble leaders. By the time the class wrapped up, I had finished the ribbing. I broke out the needles again on the bus home, and knitted away as easily as if I had 2 straight needles. At this rate, I'll have something actually resembling a sock and not just a sweat band by the time I break out the camera again!

No more porcupine wrestling for me.

No siree Bob.