Who ARE you people???

That was kind of a silly title, I know... (I was dramatically shaking my fists up to the sky...see above...and yelling this question to the Internet Gods)....but I was just checking my podcast logs recently...and I was shocked!

Shocked!

The last podcast, Cold Balls, had almost 1,000 downloads from the release untill now (less than a month)!!!

And, this one, I Heart Knitting Group has gotten almost 800 downloads in the past 5 days!!!

Again, I shake my fists and scream...."Who ARE you people????" (and why aren't you commenting on my blog? LOL!)

Crazy, wacky, "what-the-hell-are-you-all-listening-to-me-for?" feelings......but, of course, don't stop (something I say pretty often....LOL....TMI...)! Because I am EXTREMELY grateful to anyone who listens...even if you can't stand the sound of my voice or my chit chat, at least you TRIED, right?

But, besides that wonderful, shocking, incredible news.....

Here is a gratuitous photo of Ben and the cute Duplo "street scene" we made today with his Heros set....The Hulk, Mr. America, Wolverine and 2 (yes, two) Spidermen. Aren't we talented in the House household?



And here is a pic of my second and final Spin to Knit package I got from Naomi of An Ent Knits. I was again sad that this second package was also late and hoping for some small, extra goody in the package, but I was grateful to get such well made yarn. Nice colors and pretty card, too. Not sure what I'll do with these mini-skeins, but I'm sure I'll figure something out. Thanks, Naomi.



I'm finally working more on my Tote'M bag from Knitter's Magazine (keep forgetting which issue). Jackie is going to start hers and that gave me the perfect excuse to finish mine. I'm trying not to let the 408 rows of garter stitch intimidate me or the 3 sections of 2 FOOT i-cord, but...hey, I'm only human. Right? (or maybe not.....mwaahhaaahaaa!)

Any other news???? Hmmmmm....well, last night was the last Argyle sock class and I'm very sad it's over. Jay Allen of The Yarn Basket was the best teacher I've ever had (funny, relaxed, patient, and inspiring) and I hope she'll do another class. I was trying to convince her to do a Norwegian sweater class with steeks (almost wrote "steaks" there) and colorwork....we'll have to wait and see, though. I love that store...tiny as heck, but really warm and wonderful. Jackie had to rip some new Step sock yarn away from me as we were leaving....(it was pink and purple STRIPING!!!!!) I REALLY don't need MORE sock yarn...do I?

Have a great night!

HandSpun-Ky Socks

Woo-hoo!!! My first EVER sock knit with my own handspun yarn!!!! And, I have to tell you, I am LOVING this first sock. I can't believe how soft this yarn is! I really owe it all to Amy of Spunky Eclectic. She has corrupted me...really she has....I absolutely adore her and her yarn and fiber. I am a total Spunky Eclectic groupie...oh, a blog button might be nice!....and I have to admit that I'm loving her yarn a tad more than Socks that Rock....(gasp!). Can it be true???

I'll show you step by step (kinda)...how I went from fiber to sock numero uno.

Wanna see?

First, bought "Swamp Monster" roving (after much drooling and babbling at Amy) at the NETA Spa.

1. Drafted roving...see here:



2. Spinning up the singles.....singles are laceweight....30 wpi.......on my Ashford Joy:



3. Finished one bobbin of each single.....2 oz on each bobbin. They look COMPLETELY different because I separated the roving horizontally instead of vertically...but it was cool because each half was fun with the unique colors....first one, more green, brown and white and the second one, more blues, yellows and pinks/reds (bobbins are reversed in pic):



4. Skeined each bobbin to set twist...finished singles yarns:



5. Balled each skein on my nostepinne:



6. Plied the two singles on my wheel to get this 2 ply: (at 16 wpi...which is sportweight or light dk)



7. Created my own pattern (which I may try to send to Spin Off magazine...not sure) using size 4 dpns (didn't have 2 circs, damn it!) and made this first sock!!!



(It took me from Saturday morning until Tuesday to draft, spin singles, set singles, ply singles, set 2 ply, and dry 2 ply. I knitted the first sock from Wednesday evening to Thursday evening. I started my second sock last night and I'm hoping to be done with it tonight or tomorrow morning. I am SOOO excited!)

Here's a close up of the yarn knitted up:



In other news, my own Spin to Knit pal (the one I was gifting), Cayli, sent me the roving I bought from her....a very soft merino fiber in her own, handpainted colorway, "Flowers in the Snow". Isn't it gorgeous? I can't wait to spin it up!



Not only did she send me a sweet note with the fiber, but also a skein of her own handspun!!!! I'm thinking, "She's not supposed to be sending to ME!"....but she had been spinning some merino and plying with a beaded silk yarn that she dyed herself and I'd said how beautiful it was. And also that I'd like to try that technique sometime. So, she was amazingly generous (and friggin awesome) and sent me over 100 yards of this gorgeous yarn with glass beads to inspire me. Look at this!



Here's a close up of the beads:



Cayli, thank you, thank you so much!!! Doing this Spin To Knit swap has been fantastic because of you! Many hugs your way!

And, a quick pick of the finished bikini panties (from the White Lies Designs Nichole Lingerie pattern) that I gave to Jackie for V-Day. They came out very pretty and soft...and, apparrently, nice smelling, since everyone at knitting on Wednesday was sniffing Jackie's panties (she hadn't tried them on yet.....). We kept saying, "Wanna smell Jackie's panties?"...just to get people to do a double take at the next table at Barnes and Noble! Hilarious!!! We are SO crazy!



Finally, a quick snack recipe that I find to be terribly yummy and "almost" healthy for you. The kids love it, too.

I call it, "Goldrush":

1 cup of whole grain Goldfish crackers
1 cup of dried cranberries
1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup of unsalted peanuts or almond slivers (you can't see them in this pic for some reason...I think they sank to the bottom)

Mix all in a big bowl or ziploc bag and enjoy!



Happy Shnacking! (and Knitting...and Spinning!)