Moving right along!

Yes... Mystic Ocean is moving right along. The current is strong and swift, and with a little bit of luck, this journey will be complete no later than the end of May! Larger images of these photos are available at my Flickr Photostream, as well as more details of this project in my Ravelry notebook. The pattern I am using is Mystic Waters, and was designed by Anna Dalvi at knitandknag, as a mystery KAL in late 2007. I have named my version Mystic Ocean since the blue-green colour makes me think of the ocean, and it fits in with the theme of the element of water!

The yarn is Estelle Watercolours in a blue/green colourway {#21} that I bought at Ram Wools during the trip to Winnipeg that Derek and I recently took. It's a 50/50 mohair/acrylic blend, and is really nice to work with for a fuzzy yarn. Each 50g ball has approximately 160m, so according to the pattern, I need about 6 balls. To make things easier, I bought the entire bag of 10... I have to admit that the 50% price tag of $2.99 a ball made that decision a lot easier!!!

It took me about 2 days {including frogging my first attempt!} to get the first chart done. Derek was thoroughly impressed with how nice it was turning out even then. Just 60 rows of knitting so far, and I was quite pleased myself!

A couple of days later, I had the second chart complete, which was also signalled the end of the first clue. I was now 130 rows in, with no looking back... well except at the chart for the previous row so that I could make sure my stitches were in the right place of course! The top edge stretched out would be about 36" at this point, as I had a few stitches fall off of my needle as this picture was taken! The design is now quite evident in the project, and I need to find a way to stretch it more for my progress photos since the variegation in the yarn doesn't hide the stitch pattern.

Another week, and another clue done! Working really cuts into the knitting time, and each charted row takes about 10 minutes to knit. Completing chart C makes the shawl 184 rows long, with a stitch count of 188 stitches. I tried to stretch this out more, but need a better background so that you can see the openwork more clearly. The larger photo at Flickr shows the detail a bit better. The top edge is now at least 60" when stretched. I used two of my 32" circs to display it for the picture, and I could have pulled it out further. With around 200ish more rows to go, it will be HUGE once complete!

You oughta be in pictures!!! Part Four

Now in the last installment, I bring you stash shots!!! This is the yarn that Derek bought for me when he was in Winnipeg for the weekend in mid-September.


This is one of the Super Soxx Surprise packages from Ram's... it was Derek's initial reason for going there to begin with. As he was making out his list of stuff to do and get in Winnipeg, he asked me if I'd like one... of course I said "YES!!!"


This is one of the two skeins of Tuffy that he bought as well. I mentioned to him that if he was going to Ram's anyway, it would be nice if he picked himself up some more sock wool... I only have enough for one other pair right now!

I have a benefactor!!!

One of my net-friends, who wishes to remain anonymous, had a package delivered to my house today. Imagine my surprise to open the box, and then open the brown bag {sealed with a question mark sticker} to discover this:

Now how cool is this??? It's Ram's newest Super Soxx Surprise, now in a cotton blend. This picture really doesn't do it justice, and once I figure out how to get better quality pictures uploaded without using Blogger's Picassa, I'll change it. Suffice it to say that this yarn is a GORGEOUS blend of blue and grey with charcoal flecks through it. If you look at the webpage for it, it's the third sock from the bottom in the picture of series 1. It's just as soft as the original wool Super Soxx, and I can't wait to find out if it knits up just as well.

I was told that it was because I'd been so good lately with finishing so many of my sock projects, and hadn't been able to afford any trips to Ram's at all in nearly 2 months... with no relief in sight for my unplanned yarn diet. I had been coveting this yarn dearly since I discovered its existence about a week or so ago. I would like to publicly thank my benefactor for this most generous gift. It was the bright spot in an otherwise extremely bleak outlook for me right now.

In other news, I got some pictures loaded on to the pooter and edited for posting. I don't want to sully this post by adding other pictures, so stay tuned for the next few days as I feature various FOs.

And on the eighth day, she created socks!!!

With all the sock yarn recently added to my stash, I'm going to *need* an eighth day every week simply for knitting!!! Not that I couldn't have used it before. I've decided to go with smaller pics on the blog main page, so if you'd like to see any of these in greater detail, simply click on the picture and it will take you to a larger version of it.

This is the Briggs & Little I picked up at Rams on Monday. There is one hank of Durasport in "Bluejean" for work socks for me. I also bought 4 hanks of Tuffy. There is two hanks each of a charcoal grey and olive green to make some winter socks for Derek. I'm using the excuse that I need to use up the rest of the cream Tuffy from his first pair!!!


Here is the complete collection of yarn that came home on Monday. I also completed my bamboo dpn collection and added a few more patterns to my stash! Clockwise from top left: Regia 4 fadig; Sisu; Super Soxx {2 balls}; B&L Tuffy {3 hanks}; B&L Durasport; and B&L Tuffy. Not all of the yarn has been earmarked for future projects yet. The pink Sisu is for some breast cancer ribbon socks, and the B&L is all for work socks for Derek and I. When the time comes, I know that the Regia and Super Soxx will tell me what they want to be.


Tuesday I ventured out and discovered a new-to-me LYS called "Leona's Sweater & Wool Shop". The Confetti is in a tigery colourway, and was a bargain at only $3.99 a ball. The Socka is a rainbowy jacquard, and set me back $7.99 each. The JaWoll was a steal at only $5 each... that's the one that has the thread included for reinforcing the heels and toes!!! I'm hoping that the comfort cushion will help my poor beat-up hands from crocheting. And the Patons booklet has many interesting sock patterns in it. Jacqueline and Rebecca each had 2 different patterns chosen for me to make for them before we even made it home. I'm certain that I will be returning to Leona's many, many times!!!

10 more pairs of socks come to live with us!

... well *potential* pairs anyway! I got a gov't benefit cheque in the mail, and my income tax refund was in, so I went SHOPPING!!! I've taken the stash shots, but haven't loaded them up yet... tomorrow probably when I've got progress on socks to report anyway.

Yesterday's shopping was at Rams. I came home with a carload!!! Needles: 2.0 and 2.25 mm bamboo dpns. Now my set of bamboos in the longer length is complete. Patterns and Magazines: Fiber Trends Butterflies & Blossoms, and Acorn socks; Patons Kids "Twister Sisters" booklet; Patons freebie sheet "Positive Energy Shawl"; and Knit.1 Summer '06. Yarn: 2 Surprise Sock Yarn packages; 2 hanks each of Briggs & Little Tuffy in green mix and oxford grey; B&L Durasport in bluejean; and 2 balls of Regia 4fadig in royal/turquoise.

Today I went and visited a new {to me} LYS. It's called Leona's Good Wool Shop, and it lives up to its name. She's got a wide variety to please every budget, even if she's so small that there's not a heck of a lot to select from {compared to Rams}. What thrills me most is that her stock overlaps very little with them... it's nearly ALL different, which is *very* desirable in a city with only two LYSs. I'm not looking so much for bargains, but for selection. Her prices were excellent nonetheless. I came home with 3 more pairs of socks, a comfort cushion for my yarn hook, and a neat Patons sock book. I bought 3 different brands of sock yarn, and she also carries the Scheepjes, as well as a few Kroy, and what she has left of the now-discontinued Bernat Sox. A pretty brown, beige, cream Lang Jawoll tweed, DBG Confetti in a tigery/ Halloweenish jacquard, and Fortissima Socka Color in a rainbowy jacquard all have a new home with us. The sock booklet I bought has instructions for toe socks for kids and adults, a neat colourwork chevron pattern, and several other lace, cable, and plain socks in kids and adult sizes, as well as short and extra long lengths.

I am a very happy knitter today! Only problem is that I've got a ton of crocheting still to do. On the plus side, since the dentist was running behind schedule today, I was able to make very good progress on my Kroy socks. I had turned the heel on one yesterday, as well as frogging back the heel on the other. Well I got the heel turned and gusset stitches picked up on the other sock while waiting. Now both of my Kroy socks are on the foot stitches, and I have my fingers crossed that one of them will be done this week at work. I'm rotating back and forth between crocheting and my PP sock here at the desk, so the first one of that pair might be an FO by the end of the week as well... the foot is more than ½ done. I'm finished the first set of 4 repeats on Derek's sock, and will be starting the next section soon. Mainly this sock is my on-the-go project at the moment, so with my work week beginning tonight, I'm not holding my breath for any major progress over the next few days on that. I haven't brought myself up to frog my SSS sock yet again, so I *will* cast on the second ball with my Inox's, but I just haven't decided when. My Durasport is calling to me something terrible since that's intended for work socks for me, but I need to calm that voice down and get at least one other pair off the needles first.

The next surprise package revealed!!!

Well Derek and I went to Rams today so I could pick up the Inox needles I wanted, as well as find out if the newest surprise packages had arrived. I wasn't so lucky with my needles... they only had 2.25 mm, so it looks like I'll be frogging my SSS yet *again*!!!! The latest Super Soxx *had* arrived and I picked up one. Apparently a lady there this morning got one that was turquiose and blue, so methinks me will be returning soon for some more. I want to complete my set of bamboo sock dpns anyway... well the longer length, I'm not going to mention the shorter ones, at least not yet! I think the one that I got will make a nice pair of Thanksgiving themed socks. It's not a colour that I would have chosen myself, but I'll live with it!

Like I *really* needed more sock yarn!!!

Well Derek got off of work early yesterday for the long weekend, so I asked him if we could go to Rams. I had a few things in mind to buy, as well as a show-and-tell session since I hadn't brought in any FOs or WIPs in a while. I was hoping to get July's Sock Surprise package, as well as some pointier 2.5mm dpns. Of course there's always the items that follow me home as well!

I got some respectable oh's and ah's for my sock collection, and a good giggle over my Bigfoot clog. I didn't find either of the items I wanted though. It looks like my only option for my SSS socks is to frog and restart them on either 2.25s or 2.75s. I had Derek looking and feeling the sock yarn, and now that he doesn't *need* to wear wool work socks anymore, he doesn't want yarn that's scratchy at all!!! I forgot that I wanted something pink for breast cancer socks, but Derek finally decided on some Regia Silk Shine that he liked. Once I decide what I'm doing about my SSS, I'll cast on Jeanie's Dennis sock design for him.