YARRRRRN - acquisitions and, um, de-acquisitions?

I went yarn shopping yesterday. Bought too much, as usual; but oh, was it fun. :)

I finally got my hands on some Lion Chenille (not Thick & Quick, the regular chenille). I am dying to make the vest pictured on the label--so much so, in fact, that I want to make it in all 4 of the colors I bought! *giggle* I will have to see how the first one goes before I really decide to do that, of course. I'm going to start with the red. I don't wear red very often, but this particular shade is so beautiful.

I got many other yarns, too. I bought a good deal of Lion Boucle, which I am now unsure about using because I didn't realize at the time that it was 20% mohair. Argh. I could probably work with it, and probably make something that wouldn't be worn right next to the skin...But I don't think "probably" is good enough. I did find a cute sweater in a back issue of a crochet magazine that I might like to make from it, though. And there's a capelet that uses it as trim that I really like. (I'm not sure I particularly like the capelet, but the trim is awfully pretty!) I guess I won't make a decision about that yarn just yet!

I am considering selling a lot of my Bernat Sox yarn. I am a spoiled brat and don't really want coarse yarn on my footsies. ;D If I sell some on ebay, perhaps I can justify buying something a little nicer. I don't know, though...I've been ebaying a lot, and trying to save that money. I won't sell all of my Sox yarn, of course; I'll probably still want to make some socks out of some of it, since the colors are very pretty. And maybe the socks I am working on now will turn out to be more wearable than I currently think they are.

I'd really love to get some hand-painted sock yarn. Yum.

Oh, I found another sock pattern! It's in the Dec. '06/Jan. '07 issue of Crochet Today! I bought the magazine for a buck at a yarn store a few months back. Well worth it, I'd say.

baby blanket 6-28-07

baby blanket 6-28-07
Originally uploaded by saintlex

I am almost done!! :) Just a few more inches to go.













Here's a close-up pic of the pattern:

first finished sock

first finished sock
Originally uploaded by saintlex

WOOHOOOOO! I finished a sock! :) Didn't take all that long, either--I just hadn't been working on it for a while. I'm not totally thrilled with it. The cuff is a little big, and the seam at the toe isn't great (I think maybe I made the sock just a little too long?). But my mom and my fiance think it's pretty, and some nice people on Flickr do, too. ;D

Guess I'll just have to make another one to match!

I don't think these will be the comfiest socks. I realized, in the course of trying these on, that Bernat Sox isn't the most comfortable to wear. I'll wear them anyway, of course. (Proudly!)

I have a TON of Bernat Sox yarn, so I'll use it and like it, dammit. Heheh.

Here's a pic of it on my foot:

Sock progress and blanket progress

I finally picked up my sock again tonight. I am now almost finished with the first one; I just have the heel and a little bit of the toe left to do. I am pleased to report that it seems like it will fit! :) I've been trying it on at all its various stages. If it does fit, let's hope I can make one that matches. Heheh.

I am not overly impressed with the Bernat Sox yarn I've been using. Yeah, I know, it was cheap. It's probably not the best quality stuff in the world. But the center-pull skein keeps getting all tangled up in itself. I can't get the other end of the yarn to stay awaaaaaay from my WIP! Grrr.

I am also still working on the baby blanket. It's getting close to being done. I had no idea it would take this long! Anything for the baby, though. ;) I got to hold her for a while the other day. ♥ ♥ ♥

I confess that I have been terrible at keeping up with others' blogs lately. I've been selling a lot of things on ebay (mostly jewelry-making supplies), and trying to take care of some health problems. I hope to get some good reading time in soon.

I am such a happy swapper. :)

My first swap was completed today--I got my book in the mail (Encyclopedia of Crochet! Yeah baby!!), and she got her yarn in the mail today, too! :) What good luck. We both sent our packages out on Saturday.

I am verrrry happy with my new book, and can't wait to try out a whole bunch of new stitches. I hope my swap partner is happy with the yarn.

And I'm in the middle of a swap with someone else. I'm giving her a whole bunch of jewelry findings and beads in exchange for a knit & crochet book and (what else?) YARRRRRN. :D Some cotton sock yarn that sounds yummy, and violet Fun Fur! Whee!

I like this swapping stuff!!

We saw my sister's new baby the other day. She is beautiful. (As are all of my sister's children! I am not kidding--they have the most gorgeous kids. I may be biased, but wow, they are cuties.) My sister and brother-in-law loved the booties I'd made, and my sis says she'll take a picture of the little one wearing them. I can't wait to see those little feet in the little booties. Awwwww.

I will definitely be making more of those booties. I can't help myself.

Swap update! :)

I am swapping those 2 skeins of Araucania Nature Wool for Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet. Yippeeeee!!!

It's not a yarn ball winder, but it is a book I knew I would buy eventually, and one I've been drooling over for a while now. ;)

No one seems to be jumping at the rest of the stuff I have to swap, so I guess I will probably try to sell most of it on ebay. *shrug* It gets tiring selling stuff on ebay, though. All that packing and shipping. Hopefully, I will make enough money for it to be worth the trouble.

I went out with my sweetheart tonight, and we happened upon a copy of Total Crochet Fashions by Gayle Bunn while at Wal-Mart (I had to pick up a few things, and of course I had to stop by the yarn section while we were there). ;) It looks like a good book. Have any of you read it/seen it/tried any of the patterns? It got good reviews on Amazon, and it has some nice-looking things in it. I put it on my wish list.

I had a crisis last night--I couldn't find my G hook! ARGHHHH! I got a new one today, but it's a plastic one and the one I can't find is aluminum. I don't really have a preference, but I'm afraid the plastic one will break--it's so thin! Well, hopefully I will find the other G hook soon, and then I'll have 2 of 'em. I should probably have a spare of every hook size. I am way too good at losing things.

Tomorrow, we finally get to see the baby! I am so excited. We were supposed to go last weekend, and then my fiance got sick, and I was worried that I might have what he had and that the baby might catch it if we visited. This weekend, neither of us has anything contagious. *knock wood*

Sorry I haven't been commenting lately. I need to catch up on my reading. :)

swap swap swap swap

I have a TON of stuff to swap. As far as yarn goes, it's just the Nature Wool and a skein of Lion Wool Print in Majestic Mountain; but I'm also trying to unload a ton of jewelry-making supplies.

If you want the details, please click here. :)