Socksy Beast!

Well, folks- it's been a busy week all around, but especially for knitting. I managed to finish not one, but TWO pairs of socks this week! Operation Sock Drawer is in full effect, and my feet will be nice and warm this winter.

I finally finished my Bickersstraat socks this week, and they are absolutely fantastic- I love the pattern and the yarn was such a delight to work with!

The Cinderella colorway works so well with this pattern- it's very grey and muted, but the violet and lilac tones in the dye really stand out (especially in the light) without taking away from the sock pattern. The yarn on the whole was fabulous- the cashmere makes these socks quite decadent and they're pure luxury to wear. I need to pick up some more yarn from Wandering Wool- it's such a joy to knit.

My Rose City Rollers are also finished! Whoooo! I am so pleased with them. I (rage) knit furiously through the Game of Thrones season finale (for those of you who watch, can we just talk about this for a sec? I won't spoil it for anyone, but seriously... What. The. HELL?!). I wore them to bed just to comfort myself afterwards. I needed it.

The Alegria was a good choice- it's really soft, but still a workhorse yarn. I can tell these socks will last a long time. And the color is GLORIOUS! I cannot stop staring at my feet whenever I wear these. The fluorescent pooling makes me so happy.

In fact, the Rose City Rollers are so much fun to knit that I cast on another pair. I still have a few more days until the Instagram KAL ends, so I decided to use up some stash and go for at least another HO. I'm using Peepaloo Fields' standard sock yarn in Unexpected Belly Buster.

I'm in love! The Belly Buster knits up little rainbows on the purple base- it is gorgeous- and it's making these socks fly off the needles. I'm convinced that rainbows make me knit faster. I will continue to operate under this assumption until proven otherwise.

Stash enhancement this week was pretty epic. My Must Stash DSOM arrived!!! I pre-ordered it in May as part of the Must Stash Summer Concert Tour- and it's everything I dreamed it would be.

I've been obsessing over Stacie's beautiful yarn for a while, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity. SOOO happy I did! Even the packaging is adorable- it really made unwrapping this fun.

This yarn is self-striping and inspired by the colors of Pink Floyd's iconic Dark Side of the Moon album artwork. How amazing is that?! Very cool. Cannot wait to start knitting with this lovely, soft yarn. I'll keep you all posted.

My Nomadic Yarns bag arrived, and it's so awesome! Makes me want to thank everyone for being a friend. ^_^

It's actually much roomier than I expected- that's my Pebble Beach shawl hibernating in there, with plenty of space to grow (if I ever stop knitting socks long enough to work on it). Ashley had so many cool fabric choices for the bags in her shop- but I saw this one and had to have it. MAAAAA!!! 

I also went a little overboard at the Vintage Rose Knitting Boutique... Dianne of the Suburban Stitcher podcast (and Etsy) shared the collaboration she had been working on with Desert Vista Dyeworks and Vintage Rose Knitting Boutique, and I was sold immediately.  The Star Spangled Kit is even more wonderful in person than in pictures (I didn't even think that was possible)!

The bag that Dianne sewed up is so well made, and the stitch markers Vanessa put together are magnificent- but the real show stealer is the yarn. Susan (THE dyer of Desert Vista Dyeworks) made a really impressive self-striping sock yarn that matches the bag perfectly- it even knits up little "stars" (white breaks in the red and blue stripes)- I have no idea how she does it, but my mind is blown! AND she even added two mini skeins- ALL on her sparkle base! You guys, this yarn is amazing!!! I fear for the future of my credit card...

Since I was already putting an order in on Vanessa's site, I added a few little extras for myself. I like to treat myself well. Obviously.

The Lo-Lo To-Go Bar is the perfect size to throw in a knitting bag, and it smells divine. I know it's weird, but this particular scent- Pearl Knits, described on the site as "citrus, linen, violet, jasmine, mimosa"- smells a lot like a urinal cake. But in the best possible way. I know, I know,  I'm a total freak- but I really DO like it. Though, the formula takes a little longer to be absorbed than other solid lotion bars I have, and the smell is rather, um, distinct, I would still get this again- though maybe in another fragrance. The stitch markers are perfect- really well made and a delightful addition to my WIPs. Vanessa, you've made a customer for life! I love everything about her website- definitely check it out. I may need to get some more stitch markers and possibly some bracelets (because, shiny!!!) in the near future.

Until next time- I'll keep knitting up rainbows and sparkles for you.