No Tricks, All Treats!

Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween! It's been a really busy week over here. Matt was away in Europe on business and I was on solo parent duty. It was doable, but exhausting- and it seriously cut into my knitting time. I'd just pass out after the kiddo went down. Pretty pathetic, actually. But there were lots of goodies in the mailbox (and massive amounts of coffee) to perk me back up!

I have mentioned before how much I love the Along the Lanes Podcast (like, A LOT), and Vero recently hosted her very first giveaway after hitting 500 subscribers- so naturally I had to enter for a chance to win. Well, imagine my surprise when I heard her say my name at the 12 minute mark in the last podcast!

The package made its way across the pond from her Cambridge to mine, and I could not have been more excited to rip open the envelope! Vero include an absolutely gorgeous Skein Queen Club exclusive colorway of Lustrous- a 50% Merino 50% Silk blend (it positively glows!) in a stunning vivid red, 6 mini skeins (including more Skein Queen), and the most adorable little mushroom ever! I cannot wait until her next podcast- her editing, the music, everything- are all on point! She really has the coolest style. Definitely go check her out, you won't be disappointed.

In case you haven't noticed, this month has been all about the socks! SOCKtober mania was in full swing, and as a result I churned out FIVE pairs in the past few weeks- that's a new personal best! My last pair of socks were finished on Thursday. I knit Hermione's Everyday Socks out of the Socks That Rock Lightweight I picked up at Rhinebeck in the appropriately named SOCKtober colorway. How could I not make these the grand finale?

They pooled a bit weirdly, but I was just letting the yarn do its thing. The colors scream Halloween, and I'm really happy with them, even though they are pretty trippy. All in all, I'm really pleased with my SOCKtober progress- finishing five pairs of socks in a month (only one pair was started before October 1st) is a real feat for me (get it, feat/feet? Ha!)... Here are all my lovelies in one overly edited photo.

I might have gone a little crazy with the graphics, I just couldn't help myself! These five pairs, plus some bonus points for using sponsor items, brought my grand total SOCKtober points to 60. I think that's great! Next year I'll aim for 100 points. Good thing I have a whole year to work on my strategy.

Knitting up all those socks means I have lots of spare sock yarn hanging around. I decided to jump on the bandwagon and start my very own cozy memories blanket with all the scraps I have lingering about in my stash. I can already see why this project is so popular- it's addictive. I only have a few squares done, but I'm totally hooked.

I've even joined a Mini Skein Swap in the Junkyarn Podcast Group on Ravelry to get my hands on some new additions for my blanket. It'll be like a yarn tasting in neat, little, bite-sized garter squares! No deadline at all on this project- in fact, I'm pretty sure I'll be working on this for at least the next year in order to get a blanket of any substantial size. With each square measuring in at about 3 1/2 inches, this will definitely take a while.

Speaking of sock yarn, I snagged some absolutely beautiful Hedgehog Fibres Sock from Wool Workshop via the @skeincocaine Instagram yarn auction. I cannot get enough of this yarn- just look at those colors! They will make a lovely addition to my blanket. Someday.

I always love the thoughtful way that Wool Workshop packages their yarn shipments- I have a little jar on my kitchen counter with several Stash Tea envelopes that I've gotten from them- that tea is SOOO good. Mmmm... These packages make me feel less creepy about stalking my mailman on delivery days- they're totally worth lurking by the door for! The auctions are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights starting at 8 PM- make sure to follow on Instagram for a chance to score some truly marvelous yarn.

As you can see, it's been a good week for stash. Not to mention candy! Matt brought me some amazing Frederic Blondeel chocolates from Belgium- they are the real deal!

I have shown incredible self control by not gobbling them all down in one sitting. But there were casualties. The milk chocolate is no longer with us. A moment of silence (for my waist line).

We also only got 3 trick or treaters! THREE! That's it! There's a whole bowl of Halloween candy taunting me as I type. It's cruel, really. Never fear, folks- I'll make sure those sweeties don't go to waste, even if I have to sacrifice myself in the process. Diet be damned- there are Fun Size Snickers on the line!

Hope you all had a fantastic Halloween and that you recover from your sugar hangovers painlessly (go ahead and sleep in an extra hour tomorrow). I shall leave you with this little nugget of Halloween joy.

O.M.G. Cutest. Yoda. Ever. The force is strong with this one! Have a wonderful day and I'll talk to you soon.