So Much Yarn, So Little Time

Working sure interferes with my playing. The only time I get to knit is when I'm a passenger in a car. I do a lot of commuting and have road time in my job, but I'm usually driving. RATS!

Sandy, the Youth Consultant, and I took a trip to Coffeyville last Thursday. She drove, so I got to knit. (Nice lady, Sandy.)

Did you know you could knit four socks at one time? I did it! I had Pat's white socks and Kayleigh's pink socks both in my traveling bag. I couldn't decide which pair I wanted to work on. Both were being worked on Size 1 circulars and two of the circs were extra long. Hm... I wonder.

Sure enough, I was able to slip all four socks onto the two longest circulars. I merrily knitted on both pairs all the way to Coffeyville and back. I'd still be working on both pairs, but Pat's socks are through the part that needed size 1 needles and needed to switch back to size 2.

Pat's socks are being knit in a wool blend sport weight yarn that I got at JoAnns. I am trying a trick I learned from Carla of KansasKnits. She said she knits the ankle part of her socks on needles one size smaller than the rest of the sock. This makes the sock fit more snuggly and prevents bagging. I'm 3/4 finished with Pat's socks, so we'll see soon how this works.

I love the yarn I'm using for Kayleigh's socks! It's a cotton/elastic blend called Cascade Fixation. It feels good, just to hold it. This is going to be my yarn of choice when I knit for grandkids. The girls are going to love the colors. I have pink self-striping yarn for Kayleigh. I haven't decided who will get the violet self-striping yarn. Pat III has requested green socks, so I need to make an expedition to a yarn store to find his yarn.

I'm finding the yarn stores! I've been to Yarn Barn in Lawrence and Twist in Wichita. The Kansas City knitters on KansasKnits have found KitWits in Olathe. Pat and I drove past The Shivering Sheep in Abilene when we were coming home from a library event in Salina. (He wouldn't let me go in. Just because he had a schedule! Men!!) After a library meeting in Manhattan I visited Wildflower and found the toe-up sock knitting book that is my Bible. I have heard a rumor that there is a new yarn store in Garnett. I do hope it's real. That will be my closest yarn store (27 miles away). I am about 60 miles from Olathe, 59 miles from Lawrence and 120 miles from Wichita. I only get to go to Twist, Shivering Sheep and Wildflower if I'm in the area for other reasons (that usually means something library related.)

You folks who live in urban areas with a source of yarn ten minutes away, please thank your Yarn God. Hm... wonder who would be the goddess of knitting or Patron Saint of Knitters? Arachne is for spinners... But that will be another blog entry.