Happy Tuesday! Knitting, Yarn and Another Give-Away!

I've been knitting! I've been excited about it! Finally I have some semi-finished objects to show you. Well, one is semi-finished. It's the laptop cover that I started a couple of months ago. I got the yarn in that I needed to finish it a while ago, but was in my slump, and then distracted by a shiny new project. But I picked it up a few days ago and hammered out the knitting portion. I was little worried about how it was going to look as it was puckering a bit (my fair-isle skills need a little work still), but it blocked out really well and I'm looking forward to sewing the steeks, zipper and lining. The pattern doesn't call for a lining, but I'm going to put one in anyway to keep the floats from getting snagged when I put the computer in.





I've also been working on my spiral sweater for Shelly's knit-along. I still think she is brilliant for coming up with this pattern and so thrilled that she's sharing the pattern with all of us. I am eagerly awaiting the instructions for the next step! I tried to take pictures, but it's hard to capture exactly how beautifully the lace is working up in the Koigu.

The other WIP I have right now is my Pomatomus socks. I have one done and have turned the heel on the second. I'm loving the pattern and think I will make another pair after this. Perhaps in the lovely Mardi Gras yarn (Rav link) my friend, Kelly gave me. Hmm....

What else? Well, last week was a really good yarn week at Chez Sarah. I know, I know, I'm supposed to be grounded, but in my defense, four skeins were part of sock clubs that I subscribed to prior to my grounding. And one skein I won in a contest by Knit Witch for helping her name one of her entries into the Sock Summit dying contest. And the other two, well, I couldn't make her send me just one skein, right? That would be a waste of postage! So, I ordered several skeins, but she only had two ready as of shipping time. (read: excitement, there's more yarn to follow!) I love Brittany's yarn, she dyes it all herself and it's soft and skooshy and so much fun. She dyed the Tulane yarn that I told you guys about a while back. I still haven't made anything with it, but I did give a skein to one of my friends this past weekend and she was just as pleased with it as I am.


These first three are from my Robyn's Nest sock club. She sent out three months worth since so many people are going to be traveling over the summer and might want to bring their yarn with them.







This one is from my Rockin' Sock Club membership. I love the colors, but am not crazy about the pattern that came with it (pretty, but not my style. Shh, don't tell!), so I think I'm going to use it for a different pair, I just haven't figured out which one yet.



This is Waters of the Willamette from the Sock Summit contest. It's so pretty, I don't think the picture does it justice. I'll have another skein coming in my upcoming order.


And, for all that yarn, this is the only one that I actually purchased this week. It's called Hail to the Redskins, but I got it to make a pair of socks for one of my friends who graduated from FSU. I'm hoping I can convince Brittany to dye some University of Florida yarn soon. I already have some LSU yarn that she made, too, so I think that will take care of all my schools.



What else? Oh, I got two really cute project bags and some stitch markers from Gritty Knits. The bags are just the perfect size for sock projects, and although I really didn't need them or the stitch markers for that matter, I couldn't resist. Plus, her prices are really great and she shipped the out super-quick.

And, if you've toughed it out through this whole post, it's time for another give-away. Actually, I have two prizes this time. You can let me know which one you would prefer, or you can enter for both. But if you win one, I won't pick you to win the other. I want to spread the wealth. :-)

The first prize is a screen printing kit that I have had for ages. I have no idea if the ink is even any good anymore or not, but I'm guessing the screens don't go bad. I kinda want to keep it, but given the fact that I have yet to even try and use this, I think it's best to send it to someone else who may actually enjoy it.


The other prize is a tub of crochet cotton. I got this when my grandmother passed away. She used it to make really cute little snowflakes for Christmas. She also made beautiful doilies and tablecloths. I've worked with the tiny cotton on a few projects, and although I love the results, I don't see myself using it again for a while. If you win, I'll also send the patterns my grandmother had to go with them. She only had photocopies, but they're yours if you win them.










ETA - Grr, the curse of the yarn has returned, I had to frog the second sock because I failed to read the chart correctly.

ETA2 - The contest will be open between now and July 28th when I will select a winner.