Saturday, September 01, 2007

Happy Blogiversary Baby

Got you on my mind...

All day I've been reminding myself to blog because it is my BLOGIVERSARY today!!! Yes, one year ago today I started blogging. Imagine that.

I had to get my entry in before the date changed so that it would count. Well it is 9:45pm around here, so I say that counts. Over at Etsy, everything runs on NY time, so people are up very late while it is still pretty early for me.

I have knitty stuff to show off too. This IS a day.

Doug posing in his new socks: He says his feet are very happy.



I knit the first one back in March with (yes) some of my very first hand-dyed yarn. Then the remaining yarn sat around with the orphan sock until about a week ago when I got going on the second one. Doug and I were watching a movie last night, and when he got up to get a snack, I snuck the socks onto his chair. He was so thrilled, he put them on right away and had a big smile on his face for the rest of the movie.



Alas, I did not manage to get a photo of the finished Butterscoth socks for my sock pal. I did get them into the mail though, along with more sock yarn for her to enjoy and some fun stitch markers. And wait'll you see what I got from MY sock pal. Show and tell on that tomorrow. And yes, there will be a tomorrow.

Guess what this is?



Yup! Another finished pair of socks. I finished these up at camp with the handspun sock yarn I bought from rmddesigns at etsy. I have another skein from her and a third on the way. We'll get to some show and tell on that eventually.



I have discovered a great love for knitting socks with handspun sock yarn. Yes, it is ridiculously expensive, but I can think of many many good reasons to do it:

1. Handspun sock yarn is usually a wee bit heavier in gauge so socks fly along.
2. Handspun sock yarn is ridiculously expensive so you buy one of those instead of eight of something else and thus stash stays small and you use up your yarn purchases faster.
3. Handspun sock yarn has this funky colour changing thing going on so you can knit the plainest of socks without ever getting bored, cuz that yarn is always so durn interesting.
4. Every single stitch done with handspun sock yarn is a joy.
5. Um...I like handspun sock yarn.

6. How could you possibly resist something like THIS:



I mean, that is just one hunka hunka burning bliss. I can't wait to knit socks with that yarn. I bought it from a shop called Bizyhands at etsy (natch).

Or how about this one: (alltheprettyfibers.etsy.com)



And one of my favorite hand spinners at etsy is YummyYarn. I've blogged about her before -- she's the one who designed the Full Of Holes Scarf. This is my current sock on the go (one done, one at the cuff stage): 100% BFL Sock Yarn, handspun of course.



So that's me, and a bit of what I've been up to knit-wise. I haven't been blogging 'cuz I hate summer and go into survival mode, which basically means ignoring a lot of things until the kids go back to school.

Back to school in two days...and counting...

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you thank you thank YOU!!!!!! I'm thrilled to have perfect reasons to buy more sock yarn!!! Hand spun wonder! Now I can tell my hubby why I'm buying more! It will deplete my stash. Eventually...... :O) samm in Canada

Anonymous said...

Happy Blogiversary! I love those socks from some of your first handdyed, the colors are fantastic. And wow, I'm so tempted to splurge on stuff from some of the etsy artists you linked to!

Lothlorian said...

Happpy bloggy birthday sweetie and EEPPP you have to go to my blog, I knit up the yarn i bought and they look so like your hubbies socks...go have a look! The yarn is great to use

handspun huh...not that I NEED mor yarn.....

Kim @ Twice Remembered said...

I checked out yoru shop - Your yarns are delicious! Wow! Happy Blogiversary!

Ghislaine said...

Happy Blogiversary Jayne! I was starting to wonder where you had disappeared to.

A lady at my office had sent me a link to Yummy Yarns - she had seen this lady at a local market, spinning her yarn and said that it was just lovely. When I saw the price, I thought that was way too much to pay for socks, but now, after reading your comments on handspun, I may just have to give in and buy some at least once ... I'm just afraid that once will not be enough.

jayne said...

Once is never enough ghislaine. I thought that the first time I bought, but it's a once baptized kind of thing.

I am fully hooked on the stuff now.

Yummy's are yummy, and she lives about five minutes from me. Nice woman too. I have several of hers now.

Anonymous said...

Totally agree with you about the handspun, of course, now I'll be spending even MORE time hanging out at Etsy (not knitting, not blogging). I totally missed my blogiversary - I had to go and check the date when I got started :).
I'll be glad when the kids are back - I like the routine, if not the temps of the fall and winter.

Madge said...

Happy blogiversary to y-o-o-o-u!

You've become a sock virtuoso. Lovely FOs.

Ah, handspun. How I love thee.

Suzann said...

Happy BLOGIVERSARY to YOU !

And just think of all the wonderful things that have happened since you started your blog.
Beautiful socks. I love the color of Doug's socks. None of the males in my family want socks. Go figure.

Joan said...

Someone needs a spinning wheel! ;-}

Happy anniversary, Jayne!! I think mine is coming up right behind you.

TrampledbyGeese said...

Happy Blogiversary!

Yes I love knitting with hand spun yarn. It's true, the cost does help keep the stash smaller. But now I've learnt to spin, and spinning yarn takes far less time than knitting yarn. So the stash is growing again.

Wonderful socks!

Anonymous said...

Happy blogiversary! What a year it has been...
Marta

Anonymous said...

Happy Blogiversary! You just reminded me not to forget mine - I usually do. Isn't blogging fun?Lovely yarn,
Li

Anonymous said...

Happy blogiversary!! I've missed your blog lately and I'm so glad you're back. A warning - spinning is just as addicting as dyeing or knitting - trust me, I know! Cheers!