quite a ride
Apparently, the great stash redistribution project Fair Isle box had quite a ride getting to me. It took around four days to travel an hour and a half. But, that’s not the important part. The important part is that it arrived and man was it a treat! There are so many goodies in that box. I won’t list them all because I don’t want to ruin the surprise for those in the Dallas area where the box is heading. But I will tell you what I selected and what I put in. I added four skeins of Cotton Fleece. I had ordered enough for a sweater but when it arrived it was two different dyelots. I’m using half of it for the ribby shell and the other half will find a new home. I also added three skeins of grape Country Classic, the yarn I used for Grover. It would make a great felted bag or maybe a scarf, but I don’t think I’ll ever actually use it. I also added a set of size 2 dpns. I haven’t used them yet, and don’t think I probably will. Now, on to what I chose out of the box. It was a hard decision but it was a lot of fun, like shopping in a free store! Here is my haul.

I picked the Cleo Plus egyptian cotton by Plymouth yarns. It is a really cool yarn because it has these little flecks of color. I also found six circular needles: two size 2’s, two size 3’s and two size 5’s. I’m hoping to use these to utilize my new knitting trick of knitting with two circular needles. I think the 2’s and 3’s will be great for socks and the 5’s are going to be used for hats. Also, I may be able to use one of the size 5’s for my flower washcloths. They call for 6’s, but we’ll see once I swatch.

another great arrival
In addition to the GSRP box, I also received goodies from Threadbear this week. I already mentioned the ball roller. I also got yarn for two flower washcloths and for my second pair of socks. After Jen’s experience, I had to try some Painter’s Pallette.

I actually have two skeins of the koigu, but have only wound one. It was a fun arrival because I asked Rob to just pick a colorway with purple in it. The colorway he picked is beautiful!

cold feet
I finished my first pair of socks this weekend! They are by no means perfect, but I love them and they have taught me a lot. I used the figure 8 cast-on and Wendy’s toe-up sock pattern. I have determined that I think I want the cast-on to be a bit wider. My feet are big. I also got better at the cast-on for the second sock, which was good. I’ve been wearing them since I finished the last one and they are really comfortable and feel totally different from any sock I’ve ever worn. I’m definitely hooked. Oh, and here they are.

You can see another view (along with a lot of other finished projects that I updated today, some which have not been posted here) in my Finally Finished Photo Album. Well, now I’ll be returning to the Ribby Shell and may throw a flower washcloth in there for good measure. I’m going to try to finish the Ribby Shell before starting my next pair of socks. And, I would like to make some baby hats for my “niece” before i go see her and her mom in a couple of weeks as well as a felted bag for me. Those are all of the projects on the “list” for now, but Threadybear is around the corner and I need to make some swatches for my knitting group. I also just downloaded the Chickami pattern for my new GSRP acquisition and the Noro Lily that Rob posted might make a good tank top/shell as well. And I thought I would get tired of knitting by now. 🙂