Montego Bay Scarf

My latest acquisitions

…since I blogged! I’ve been busy with hank wanking, podcasting, casting on waaaaay too many projects, and staying up late playing with Ravelry. It’s a disease. OK, so let me get you caught up on what’s been going on at casa Bockstark. Or should I say Haus Bockstark? Dunno…if there’s a german translation for that.

First I finished one side of my Vista Mare aka Billy Reid socks. I love it, even though it’s tight going around the heel. Let’s just hope it fits cuz I’m not ripping this baby out. I would like to sell the pattern for cheap - like $2 - so that I can avoid getting a job. Haha. But really, I’m serious. If I could make money knitting, that would be SO AWESOME!

Next, I cast on for a secret project that I cannot reveal since I was asked not even to show any pictures at all. I don’t think I’ll be able to show anything until September. I don’t know how I’m going to live. For some odd reason, I feel like if I can’t show the “proof” that I’m knitting, I must not be. Why am I so weird?

Then, I couldn’t wait any longer and finally cast on for the Montego Bay Scarf. Ridiculously easy, and oh so pretty! I am using the Marisilk that I got as a gift from Andrea of Das Schneeschaf. I’m knitting this when I need to take a break from my very labor intensive socks.

OK, and I’m not on my yarn diet anymore. Wollhuhn Tanja doesn’t think I was ever on one. And she said that it’s bad for my health. Doing the Taste of Germany thing has really made me crazy. After all, I have to see and feel these yarns before sending them out right? heh. So far I have 4 dyers and still deciding on the 5th. It has been really cool getting to know all these german dyers, they are all very, very nice. Check out all my purrrrdy new yarn…

Also, last week, Elem and I met with the two goddesses - Claudia (Wollmeise) and Marjan (Yarnissima). They were so much fun to talk to!!! This is the 2nd time that I met Claudia and the first time to meet Marjan. I am so glad that they both took a much needed break to come and visit us. It is really nice to talk to fellow knitters not only about knitting but parenting/kids too. I’ll see them again in September when we all go to Benediktbeuern!! Oh god, I don’t know how much money I’m going to spend. Too much…

What could this be?

Woo hoo!!!

How lucky am I?

I just got another package from my secret pal! This time, she sent me some hand-dyed yarny goodness!!! She said that it was inspired by the blue parrot socks that I made as well as my recent dive into bright colorful things. Isn’t it an amazing skein??? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Thank you so much SP10, whoever you are! BTW, I still don’t know who she is. I haven’t gone searching for her, but she hasn’t really slipped up yet. She doesn’t put return addresses on her packages, and usually they have a Natural Dye Studio return address…hmmm….either she’s affiliated with NDS or she orders a ton from them! I’m guessing this yarn is merino superwash 75/25? Please correct me if I’m wrong!

She also sent more Green&Black’s chocolate, going to be gone in 10 seconds. I already tore into the almond one (my favorite) and it’s almost gone. Can’t blame the kids or husband. Horrible, horrible. But G&B is something that I cannot resist. It’s like yarn. Must. have. more.

She also sent me a cute notepad with little sheep with numbers on them and at the top it says “it’s sheer vandalism”. Haha! Too cute!

Thanks a lot SP10, I really enjoyed this package! Now off to plan what to make with the yarn….Ravelry to the rescue!

Yarn binge!

My crack dealer parents came into town today and with them they brought 3 months worth of crack yarn purchases with them! I don’t even know where to begin. All of it is sock yarn, I have a couple fine fingering, one dk weight, some “heavy” fingering. I am in yarn heaven! I am still on my yarn diet, still going strong. Although I do find myself wandering through Ravelry and looking at all the pretty yarns. I got Socks That Rock, Fleece Artist, Vesper, Spritely Goods, Hobbledehoy, Noro, Cherry Tree Hill, and Hello Yarn. It was certainly a Christmas in June!

Does anyone have a good suggestion for a sport weight sock pattern for men? I’m having a hard time finding one. Please email me or leave a comment. Thanks!

What I ordered (left), What I got (right)

Surprise!

Hello Yarn Tough Sock in Lonesome Water colorway

Today I had two packages waiting for me (I know, this after receiving STR and my SP package). One was from Mystical Creations yarns. I bought it on ebay for $12 and figured it had to be OK, not the greatest, but good enough for $12. The pictures made it look really nice. Yeah, the PICTURES. I read on the L&V message boards about Mystical Creations and there were mixed reviews. Some people said it was ok, some people said it was way off. Well, I got mine and one of them was close, one of them was not so close and one of them was not even in the ball park. What I got was ok, and I’m sure if I complain about it, they will tell me to send it back. Well, that costs 8 euros, about what the yarn cost me. But I should say something, maybe they’ll give me this one for free and/or pay for the return shipping. I still have to contact them. Not motivated.

Then, the other package was from flickr friend Obliviate. I mentioned somewhere on flickr that I wanted to try some Hello yarns but they are damn hard to get (the good colors). So what did she do? She sent me a skein of Tough Sock and some other goodies for my birthday. This is someone I never met, and just out of the blue sent me something. Geez, I am so lucky! Thanks so much!!! Look at the colors! And the little sock (made out of fat sock). And the lollies! And the cute postcard! And the magnet (did you see it? I cleverly hid it). Now I gotta think about what to make with it… I’m thinking of just the sock pattern they sent. I think it was a basic stockinette with a picot edge.

I just put in my order at blue moon. I used up my 10% discount as well as my sister’s gift certificate. And then some. I’m exploding with yarn here people!

After blog stalking some people (heh!), I got invited to Ravelry!!! It is awesome. When it goes live it will be so very cool.

I haven’t been able to get much knitting done because I’m too busy blogging and internet surfing. I am so terrible. I am almost done with the Grasshopper, probably another day or so. Then who knows…I am having such a hard time choosing projects these days.

What can these be?

Ooohhh, lucky me!!!

My Natural Dye Studio yarn

Kitty clips!

A Monsoon is coming!

We went on a family vacation this past weekend so I haven’t been able to post until today. I got a lot of knitting done - finished the Monkeys and almost finished with my STR kit. I just realized that if I finish it soon, I’ll have to wait another month and a half for the next kit! Well, in the meantime, I got my February kit (go figure!) today and I’m still debating whether or not to do the pattern that they sent. So many people complained about the stretch on the cuff, that I may just do a plain sock for Michael. We’ll see.

Now on to good stuff. I had waiting for me today another package from my secret pal!! woo hoo! The outside of the envelope said it was from the Natural Dye Studio (YES!!!!) but then when I opened it, everything was wrapped and it had a letter from her….hmmm…

The Natural Dye Studio yarn, of course, is just gorgeous, she couldn’t have picked a better color! Such beautiful shades of green! And when I saw it I thought of Kew. I’ve been wanting to make that pattern and I thought it was very fitting - the yarn is BFL shorn from British sheep, the dyeing was done in the UK and my pal is in the UK, so don’t you think that is perfect??

Also, there was some chocolates - Green & Black’s (my absolute favorite!) Dark and also another one called Divine. They were both gone. In a second. seriously. There are the little rabbit chocolates too that I will use to bribe my kids into cleaning up after themselves.

Then there were these cute little wooden clothespins with little kitty faces on them. It is just adorable and it reminds me of when we had cats. I miss them!!!

Thanks for the wonderful package SP!!! I can’t wait to cast on my first BFL socks!!!

I also got some knitting books that I ordered about a month ago (English books takes forever!). I got Knitting Vintage Socks and Socks socks socks. YES! I finally have a “collection” of sock books!

The Wollmeise and Victor having a serious yarn discussion

Day 1 purchases (excluding worsted weight)

Day 2 purchases (excluding worsted weights)

Fabz excited to fondle all this yarn

This past Friday, my friend elem and I went to the Sauerlach Frühlingstage to see the Wollmeise and ultimately buy lots of yarn. Since her yarn is all hand dyed, every skein is different. Also, fondling her yarn turns a normal knitter into a frantic-must-buy-every-colorway consumer. It was fun to hang out with elem for the morning and we came home with a healthy amount of wool. I bought 7 colored skeins, 2 uncolored skeins, and 2 worsted weights. Elem bought 6. The Wollmeise (Claudia) is the nicest person, and it was good to finally meet her.

On Saturday, a flickr friend Fabz, came from Berlin to meet the Wollmeise as well. I’m not one to turn down fondling wollmeise yarns, so I told Fabz that I would go Saturday as well. And of course Elem is like me so we all went together. There was supposed to be a few other people but for some reason or another couldn’t make it. That’s ok, more wool for us!!! Let me just say now that Fabz is an amazing person, she has accomplished so much and is really smart, talented and famous in the internet world. But what made her a winner in my book is that in the first 10 minutes of meeting her, she gave me gifts of sock yarn and lip balm from the US!!! Now, how can you NOT like someone who bears gifts??? And fabulous ones at that! Thanks, Fabz!

At the market, she went crazy and grabbed like 10 skeins in just minutes. It was so fun to watch her, exactly how we were the day before! I thought I wasn’t going to buy more yarn, but oops, things just happened to fall into my bag. I bought 3 more sock skeins as well as 5 more worsteds. Hey, they’re for christmas! After the market, Fabz had no desire to see anything else, so we just left and went to lunch at a really good vegetarian place, then went to the Victorian tea house to knit. It was so much fun to finally meet Fabz and hang out. Although there were some moments when I felt so old and “out of it” compared to the other two… Geez, I am old! I wish I got a picture of the 3 of us, but sadly, I didn’t. :( Oh well, I’m sure we will see each other again.

Tomorrow I will see Elem again because of Stich n Bitch. So much knitting!!! YAY! If you guys don’t know who Elem is, he is our “fearless leader” of the Stitch n Bitch group. He is probably the most influential person on my knitting. Whatever he does, I ooooh and aaaahhh over it and HAVE to have it. He is the one who originally introduced me to the Wollmeise and now I have no money. I really enjoy hanging out with him and seeing what he’s knitting!

I am making progress on my Gothic Spires, I am close to finishing the cuff and will probably turn the heel tomorrow. From then it should only be a couple of days then I’ll be done!!! I don’t think I will make this pattern again anytime soon, I’m ready for some plain stockinette, which is a big deal for me since I NEVER do JUST plain stockinette!