TNK, Yarn Swap, Yarn Pr0n & a Monday Sky

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I'm a little behind on posting about a few things, so am lumping a couple of things together into this one blog post.

TNK, 7-10-07:

First of all, a few pictures from last week's knit night:

Issy helps Cathy with her Lizard Ridge short rows
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Deb finishes her Sursa shawl - gorgeous!
(I think that makes six people in our group who've now knit it!)
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Amy worked on her Origami Cardi
(Summer '07 Interweave Knits)
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Origami extreme close-up
(Amy is knitting a criss-crossed cable instead of "berry-in-a-box")
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Jane happily knits on and holds up her Hanami stole.
(She's since finished and blocked this beauty.)

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Sangeeta's Yarn Swap, 7-14-07:

Sangeeta repeated last year's hospitality by hosting another fun yarn swap, this time at her lovely new home!

I brought just a modest amount to sell/swap:


But other people brought lots and lots:



Here's the mob swarming in on the loot:



There was also a delicious spread:

Yum!

Here's our hostess (second from left) holding the beverage of the afternoon -- Sangeeta's Sangria (I just love saying that... Sangeeta's Sangria, Sangeeta's Sangria...):

And here are a few folks you might recognize, knitting and enjoying their sangria:*

Here's Cate showing a couple of her fantastic WIPs:

Sidewinder Sock
(a brilliant pattern by NonaKnits)
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She's started clue #3 on her MS#3
(yarn is Malabrigo laceweight from the Yarn Lounge, and is superb)
(check out close-up pics on her blog)
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And here's Sangeeta's coworker Jennie, (whoops - forgot her name), crocheting a baby blanket and snuggling with Sangeeta's roommate's dog Hershey:

what a sweetie!
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Yarn Pr()n:

I was able to swap/sell my unwanted yarn, and managed to come home with just a little bit -- two balls of angora and a ball of a cashmere blend, all originally from Elann.com, but more recently from Cate's stash:

we were both happy with our swaps!
(I see baby things in these yarns' futures)
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But wait! That's not all! There's more Yarn Pr()n to show you:

This was ordered about six weeks ago and just arrived on Saturday, and I think it was well worth the wait. It is hand-dyed, hand-spun Crown Mountain Farm's Sock Hop yarn in their "Blue Suede Shoes" colorway.

I've been lusting after this colorway (no surprise) for months, but they sell out of this yarn incredibly fast and only restock as fast as the spinners can spin it. I finally got myself on a waiting list and managed to submit an order in late May. A month and half later, here it is. Again - definitely worth the wait. The pictures don't show it, but it's incredibly soft and squishy (100% superwash merino), and of course, the color makes me swoon. I've already trolled Ravelry for other people's socks knit with this same yarn & colorway, and it does not disappoint.

And since I'm not knitting socks at the moment (will I ever?), I get to just fondle and drool over these skeins for the forseeable future. Makes me happy!

So....Happy Birthday to Me! :-)

Yep, tomorrow is my birthday. So, that's my justification for adding more sock yarn to my stash. Not that I need justification -- I unloaded sock yarn at the swap on Saturday, after all.

And that's not all I bought myself for my birthday. Yesterday I was catching up on the Shelterrific blog and after reading this post, made an immediate impulse purchase of some Graeter's Ice Cream:

Mail-order ice cream. God is good.
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Minimum order is six pints, so I ordered six different flavors, including the highly recommended Black Raspberry Chip pictured above. Here's hoping it's as good as its press, because I'd hate to waste one of my six choices on a dog. It's supposed to arrive on Wednesday -- I'll let you know if it's any good. :-)


In closing, I'll leave you with a Black Raspberry Chip -colored Monday sunset:

I'm taking it as a sign of approval on the ice cream order. ;-)
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