Soba, lol!!

Oh, wow, you ate Greek food and didn't take pics? I'm so sad! I don't know much about Greek food but I think I would drool over some food pics! ;)

OMG! Now I'm about to buy some Addis! Such a good price. You are such an enabler.

I almost got excited when I read *you* bought sock yarn.

She's gonna knit socks! Nope. Another hat. I can't wait to see it! I love your hats.

Oh come on Laurie, give in to those little voices in your head that say "Make some socks... make some socks." Really- wool socks are the one thing that I knit that I always use (even when I go visit the folks in So Cal-- in the winter at least.) Socks are all my mom makes and she lives in Whittier- Wool for the winter and Tofutsies in the summer. Give in! You know you want to.... :)

You have some of the prettiest cats that I have seen. Of course my own three would have to beg to differ with you. But it's okay they won't see this anyway :)

Greek food, friends and yarn shopping- what a fabulous time! And yes, inner yarn hoarders are bossy and almost never listen to reason. And really, how could you resist that beautiful yarn!

I am wavering on the sock thing myself- got the yarn, got a book, now just have to get up the courage to give it a try.

Oh, the Awesome Might of Sobakowa!

While my yarn stash is tee-tiny compared to SuperCrafty's retail marvels, I did have it organized in the identical system (Thank you, Target!) of storage cubes... where it became the All-You-Can-Steal Yarn Buffet for my cats. I had to put the yarn into storage baskets that fit into the cubes, after detangling the massive Web O' Confusion the cats had created in the basement.

Good luck with the socks, I haven't ventured that way yet. Gorgeous yarn!

Threes and fours, tiny? *grins* I use fours on worsted! You've never tried 000s, have you? Then again, you're a Supa-Tight knitter, and will probably do fine with those on sock yarn. I'm your natural antithesis, the Crazy-Loose knitter, and need itty bitty needles to get the stuff to make gauge. :) I can't wait to see what kind of hat you come up with for the sock yarn! And I totally understand the need to photograph yarn. the blue alpaca looks delectable.

I love SuperCrafty!! She ships SO fast and has the greatest yarns. Must. Not. Buy. More. Sock. Yarn.

Tell Allison I'll be ordering before the end of the day!!

There's a book called Not Just Socks that shows stuff to make with sock yarn. I don't have it and I don't know the author but check it out!!

Uh oh - - looks like Soba is giving you "the look" - - the same one I give students here at the College when they get on my nerves - - you are in trouble now! :-)

I use sock yarn to make scarves and shawls all the time. They come out with the greatest "striping" and they're lightweight for the 6 minutes of winter we have here in Houston.

Greekfood and crazy sock yarn? Nice! You will like the sock yarn -- fun! I have knit many hats for my girly girls in it. They love the pattern/stripes. Enjoy.

I'm so glad you wrote today!! I saw this article in the Boston Globe and knew that you'd love it!!

http://www.boston.com/news/odd/articles/2008/03/10/knitters_dress_up_trees_for_public_art/

Love your blog and loved your book!!

It's funny - I'd been knitting about a year when I told a friend that I never use needles smaller than a US 7, just on general principles.

And then I discovered socks, and not too long after that I discovered lace, and now when I use US 7's I'm like, "Dude! Check out these giant needles!" :)

It's not the least bit weird that you brought out the camera for the yarn. Sounds normal to me!

Ooh, talk to the paw cause the dictator ain't listening!

Buying sock yarn is one step closer to making socks. I'm a sock novice myself, and after the last pair (my second, but the first that fit right) I wasn't sure I would make them again. But! Wearing them felt so nice! They're so soft and warm and they fit! So guess what I'm knitting now? If/when you follow me to the dark side, I highly recommend Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. Just saying!

Fun yarn purchases! Also, our furry one, Wolfgang, would lie, cheat, and steal if necessary to get him some Greenies kitty treats. He is so addicted.

Oops, that anonymous post should have had the name Katie attached.

Haha! I very recently got into knitting, and when I went to the yarn shop, I seriously touched just about every single ball of yarn she had displayed!! I also made the mistake of looking at a book with patterns for super cute purses and totes- huge mistake!! Thanks for the smile :D

I've got some of that Tofutsies stuff, in a bright Caribbean-ocean-looking colorway. Still figuring out what I'll make with it, but it's *lovely* to knit with in the summertime. (I started some socks, but decided I didn't like the pattern and frogged it).

Yay for great yarn! You've got to indulge once in a while, or you'll start feeling too deprived.

You may say you're making a hat from sock yarn, but sooner or later, you'll come over to the sock side...

oh i used to be against the concept of handknitted socks and then i started noticing all of the lovely sock yarn out there and then i made my first sock and fell in love with how portable they are and fun to knit. and then there's the sock yarn. yes you only need at most 2 skeins it's glorious. and no, you can't have any of mine.

Omigosh! She does have great prices on Addi's. Thanks for the link :).

Wow, that's quite the threat from Soba! Maybe you can make her a book cover for her manifesto to appease her!

Laurie... I've been wanting to try a hat with sock yarn. I have some beautiful Koigu, and may do exactly what you're proposing... some kind of hat, instead of socks.

Have fun with the small needles... and I do hope that you try socks one day. Here in SoCal they are a great project, and can be worn almost year round (where my scarves only come out to play for about 2 months!).

Happy Monday!

Socks are fun and addictive and are awesome to knit in sticky summer weather, and I predict that once you try them you will be absolutely hooked. ::nods::
=D

That alpaca yarn is the color of Tiffany's....so you save $$, you bought yarn, not jewelry. Sounds like a DEAL to me!!!!!

That's the exact sock yarn i bought for myself from supercrafty when you were advertizing it before due to a fundraiser for evan's surgery. i haven't used it yet, but i got the blue white and grey version of it from socks for my mom and it's really cool.

online yarn is so nice to knit with... good choice for your first sock yarn choice. Give a simple sock pattern a try. Once you go sock, you never go back.

omg, the sock yarn. how does it know to do that??

Ok, for a sock newbie...what size dpns of death should I buy?
already found sock yarn that I like...just no idea what size needles to use.
also no idea how to knit a sock but I found this website http://www.royea.net/sockdemo1.html
:)

Kelly

Ha! Thank you for the new excuse for buying fabric (my personal weakness... well, one of them): "My inner fabric hoarder is really bossy!"

My inner yarn hoarder is bossy too! It must be going around.
For me, the main reason I love to buy sock yarn is that when I shop I don't usually have a project in mind. But I know when I buy 1 skein of sock yarn, it will make a complete project. This has really helped my inner struggle not to buy more yarn! No more guilt.
And I'm fascinated by how the yarn patterns itself.
It's like magic!

Hi Laurie . . . I'm not yet into the yarn community . . still working on quilting. I can see many ways to incorporate both.
Meanwhile: Regarding el Soba: I had assumed that she had throne, assistants, greenies - still, that outreaching paw speaks of a deeper need. Can it be that she wants a manicurist?

Hi! I would recommend trying socks. I knit 2 poorly fitting pairs of socks and then knit a 3rd pair using the Yarn Harlot's sock formula from "Knitting Rules!" I have to admit, I was only nervy enough to try her formula after using your formula for the roll-brim hat! Now, I love the formula. In some cases the formula is better than the pattern - like when you really want to wear whatever it was you knit yourself and have it actually fit you! So try the socks!

Wow, I swear I didn't even ask or give her a discount or anything to say all that - it was pure editorial! Thanks, Laurie!

FYI...The gorgeous sock yarn Laurie is holding is Pagewood Farm sock yarn. The colorway is Navajo. It's unbelievable. It's up in my store, but I don't have photos yet. I'm waiting for them from the lady who dyes the yarn so they should be in this weekend. I figure her photos will be way better than anything I could come up with!

Allison! I know, I didn't realize I was turning into an advertorial but I couldn't help it. I swear I actually dreamed in Misti Alpaca on Saturday night.... LOL. Being around so much pretty yarn was like being left alone in a truffle shop!! Thanks for having us over!

mmm...sock yarn, not that I knit socks; I've had four balls of it in my stash for a year. It gets pets. The Misti Alpaca was my first 'good yarn'...skooshy softness. Must say, Alison has fab prices on the Addi!! I can 'see' the crown on Soba's head - sooo regal. Such pretty jade eyes too.

History has proven that I don't do socks "well". Actually it's just the pesky toe - but I digress. Last week I was made aware of an astonishingly clever way to use my hoarded sock yarn (it is so pretty I can not resist!) - kleenex pouches. They are the creation of Kmkat - but can also be seen at knitorious and Wound To Tight. Kathy is very clever in the ways of the sock yarn, because she created these things to use up "left overs" after making actual socks.

I love sock yarn! But I find the thinner yarns super versatile. Most of the really cute tops I want to make are DK weight or lighter, so it is nice to every once in a while find a sweater pattern for sock yarn.

I've used 6-ply (and 4-ply) sock yarns for hats, sweaters, etc. AND ALSO socks! Heh. And Laurie, really, what is a sock but a long narrow hat with a right angle in it?! ;-)

My kitty is wild for Greenies, too!! :-)

OMG, you have awesome friends... that green yarn is gorgeous!

You can also use sock yarn to make baby gifts - not that you need baby gifts, Laurie, but you might have friends who do.

But Soba's so disappointed. I hope you get her some greenies just to get back on her good side.

Now, see, I wouldn't have known what you meant by Greenies until I was selected randomly by an orange cat to be his new owner. But now I know what you mean by Greenies and is it possible to feed your cat too many? I kind of need to know.

You yarnies crack me up. My sister got some shelves just so she could "organize" her yarn, but it was really just an excuse to see how much she DOESN'T have, and what colors she's missing.

Every week it's more yarn coming in big boxes.

But I am not going to complain. [It's not MY mess.] She IS making me a beautiful afghan using the 'I Love This Yarn' yarn. And boy, that stuff is soft, too.

I'd like to see YOUR stash, Laurie. PICS!

And you should always bring home something for the cats. Always.

It's like a law.
.

I'm so with you on the Misti Mountain. It's like a marshmallow wrapped in a kitten floating on a cloud.

*What* Greek food did you eat? The Diet From Hell does not permit Greek food, and I must have my vicarious fix. (The DFH does not specifically mention Greek or any other ethnicity food, but it does prohibit tomatoes, cheese, eggplant, lemon, olives, wine... so even if you could find a Greek dish that didn't contain any of those, why would you want to eat it?)

Ah, just wait until you are fully assockilated: you will remember when you called size 3 and 4 needles teetiny and you will laugh, and sigh, and continue turning a heel on your 0s.

Love that Soba paw - my Zoe cat does the same thing. I must have a million pictures of her doing that - love the yarn too!

I made my first socks from that Online winter yarn you linked -- color 881. It's easy . . . I used size 2s, so SupaTightGirl should be fine on 3s (or maybe 4s). C'mon -- don't those stripes just scream for socks?

And then I moved on to Tofutsies for my second pair. . .

You have to hide the yarn from the kittens so that they do not know and will not know where it is or how they can injure it to exact revenge on you. Revenge of the Kitties. Sounds like a bad B movie

rb -- If you give your kitty too many Greenies, you'll know it from his bad case of Dire Rear.

My dog lurves Greenies but we do have to ration them.

Sock yarn is just perfect for baby items (especially the supa wash kind) and toys. I'm just saying.

See, all stash and no cat toys is why cats should
Vote Tuffy for President!

Ohhhh you so should make some socks!!! And there's some great books out there that explain how. I was sooo nervous to make my first pair of socks (I hadn't made any other garments except for scarves & hats) but it was well worth it! I'm addicted now....

Like Liz R said, there's always Not Just Socks for stuff to make from sock yarn. Knit what you like! If you do make the foray into making socks, be careful about letting your family know; you may start getting commissions. Ask me how I know.

Damn, that cat is too cute. And obviously rules the world. :-)

I want that rooM!

I made my first socks out of tofutsies! It's amazing stuff

I knit my first scarf on size 4 needles, so the 8's I'm using now seem massive!

I'm in the wanna-knit-socks category 'cause it's too warm in NC to knit too many heavy things, and we can always use socks. I've only bought Lion Brand sock yarn so far, but the Supercrafty sock yarn page is frighteningly tempting! (Must remember, getting laid off in three weeks--no extra money. Must remember, getting laid off in three weeks--extra knitting time!) Most of my "nearby" LYS's are 45 minutes from home, and online shopping sounds so much more convenient...

I gotta be careful--my cross stitch/needlepoint stash is already out of control, and I was given a stash seed (6 balls and 8 skeins) when I started knitting the first time. I've already gotten yarn that I justified for 3 more projects waiting but I can't afford to go crazy and buy it because the yarn is pretty just yet!

I'm nervous about making socks, but I found two different patterns in books for miniature socks or Christmas stockings that use the same knitting techniques. I'm going to try these first, on tiny 0 dpns! I wonder how many will get frogged before I get it right...

Someone already mentioned it in the comments but I'll say it anyway: I found a really clear formula for socks at http://www.royea.net/ although I haven't tried it yet.

Love the gorgeous green sock yarn you're holding -- my favorite colors.

Hey, I've got the perfect pattern for you -- it's socks made with Misti Alpaca Chunky, and it's a very easy pattern, knit on size 7 DPNs - no toothpicks!

Check it out: http://www.iliveonafarm.com/8Tkw3jp0.html

Or a minion!

Oh wait, she already has some of those...

I know this has been said already but making socks really is addictive. I have enough sock yarn to make a pair a month for the rest of my natural life, but that never stops me from buying more. Besides when you make yourself fancy new socks you'll need some fancy new shoes to show them off :).

That's the first yarn you've bought in 3 or 4 MONTHS?! I am impressed! You are being so good with your budget -- Congratulations, Laurie! Meanwhile, I live in a colder clime, so am still making berets, and buying more Lamb's Pride Bulky. I've also made a couple with two strands of medium weight; I like the varigated look.

Greek Food AND a yarn splurge? Pretty much heaven to this gal.

It's good to splurge ever once in a while

You could make Soba some Tee-Tiny socks with your new yarn. Perhaps that will please the dictator (and protect you from the all powerful claws).

I bought a ball of what may be sock yarn (on sale, no ball band, just liked the colors!) to make a lightweight scarf. I don't get the whole sock knitting thang, I must confess. Laurie, I love your beret recipe so much that I'm going to try to adapt it for lighter weight yarn for springtime wear ... unless you're already working on that?

Buying yarn and knitting tools is an investment,
which is not spending money. All these yarns go up
in price, and besides, you never know when you'll be absolutely smitten with a knitting idea, and you'll be able to raid your stash to determine which yarn you'll use. Alpaca is apparently the most recent rage, and there are no allergic reactions and it's super soft. (It also stretches--just letting you know--so a short scarf will soon become a long scarf--more for your money!!)

SOCKS! Knit socks! They look really hard, but are supper easy to knit and really really portable. You don't even need to keep track of what you're doing for most of the sock, just knit around and around.

I love socks! (and am not as crazy as i sound in this comment)

e-mail me if you want a super easy pattern :-)

Beware, socks are addictive. Once you start, the scarves will be history. I love doing socks on the magic loop. I love socks, once you wear handknit socks, all other socks are fatally flawed. I can't wait for you to join us in the sock addiction. But if you NEED the scarf, you may want to finish it first... I'm just saying

omg - I just got that skein of Hand-dyed with the sheep and flag on presidents day (I just got the connection now). It has bamboo in it or something - I bought the same - or similar colorway you posted. Very pretty colors and it has a little sheen to it. I haven't swatched it yet - but can speak to the beauty of the colors.