NadaJ Knits

My yarn room has grown. It's grown and evolved to the point where I don't know what's in there, and what I've bought, and basically, it's in disarray. Anyone else experience this?? It's crazy..I didn't know I had so much. When I find something I like, I tend to buy lots of it. My favorite sock yarn is Koigu and Lorna's Lace's. I've knit down the Koigu in my stash to 2 pairs worth, and after cleaning the yarn room this weekend, I found all these. I totally forgot I had these colors...Safari, Tuscany, and Jeans, in the left picture, and I started a pair of toe-up socks in Seaside tonight while watching Dog the Bounty Hunter (I love this show..I missed Knit Night tonight because of "Dog".) All this yarn, it's like going to the yarn store...

I've never finished a pair of toe-up socks before, and I'm procrastinating from finishing a tunic I started in Noro Lily. I'm just not feeling it. I think it's the Addi needles and the silk/cotton yarn, it's not a good mix. So in the meantime, I'm knitting socks. I'm using Wendy's Generic pattern, because who hasn't, right? and I really liked the feather and fan socks she knit a few months ago--I really see that pattern in this yarn, so that's the plan. It's not going as bad as I thought, although I don't think the toe is as strong as a regular toe would be. I had these same reservations with the heel on the Crazy Socks--and I'm wondering if I can do a heel flap, toe up?

So, I'm headed to Chicago to hang out w/friends next weekend, and I'm pretty excited. It's only a weekend trip, so I won't have time to get into any family altercations! Hooray! I found really cheap airfare, so I don't have to drive down there. I wanted to wear the tunic for that trip, so I better get cracking. I think I'll switch needles tonight. After a few more rows on this sock...

Dear Sock Pal....

My sockpal is Amy. Amy, I am such a loser sockpal..I'm shipping off your package today..actually, today is still Sunday, I'll ship them off Monday.

It took me forever to decide on a pattern for you..I tried three different times, and finally, sitting in a hotel room in Rochester, MN--it came to me...Cascade Socks from Fiber Trends. It's a Walking Away Sock pattern, and look..no pooling! I really wanted to use this Lorna's Lace's yarn for your socks, and luckily a pattern finally came to me.

I'm also bribing your forgiveness with extra goodies...everything in this care package comes from my business trips around Minnesota this month..the rose candle from Detroit Lakes, the flower pad and pen from Fergus Falls, the bookmark from Duluth, the secret wrapped package from St. James, and the socks and yarn from St. Paul. I noticed you knit the cable and rib socks from Nancy Bush--I knit those socks for my Sockpalooza the last-go-round, but I used the Mountain Colors Bearfoot...so I included a skein for you to try..it's a great yarn and machine washable too...

For the sockpal that had me...
WOW!! I was the sockpal for Jennifer..and when I came home from my first week away, her package arrived all the way from Spain..I didn't have a chance to open it after my second week away, just this Tuesday. The socks are lovely, Jennifer..in pink of course, which is one of my favorite colors, and it's the Child Sock pattern from Nancy Bush's Vintage Sock book...this is soooo eerie, because 1) I have the exact Opal sock yarn in my stash, and 2) I have this pattern on the needles, somewhere in my house. I'm really impressed you finished the pair..I'm stuck on trying to memorize the chart. Other goodies included were a lovely postcard--and yes, it does inspire intarsia, a cool pen and a green froggie soap. I love green and frogs--how'd you know that?? Thank you so much! I am truly appreciative for such a cool pair of socks and the extra presents too..

I've been avoiding blogland, because I've been on the road for most of May, and the week I was in town, I was interviewing for a job I know I won't get, preparing for my next excursion out the office, meeting my new boss, and then Seth got sick...oh, and I hadn't finished the sockpaloooza socks yet either, which qualified me as such a loser...

To Jennifer of Craft Lily, did I tell you I received the stitch markers you sent? They are beeee-uuu-ti-ful, thank you;

To Barb, I totally missed your phone call about the Shepard's festival..I was sick that weekend anyway..I hope you went. Call me;

To Cathy from tuesday nights, hey! I'm actually having a great time on the road trips..tired, and I get lost easily, but I never thought I'd see so much of the state. I'm gone this week, but I'll see you next Tuesday? Tell everyone hi for me...;

Everyone else, I'll try to get back to my regular blogging, don't forget about me....

Commercials are funnier when you're alone

It's my first day on the road, and I'm all alone, in a hotel room...figuring out ways to spend the State's $31 per diem, and cracking up at all the commercials. I swear, something happens to the mind when left alone in a AAA-approved hotel room. Technically it's a sweet suite but I don't count a microwave and mini fridge--empty by the way--as suite sweet.

I've been in Minnesota since '98, and this is the furthest northwest, I've ever been. I'm less than an hour from North Dakota! And there's black people here too...I was shocked. And there's lakes. Tons of lakes. You can't drive a mile w/o running into a new lake...Prairie Lake, Buck Lake, Holbrook Lake, Melissa Lake, Mary Lake. I started making a list, but of course, I left it in the car.

Ohhhhh...let me tell you about the car. It's a rental, because I doubt if my Focus could make it this far...it took everything I had in Enterprise to not start jumping up and down when I saw the car they were giving me...a 2006 Toyota Camry--fully loaded, power everything, and smooth on the road as silk. I am knockin' out the miles in this baby.

So anyway, it's almost 11pm, I'm in a hotel room in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, right near the Detroit Lake, in the only hotel that doesn't have a view of the lake, cracking up at commercials, and avoiding the sockpal socks that I so self-righteously brought along.