icy times --> socks

I am told that the local knitting supply stores were wiped out over the past few days: knitters anticipating a snowy icy sleety storm have bought up all the big needles in order to knit some scarves and such. And, yeah, I'm going to stay home tonight and knit, too, even though I'd rather be at work making money to buy more yarn.

I saw a great pair of kneesocks the other day; so great that I whipped out a pen and sketched the socks so I wouldn't forget them. They were solid gray up to the cuff, which was an army green ribbed affair, but the best part was a dark red knitted flower attached to the side of each cuff. I know how my socks love to sag (which sometimes isn't a bad thing) so it is my plan to make the cuff into a casing into which I might place a ribbon of elastic. Instead of just ribbing along and binding off, I would maybe make it stockinette, add a turning row, and knit some more to make a hem-like thing. I can't see why this would be a bad idea. Even if I made the flower out of a lightweight yarn I would still constantly worry about it sagging and bringing the whole sock down, which defeats the purpose of having cute/sexy kneesocks with pert little blossoms on the top. I liked the original colors of the socks, because the drabness of the grey and green really emphasized the richness of the red. Of course I'd probably also make another pair with a black leg and red cuff, with a pink flower. Why not? I always get annoyed that Target makes socks with cute designs but not always my preferred color combos. It's nice to be able to control the colors of one's socks.

I finally broke down and got some Southwest Trading Company Bamboo yarn. I first encountered this gem at a yarn shop in Charlotte while shopping with my mom. (I was trying to do that sneaky thing where she picks up a yarn and falls in love with it, and I buy it and make a surprise something for her later. It didn't work; she only shopped around the fabric side while I just fixated on the bamboo yarn.) I didn't buy any but thought about it longingly for weeks. After a second incident of loving-but-not-buying at Stitches this past fall, I decided that I would just sit tight and wait for The Right Idea to come along... and it did. Clapotis has been singing its siren song to me since its publication on the web, but I have foolishly been searching for wool-based yarns for this one... and of course the yarns I have in mind are not available locally and tough to find on the internet. (Tough to find for me, at least, because I usually give up on internet searches if I can't find what I'm looking for at the first few sites at visit.) Then, on The Flying Fingers website I found the Bamboo yarn again, in a lovely colorway called Tequila. [Clicking the link will also show you their divine Yarn Bus.] Mind you, I can't handle actual tequila (ask Agent Gray, she'd love to tell you the story) but this is a mix of tans, oranges, and subtle reds, and I think it will make a great multi-season scarf. I'd show you my picture (it shows the lovely sheen of the yarn) but I am having problems GOING OVER MY LIMIT at flickrland... oops.

Since I have the night off because of the potentially crapful weather, I am not sure what to knit on... It would be a good time to pick up the vest's neckline stitches and get that out of the way, but I'd rather work on Ms. Ruffles... or pick up the Teva Turtle Shrug, which got a shot in the arm [no pun] the other night when I worked on it while watching Far From Heaven. I was able to add about a ball's worth of ribbing to it, which is considerable since the sleeves themselves are about two balls long. And, there's the temptation to start Mlle. Clapotis TONIGHT. If I did that I would feel immense guilt, but also immense pleasure. Like eating ice cream for dinner. I think I will just have to hide the Bamboo yarn in my roommate's room somehow, to banish temptation from sight. Grrr!! My stash will never diminish if I keep on like this.