You'd think I haven't been knitting, but I'm just knitting on things you've already seen...the feather and fan shawl, the blue socks, the watermelon socks. Good progress on all, but nothing like the excitement of finishing Bombshell.

I must admit, I've been sucked into reality tv this summer. The Flavor of Love, which is my guilty pleasure. I can't help but laugh. Rockstar Supernova. Really sad Ryan's gone. He made so much progress, but I think he's not right for the band and he'd make a better solo artist. I'm sad that he's gone because I have to endure more of Storm's banter with the band and I'm really over Dilana at this point. From the looks of Jason Newstead during her performance, he's over Dilana as well. I'm kind of more into Toby as being the right guy to front the band. He has that frat boy kind of thing that would go with the band. My one observation, on any other reality show, if you hurt, slap, injure another person, whether intentional or not, you'd be off the show. Not cool at all.

Countdown to Vegas is 14 days!!!

I'm going home to St. Louis this weekend for a long weekend. Taking Friday off. I need a break. I'm starting to get pissy about everything, so I need a break. Probably not a lot of blogging until Monday. I will tell you though, it's 11pm, and I'm leaving after work and all I've packed so far...is yarn...

I'm also addicted to Project Runway and I've got to tell you thank GOD!! Angela is gone. Angela is gone. Her little rosettes might have been the perfect button on a jacket, but week after week after week after week of those stupid rosettes. UGHHH!!!! I'm glad Kayne is still there. He's my humor every week. I would like to slap Jeffrey upside the head though. Being mean to someone's mother is crappy in my book, continuing to harp on it is even worse, even if she was Angela's mother.

Look, we have the bottom completed, the sleeves completed. Just missing a neckline...do you see it?? Do you see what's wrong with this picture...

Let's look a little closer shall we??? Yes, you can see it now can't you???

No neckline and just that teeny, bit of yarn left. UGGHHH!!! So, with thunderstorms threatening, I hastened off to Yarn Shoppe and More, which is thankfully, not only open on Sundays, but still had a skein left of the yarn I needed in the correct dye lot!

We love Yarn Shop and More! After securing an additional ball of yarn to finish the sweater, I rushed home and finished knitting. So, after 4 episodes of The 4400, 3 episodes of Trick my Truck, an epidode of The Flavor of Love and half of She's All that, I present to you....The finished Bombshell!!!!

And something rarer indeed, a picture of me in it...

Still thinking of tearing out the bottom and adding more length, but it's cotton, so I'm going to wash it first and wear it around for an hour or so to see if it grows. Yeah me!!!! The first sweater I've ever made that fits!!!!!!

Countdown to Vegas: 18 Days Baby!!

Brittany, We Love you!!`

If you remember awhile back, I was heartbroken because I broke one of my favorite needles, 5.5 inch US1.5 Brittany needly. The wonderful and amazing Beth reminded me of the Brittany guarantee, so I quickly shot off an e-mail to the wonderful, wonderful, did I mention wonderful people at the Brittany Company. Who sent me an e-mail to say "no problem" and then they sent me, not one, not two, not even three, but 4 beautiful, wonderful replacement needles. We love you Brittany!!!! Now if only I can find my other ones so I can knit socks again...

Still working on the Bombshell. I decided to add a couple of extra inches to the body because it was going to hit at exactly the waist and I really like my sweaters a little bit longer. About 2 more rows and I'm ready to start the seed stitching. Yippee.

The bombshell takes form

It's a bombshell taking shape before your very eyes...

I love, love, love this sweater. And everytime I try it on, it #1 Still fits!!! and #2, continues to look awesome on!!!! Yeah me!! It looks as if I might finish this before Vegas after all.

Speaking of Vegas, the countdown is 21 days!!! Yippee. Getting excited now. Thought about going out to dinner, but decided to save my money for Vegas instead. It will be nice to have another mini-vacation again.

Back from St. Louis. Hurrah! Thankfully it didn't rain over the weekend. Spent some quality time with some of my college friends at Colleen's annual "Cold" party, held at another friend Jenn's house this year due to Colleen's recovering (Yeah!) husband. Lots of good food. Hand rolled sushi, chicken salad, fresh fruit, and the most amazing chocolate ice cream in the world. Yummm. It was fun to hang out with everyone, although these days, it's hard to get a word in over the din of the many children. Thankfully, most of them are pretty cute, so it's easy to forgive them. :-)

I got a package in the mail when I got home this evening. A few weeks back, I won a contest over at Hand Over the Wool. Yeah me! As I walked back to my apartment from the mailbox, I kept feeling it and feeling it and thought to myself..."I thought it was yarn, but this doesn't feel like yarn..." Got back to my apartment and found some scissors to open the package and out tumbled this...

Freeze dried yarn! What a fantastic way to protect yarn until you're ready to use it. What a great way to send a package. And, makes for pretty easy storing as well. The packaged was opened up to be this. HurrahMe !!!!

Thanks Lisa!!!

Countdown to Vegas: 25 days

It's 10:30pm...I'm leaving tomorrow for St. Louis and the only things I've packed so far is the yarn for my aunt that I bought her at Stitches...my yarn from Stitches to show off...and projects to knit on for the weekend... How sad is that???

So, in case you were wondering, there has been knitting going on. I started the third ball in my Feather and Fan shawl.
It's kind of in that place where you knit and you knit and you knit and you never get anywhere. It's beautiful though. I'm trying to finish it to take to Vegas with me next month. Are we taking odds???





I also finished the first of my ocean socks. They're in Lang Jawoll in many
shades of blue...obviously not the real colorway name. But I like them and they have been much admired. They're just in a standard 3 by 2 rib because the yarn was enough decoration by themself. Now, I just need to start sock #2.




I've started a new countdown for our Vegas trip. 28 days from now, I'll be playing the slots instead of sitting here blogging to the world. Yippeee!!

Another Stitches has come and gone. From the intrigue of the terrorist plot on Thursday that messed up our carefully laid plans to arrive at the same time to the horrible storm that closed the KC airport and made me arrive late, I can say it was a good trip all around.

We safely arrived in Chicago on Thursday night in time for the Market preview and, of course, purchased much yarn. Made sure we got our Socks that Rock purchase out of the way, and it's a good thing too, because it was stripped almost bare by Sunday. Friday, I took Karen Alfke's Unpatterned Top down sweater class and it was awesome. I love the way that she gives all kind of hints as she's teaching that are just things she picked up. Saturday I just shopped. We tried to meet up with the bloggers at the Hyatt, but unfortunately, there was a Beatles convention there and we were unable to find our fellow bloggers in the midst of the love-ins and jam sessions. We stuck it out for 45 minutes hoping we would find someone, but hearing 3 different Beatles tunes sung all at the same time badly, finally drove us away. Sunday, we, of course!, made more purchases and then boarded out plane for the trip home. There was a terrible thunderstorm in KC that closed the airport for awhile, so we circled overhead for about 20 minutes. We landed just in-time for wave two of the thunderstorm. I got absolutely soaked trying to retrieve my car and stow my luggage and then drove the 45 mile drive to my house at 45mph praying I wouldn't die because someone couldn't see me, but eventually, I arrived safe and sound at home.

Hope you enjoyed the preview day yesterday of the Stitches Haul, here it is in all it's glory...

That's 66 skeins of yarn, 2 patterns, 12 buttons and a wool ball. Mind you, this is not all for me...

This is for me...

31 skeins of it were for me... Still bad I know, but enought yarn for 6 pairs of socks and 3 sweaters and I got some incredible deals.

The green blob is actually Merino/Cashmere yarn (yes, cashmere) that I got for an unbelieveable $7/500 yds. Undetermined origin, but it's lucious and will make an awesome sweater.

Then there's the sock yarn...Some Regia yarn (good deal) two skeins of Socks that Rock, a skein of Cherry Tree Hill (another awesome deal) and 2 skeins hand dyed that just looked good.

I'm particularly in love with the last skein on the right which is pink, blue and brown and it reminds of Neopolitan ice cream for some reason.

The next two are WEBS deals. We love WEBS. This is some Jo Sharp Soho Summer yarn.

And then there's the Berocco Touche yarn for the Krista Tee from White Lies designs that I got. I bought some more of this in another color for my aunt for the same purpose.

Stash enhancement

Sneak Peak

I'm back. I'm exhausted and wet (raining cats and dogs here in KC). I'm off tomorrow to go get my license plates, so I'll have time to unpack and photgraph the full haul (not all of which is mine...) but for now, here's a sneak peak of the haul from Day 1 and Day 2 of Stitches Midwest.

Happy Blogiversary to me!!

Today, we celebrate 2 years of Shoes and Yarn. A momentous occasion made even more special because I hit 15,000 visitors today!!! Yippee. It's been a long 2 years. 2 trips to Stitches and another one starts tomorrow. 42 finished objects. I'm just so happy...the joy is overflowing!

I know, I know, cut the crap and get onto the contest winner. As a reminder, I've been obsessed with this:
a 4"x4" square made out of sock yarn that I eventually...a long, long, long time in the future, plan to sew 378 of these puppies together into a sock yarn blanket that's a record of all the socks I've made...well, except this one, which is made from leftover sockyarn my sockapaloooza (awesome pal) sent me with my socks. I figure it belongs to socks I have in my possession and am going to wear, so it goes in the blanket too. So, without further ado, the winner of my contest is....Jennifer, who is obsessed with the Rogue Hoody. So go on over and congratulate her. She's also the sponsor of the Knitflix swap. There's still a week left to enter, so mosey on over.

The bags are almost packed. I only need to do the dishes and iron my pants for tomrrow and I'm ready to head to Stitches!!!! The countdown is officially at 15.5 hours until takeoff for Chicago. Woo Hoo!!! There won't be any blogging unless I can figure out the cell phone blogging thing. I'm not taking my computer, because I don't want to work. Hurrah!!!

Stitches departure imminent...

39.5 hours until my plane leaves for Chicago and Stitches Midwest. Hurrah!!!! Very excited. Work has been really weird this week. All the weirdo's have crawled out of the corner where they reside and made an appearance in my office...and I'm not talking about our employees. It's weirdos from the outside.... It's just the funkiest thing. Then, as I left the Tuesday night knitting group, I realized why...the lure of the full moon tomorrow has pulled them out of their hiding places.

This was the first time I ever went to the Tuesday night knitting group. Not sure I'm liking them as much as the Thursday night knitters, except the Thursday night knitters I was sitting with on a Tuesday. They come up and ask you what you're knitting and then don't say anything else. Don't introduce themselves. Don't ask what the yarn is. No other conversation. Just what are you knitting??? I'm a little put off by that.

Tomorrow at 10pm is the last day to enter the You're my obsession contest here. So leave me a comment before then to win the frog pond sock yarn.

I have something else to look forward to!!!! We're taking my sister to Vegas for her 30th birthday!! Hurrah!!! We finally had to tell her today so she can ask off of work. We're going 9/14- 9/17th. So, without further ado:

Countdown to Stitches: 39.5 hours
Countdown to Vegas: 37 days.

Small moment of truimph!

I have to celebrate my small moment of truimph. So, I finished the short rows this evening and the sweater still fits perfectly!!! I think this might actually work. Of course, the fact that I keep trying it on every 20 or so rows is helping matters expedentially. :-)

No other knitting done this evening. I worked until 7pm in preparation for my long weekend. I took off Monday to recover from the yarn mania that is Stitches. Plus, I really, really, really need to get a driver's license and license plates in Kansas.

Countdown to Stitcs: 3 days Baby!! 3 days!!! Woo Hoo!!!

So, seeing as it's 4 days until I leave for Stitches, it's time to start deciding on knitting project to take with me...Ummm...is this too many???

Granted, the contents of the red bag are my homework and the pink bag won't be going, I just piled stuff on top of it. What you're looking at is the Bombshell sweater, my feather and fan shawl, and 2 pairs of socks. I'm considering taking 1 pair of socks out because I can always use sock yarn I buy there to make more if I finish a pair.

I worked on the short rows for my Bombshell sweater tonight after I got home from Columbia. I didn't finish them all, but will tomorrow night so I can get back to pattern.

Countdown to Stitches is 4 days!!! I'm totally excited. It will be the longest 3.5 days of work in my life. Yipeee!!!!!

Voila...the finished Watermelon sock.

I tried 3 different picot edgings before going back to the tried and true picot edging. I like it and it fits perfectly. Hurrah!!!

Preparations for Stitches started in ernest today. I did my homework, which is the pink 5"X5" square below and assembled everything I need for my class in one bag.

I also bought a new knitting bag. Last weekend, both of the straps on my bag broke.

Although, it was ready to be retired, I hadn't yet found "the" bag I was looking for. This one comes pretty darn close. It's actually an inner bag that zips and an outer bag. A 2-in-one kind of thing. An, of course, it's Pink. What could be better.

Don't forget, I'm still accepting obsession for my blogiversary contest. Winner to be drawn on Wednesday!

Countdown to Stitches: 5 days!!!!

Midwest Blogger Meet up at Stitches!!

Special note to all the Midwest Bloggers out there going to Stitches Midwest. Beth, yes...that Beth, my knitting goddess whom I am going with...has with the help of Chris planned a Midwest Bloggers get together at Stiches on Saturday night. For more information, go to Beth's Blog.

The only knitting news is the watermelon sock in all it's glory. I've finally decided (with the help of the Thursday knitters meeting on a rare Wednesday) to go with about a half an inch of pink at the top of the sock with a picot edge

Look what was waiting for me when I go home tonight!!!!

Not only my long awaited Interweave Knits, but all the books I ordered at the Interweave Hurt Book Sale. It was an Interweave day! I was also bad last night. I finally got my Cingular rebate and since I'd totally forgotten about it, I decided it was found money, so I spent it on Amazon.com... I ordered the Mason Dixon book and the new Stitchionary. Hurrah!! Only bad news, they should arrive between the 10th and the 14th (super saver shipping) which means they'll come while I'm at Stitches.

Countdown to Stitches Midwest - 1 week from today at this very time, I will be leaving the Stitches Marketplace preview!! Yeah me!!!

Keep those contest entries coming. I have a fair number so far. Lots of obsessive sock knitters out there. Let me know your obsession and you could win some sock yarn... Deadline is by August 9th at 10pm CST, my customary blogging time.

I went knitting with the girls tonight. I turned the heel on the watermelon sock tonight. I'd show pictures, but I forgot it in the car and it's raining Cats and Dogs and other small animals, so I'm not willing to go get it. Yes, it's finally raining. This should bring about a much needed relief from the heat. It's hard to even step outside when it's 101 degrees outside. UGHH!!! I also finished frogging the rows of the Bombshell sweater that I needed to so I could insert some short rows in the bust area. I've suffered a setback in my knitting plans and I don't think the sweater is going to be done by Stitches. I had to go to dinner last night for work. We have work Party Friday night and then I'll be driving to Columbia, MO (2.5 hours each way) on Sunday for meetings. So, my knitting time has been severely cut down. So, that's definitely one project going with me to Stitches to work on.

Countdown to Stitches: 1 week from tomorrow!!!!

You're my obsession...A contest

I realized that my second blogiversary is coming up next week, so I've decided to hold my very first contest. And the winner will win some of my hand-dyed sock yarn in a colorway, I affectionately call Frog Pond.


So, I want to know what has been your knitting obsession. That project that you can't put down...that you dream about at night and wake up with ideas in your head. What pattern have you knit over and over again because you just loved it so much.

This, was, of course, brought on by my obsession with the sock yarn square blanket. Yes, I'm still obsessed. I still dream about it. Cuddled under the warmth in front of a fireplace in the winter (no, don't have a fireplace, this is a dream silly!). Admiring all the squares..."Those are the socks for my SIL, my neice, my brother...etc.

I want to know that I'm not the only one out there that's crazy. I want some commaraderie at crazy. So leave me a comment and let me know your obession, make sure I know how to find you and I'll randomly draw a winner on August 9th, my blogiversary.

Countdown to Stitches Midwest: 9 days!!!! Into the single digits. I bought shoes that I can wear in relative comfort with my poor broken foot tonight...