I'm back.

What a wonderful trip. The wedding was gorgeous, and we had such a good time walking around NYC and spending time with friends. I was excited to see the StoryCorps booth in the World Trade Center Path station:



Though it was sad to see the WTC site. I knew that the train would be pulling in there, but that still didn't stop my heart from skipping a beat when the train emerged into daylight in the footprints of the towers. This is the first time I've seen the site, and I have nothing profound to say that hasn't been said a million times before. Amid an incredible feeling of sadness, though, it was good to see that New York goes on. Train stations are rebuilt, and eventually, buildings will be too. However, I was sickened by the vendors around the site who were selling little albums with photos of the towers on fire.

Anyway, to the yarn. I didn't buy as much as I had expected to:



Left to right, that is Trekking XXL, Artyarns Ultramerino, and the Koigu. I also purchased a backup set of #1 DPNs and a couple of gifty items that will not be displayed here. Click here to see photos of my magical, mystical yarn tour. If the link doesn't work, email me [jennylrae(at)juno(dot)com] or leave a comment with your email address and I will send you an invite to view it.

I'll leave you with one other highlight of our visit to NYC. There is a bar on the Lower East Side called Schiller's Liquor Bar that we stopped in for pre-dinner drinks on Thursday. I was absolutely enamored by this place. The lighting and decor was incredible and I must have taken 3000 photos in there (some a little blurry, crooked, etc. - what can I say, we were there for drinks, after all). I'm pretty sure the bartender was getting a little annoyed with me. If you ever go there, be sure not to miss the bathroom (which, yes, I have photos of).

Sock progress.

So here's the progress on my design-your-own cabled Koigu socks:



I am very pleased with how these are coming along so far, the Koigu is an absolute dream to knit with, though I wish there was a little more yardage in a skein. Oh well, how can you complain about perfection :)

As for the Daikeito socks, well, they've undergone a little renovation:



I knitted the entire cuff (7 inches) then realized that they looked like they were going to be uncomfortably tight. So, a ripping I went. No worries, though. I'll be toting the sock around NYC with me this week and am sure I will be able to sneak in some time here and there to knit on it. A couple of things on my/our agenda include: a trip to the MoMA, a visit to School Products, a stop at the Shake Shack, dinner at Sparks, and a tour of the Statue of Liberty. The wedding is in Avalon, NJ, so we'll be staying there on Friday evening through Sunday morning. If anyone knows of any yarn shops anywhere near any of those places, let me know!

By the way, the Waterworks Stitch & Bitch is Wednesday, and although I won't be there, I'm wishing you all happy knitting. Also, check out Jenn's new project, the Museum of Misguided Knitting. I'm thinking that my Tubey would fit in well over there. See you next week!

Not much knitting here, but lots of gardening.

So, I haven't gotten a lot of knitting done this week. Instead, Mark and I assembled a new chair that we bought for our front porch:



We planted flowers in our back garden:



Potted our herbs & vegetable (basil, oregano, parsley and peppers), more potted flowers for the back (begonias) and some lovely geraniums for the front:



So, as you can see, I haven't gotten a lot of knitting done, but boy, would you look at those colors:



I couldn't find a pattern that I liked for the Koigu socks, so I decided to write my own. This will be the first time that I have ever made up my own pattern for something that wasn't a scarf, so I am pretty excited to see if it will work or not. I'm using Kristin's sock tutorial as a guide for the ratios and when to decrease, etc., and it will be pretty simple - just ribs and cables - so hopefully even I can't mess that up! Stay tuned for progress...

I heart socks.

Pattern: Kristin's sock tutorial at www.cometosilver.com
Yarn: Knit Picks Sock Memories in Cape Cod
Mods: None.

So, Mark likes his socks. Mark says they are nifty. Mark says that they make his feet feel warm and slippery like a seal in autumn. Right.

Me, I just can't get enough socks. I've cast on for the next pair already with the Daikeito and am looking for a relatively easy and simple stitch pattern (no lace) to really show off the gorgeous Koigu that Lori gifted me with a few weeks back. I don't think that I am ready for the Pomatomus pattern, even though SJ says it's not that hard. Check out her stunning finished Pomatomus.

Thanks to Carrie and Holly for the NYC yarn store recommendations. I am definitely going to make the journey to School Products, since I've heard so many good things about it, but I am hoping to cram in as many shops as possible in the time that we have free.

To everyone going to Maryland Sheep and Wool this weekend, have a great time! I will be envying each and every one of you!