Christmas miracles are happening everywhere around the world of knit blogging and somehow I am not the exception. I thought it was hopeless to get my aunt's Christmas socks done in time for her house sitting on Monday but not only did I finish them, I finished them with several days to spare. I surprised even myself by completing the pair between Tuesday evening and Friday evening. And to make it even more impressive, they weren't the socks I was originally making her. Those turned out to be hideously too small and were abandoned in a fit of frustration half way down the leg. So real panic set in and I had muchos incentive to work like crazy on her socks. I'm very happy with how they turned out:

They are clearly Jaywalker socks made from sKnitches Syncopation self-striping sock yarn in the Mittens colourway, the November offering of the Sweet Sheep Self-striping Sock Club. I did a few modifications making a garter ridge heel, widening the heel at the heel turn and a few minor mods on the toe. The yarn gave really wonderful stitch definition and there was nice colour transitions. My only complaint would be that there were some blobs that look like unmixed dye splashed on it in a few places but it's mostly on the sole of the foot so I won't worry.
Ofcourse, the Christmas knitting isn't done. I still have the socks for my father. Clearly I won't get a whole pair done by Christmas but hopefully I'll finish one this weekend to give him as a down payment. I'm getting sooo excited for Cuba! We leave at the crack of dawn Monday morning and I can't wait to get out on the beach. The kitties seem a bit non-plussed at the leaving. Mittens is guarding my suit case:

And Misty is giving me those sad little kitty eyes:

You'd almost forget that they won't care we're not here as soon as their auntie gets here and spoils them rotten all week...

A FO atlast!

Hooray!!! Exams finished on Thursday for me and I could not be happier. You can imagine what that's meant for me. And if you guessed finally knitting and a FO (it's about time already!) you would be absolutely correct. In the realm of HUGE reliefs, I finished the Wayward Mathematician Socks for Mrs P. and they will be mailed out tomorrow. (One Christmas deadline met, two more to go, gulp). Here they are posing nonchalantly against the mini Christmas tree in preparation for The Loopy Ewe socks in trees photo gallery.

Aww, what cute sheepy sock blockers. I tell you, it's much easier to take pictures of them on the blockers than on my own feet (I got them from the Loopy Ewe). Now, you will remember the peril I was in with having enough yarn leftover from the first sock. I can't seem to find the leftovers so it was super important that I had enough yarn in the second skein for the second sock. I figured there was just enough left over last time to not worry. Well, that was the first sign that things were very close to going up in flames. When I got to the toe my heart was literally pounding a million miles a minute. Afterdoing the end this is how much yarn I had left over (including the extra bit left over after weaving in the cuff yarn):

So Andrea, would you like these leftovers for your blankie ;)
I'm adventurously into the leg of the sock present for my aunt but I will show you those photos after tomorrow when I get a bit more time put in on it (I have two knitting meetups tomorrow, heaven!). But I will prod you all to go buy yarn from my all time favourite-est dyer ever Lovesticks (I just recently found out that she has a blog and it has a contest for a chance to win a skein of her yarn, go! now!). Her yarn went up a few days ago at The Sweet Sheep (a Canadian store) and as opposed to buying from the US the shipping is super speedy. How do I know that? Well, I already fell off the wagon a bit when she posted a picture of the Saltwater Taffy colourway on her blog and I had to get it. But this is it! I swear! You may as well enjoy the picture though:

(You know I'm pointedly eyeing you Andrea to get over there!)

Mail, oh my!

Today I just got home from London Ontario to find not one but two packages waiting for me, both from wonderful exchange partners. It's like an early Christmas at my house today :)
First there was a lovely first package from my Sock It To Me Twice Pal:

Included was some chocolate (yum yum!), Regia Sock Wool in some really pretty colours, gorgeous little stitch markers which I love to pieces because they're the perfect size for sock needles (not the usual big needle variety), a funky tongue in cheek notepad (I think Knock Knock notepads are hilarious) and some kitty treats. Misty sends her thanks:

Thank you so much SITMT Pal! It's such a wonderful treat to have right in the middle of exams.
Then, came the big box that I have been eagerly anticipating for months and months now... my ISE5 scarf! Eeek!!! The package arrived from the wonderful Marisol. The colour, the feel, the goodies. I couldn't be more spoiled! (And don't worry Marisol, I didn't have you figured out and was completely surprised!) Here is what I pulled out of the box:

Note the cute caption on the card "I saw three sheep come sailing in". This is what was immediately replaced by the package inside the box:

Misty also sends you her thanks! Upon unwrapping here is what I found:

Beautiful scarf, angel pin, fun tape measure that I'm in desperate need of (I promise to try to not lose it but I don't know how credible that promise is given the black-hole-i-ness of my room but I will try very hard anyways!), notepad, gingerbread cookies, gummy frogs, sours candies, chocolates and leftover yarn (Cascade Dolce) which will perhaps become some mitts or a matching hat. Here's the scarf on me (how convenient that I was wearing black!):

Doesn't it suit me well? I love, love, love, love, love it!!!! Thank you so much Marisol!!!!!! You can bet that I'll be wearing it tomorrow and showing it to everyone I see! Thank you!

yummy overload!

Oh my! There's just so much to show today. And while there is much yarn and knitting acoutrements, I must admit there's no actual knitting to show. Tonight at knit night was the first time in atleast a week that I picked up my needles to my great horror and sadness because of exams, marking, and essay madness. What I actually cast on will have to remain a mystery until I get a bit more done but I will tell you that it's from Cat Bordhi's new book :)
But before I get to my mirade of knitting photos I thought that I'd give another parking lot update. The lot was just plowed yesterday and this is the snow pile of all the snow removed:

You can imagine how big that snow pile gets by the end of the season, lol. Driving has been an absolute death trap down a main road by my house. Going to university this morning, in like a three block span I saw two cars over the median (seperate accidents) and one over the side walk and smashed in a post. Coming home from knit night at almost the same spot I saw three cars so smashed in together they may as well have been one car on side of the road and another over the curb and in a snow bank on the other. Emergency vehicles detouring traffic. This is not a good sign. No matter how careful I am, I'm twice as worried about other drivers spinning out around me...
But enough of snow troubles, on with the yarn-y goodness! First and foremost, my ball winder and swift, hooray!! I wound up three 100g hanks today in half the time it took me before to wind a 50g skein. And I have to say that I was entirely too amused watching the swift fly around and around and the yarn come spinning off of it. Kid in a candy store I tell you :) And by the luck of the draw it turns out that there is only one counter in my house thin enough to secure the swift on to:

Why yes, that would be the oven! With the swift taking up the oven I'm unable to secure the ballwinder down but I don't mind. They suggest holding it in your hands anyways. Seriously, I have no idea what I did before this. Here is what was ball-i-fied today:

The next three socks I intend to cast on. From left to right (or top to bottom if you prefer): Lime & Violet Summer Blush (I believe that's what it's called...) as a christmas gift, Yartini Sangria (monkeys for me) and Dream in Colour Smooshy for my Sock It To Me Twice Pal. Aren't they cute?
Now, I hope you are sitting down without anything pointy in your hands as these next pictures might put you into yarn porn overload, my Wollemeise Lace came in today!!! 1700+yards of delicious peacock colour goodness:

*drools* I must find the perfect project for this. Nothing less than the absolute best project will do. Mmmm... wollemeise.
Oh, and it might be possible that I acquired some sheepy sock blockerse (shh!)

Hmm... I really think this will be the last of yarn spending for a long while (well, exception for the Ram Wools post New Year 30% off sale to pick up yarn for a project for my supervisor's baby to be). But so much yummy stuff to work with, no complaining here!
Tomorrow I'm off to London Ontario for the Canadian Mathematical Society winter meeting so I won't be around for the next few days. Then an exam shortly afterwards. Hopefully I'll get a post in before two weekends from now. But know I'm thinking of knitting in spirit.
Enjoy the rest of the week!
P.S. To my ISE5 and SITMT pals, no sign of your packages yet. I'll stay on alert and let you know as soon as they arrive.