Ahhh, new yarn!

I really, really love buying new yarn! It doesn't matter how much I already have, new yarn is always good!

Yesterday, my two knitting cohorts (Sue and Donna) and I went to Syracuse to check out a couple of 'new to us' yarn shops. Donna had visited The Mission Rose Quiltery and Knittery booth at a craft fair this past summer and wanted to check it out. A month ago while visiting my sister-in-law in Syracuse, I had driven past it so I knew approximately where it was located. Plus the website has great directions so we headed to North Syracuse. We found it with no trouble. The shop is wonderful! If you like quilting, the selection of fabric looked amazing. The sample quilts that are displayed around the store are just gorgeous. I didn't really look around the quilt section, though, since I really dislike sewing. The knittery section of the shop was smaller but the selection was very good. Check out the website to see what brands they carry. After much deliberation, you can see my purchases in this picture.



The pattern (which you can barely see) is Oat Couture's Oregon Vest. They had a shop sample made up in Noro Kureyon which was beautiful. Then we have two skeins of Online Winter Color 6-fach sock yarn in #881 & #882. And two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock in Gold Hill.

Even though I came home and immediately wound up a skein of the Shepard Sock, I cast on a sock in the Online #881 yarn last night. Here is my progress so far:


I'm using the 56 Stitch, 56 Row Sock pattern on size 2 ChiaoGoo 5" bamboo needles. When I swatched for this sock, I swatched straight and got the 7 sts. to an inch but in the round, I think I'm getting more like 8 sts. to the inch. I think it will be okay but if it's too small, my daughter gets a pair of socks. I'd really like them for me, though!

After stopping for lunch, we went to the east side of Syracuse toThe Knitting Connection on Burnet Avenue. This is a smaller store with a smaller selection but the yarns were top rate. My purchases here were 4 skeins of Berroco's Ultra Alpaca in #6288 which is a heathery blue, a skein of Lopi Lite and two skeins of Berroco's Furz. The Furz is discontinued so I found it in the clearance bin along with the Lopi Lite. She no longer carries Lopi since she put in Blue Sky Alpaca. She also had the new Tofutsies yarn but I resisted. If I become more proficient with my sock making, I'll go back and get some of it. But after buying yarn for 3 pairs of socks on this trip and having enough for probably 10 more pairs stashed away, I just couldn't buy myself to buy the Tofutsies. I know, I know, I'll regret not buying it but I can always go back even if it is an hour trip one way.



And finally, we have our obligatory snow picture for the day. This picture was taken several days ago but it still looks about right. It's bright and sunny today with 30 degree F temperatures so we might lose some of this snow. Okay by me!