Sox and S.E.X

First I want to sing the praises of a seller on eBay UK, I bought the skein of variegated merino I pictured in my last blog entry - in fact I bought 2 form Katy's Knits and Bits, when it arrived I was so pleased with it's quality and price I went back and bought the other 3 skeins in that colour and also in the parrot colours in the next picture. The skeins are only £9 each and are so soft my friend was stroking and petting one in Starbucks yesterday! The yarn arrived yesterday with this thrown in for free - 171g more of the same quality yarn that she thought I might be able to use. Granted, I am supposed to be reducing my stash but this was a really nice gesture.
Here we have the bright version of the yarn - it really does remind me of parrots, just under 700g of this for me to gloat over. I checked her eBay shop earlier and she has no more of this at the moment but does have 8 skeins of the dark colourway if anyone is interested.I don't know the lady, but I'm happy to recommend her, she ships very fast too!






Here we have some sock progress from this week, I've been back in work and very very tired as my cough keeps waking me up, but I have done a bit to all the socks I have started, these have made the most progress! We have the rough Australian sock wool at the toe shaping, this will be finished this weekend, before I make the second one I'm going to wash it in Woollite and see if it improves, if it doesn't it goes to the frog pond and I make it into something else. I have 200g of this and offered half to my friend who is relearning sock knitting and she felt it and refused it - if that is any indication. I don't like the way it splits either, the more I've knitted with it the less I like it . The second pink sugared almond Opal sock is about to embark upon the heel flap, it ceases to be bus knitting at that point until I reach the straight foot bit.

Top left Lorna's laces in Iris Garden colourway - my first try with this particular yarn, I think I'm liking it so far but it is only just past the cuff at present, back right is the second Wild Foxglove sock - almost to the heel flap and the variegated Opal, I decided not to frog it, I think I like the pattern the yarn is making and I have enough to make a second pair with stitch pattern in it. All 3 are at bus knitting stage thank goodness and the front right sock is the fruit salad merino sock - ready to start the heel but I lent a set of each sock size of my DPN's to the friend relearning sock knitting so this is on hold until I finish the heather mist sock.

I have made a small reduction in my stash this week - my friend had a birthday so I passed on to her 200g of 'white' (looks like cream to me) Ukranian laceweight yarn, 100g of luxury merino in pink china colour and all the oddballs from my merino socks to play with. I know I'd planned on stripey socks for myself, but I counted how much sock yarn I had on hand in the rather vague 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 oh heckI make that LOTS sort of counting and decided to pass the yarn to someone who could use it far more quickly than me. I've given her a spare copy of the Opal pattern - I have loads as I seem to get another for every ball of Opal I buy so she can get started this weekend. Sister (and brother) sock knitters I may have corrupted another person into our sock knitting rituals!
Healthwise I'm still coughing so much I sound like a sealion, I expect someone to throw me a fish soon, I'm seeing my Dr tomorrow to see if I can have something for it at least for Monday as I haev a telephon ejob interview that I can't afoord to bark through. I'm so tired of being ill with it, I know compared to so many people this is nothing but I've been poorly for most of the last 5 weeks, it's stopping me going to the gym so my back is deteriorating again. My partner was due down today but I had to tell him I was just too tired and washed out, all I want to do is sleep which isn't the most exciting spectator sport in thw world!

PS I'm assuming dear reader that you know that SEX stands for Stash Enhancement eXpedition even if it was an expedition online I think it counts!