~~Empty Handed~~

I'm sorry I've been AWOL, but craziness abounds lately. Before I say anything else, I would like to let those of you who don't already know, that our Stephanie, the woman who brings smiles to so many, has had a tragic loss. From my own personal experiences I can feel her pain, I've been there and it is truly a nightmare. My prayers and sympathy are with her and her family, along with my fervent hope that happy memories will someday lesson their terrible pain. A wonderful friend and I went to JCA's Warehouse sale yesterday, and although I made out like a bandit last year with some wonderful Lopi, fantastic mitten kits and various other yarns, I walked out of there EMPTY HANDED this year as did my friend who, by the way, has a stash that would BLOW YOU AWAY..... there is enough yarn hidden away in her beautiful home to start at LEAST 1/2 dozen yarn stores... and how she hides it makes me want to bow down to her creativity. We were unable to go on the first day of the sale this year which may have been the problem. I think this is truly a first for the both of us, I NEVER walk out of a yarn store, let alone a WAREHOUSE without yarn - we were both unnerved by it and spent the better part of the afternoon, trying to figure out "what happened". lol I had previously mentioned that I would share more of my birthday goodies with you all, and my little Beau is helping as you can see from the above picture ;). I received the adorable Yankee Candle Labrador Retriever Tart Burner, and he is completely smitten with it/HER??? lol I also received the 2006 Knitting Calendar which I am using great restraint in not opening! Lets see how long I can hold out! These three socks are from the Socks Socks Socks book. The grey ones are near the top of my "to do" list, as two of my daughters are asking for a pair and I'd like some myself. They are called Golf Socks and I love everything about them, from the rolled edge at the top to the little snowflake on the heel, which I'm assuming can be replaced with any motif - I'm thinking these would make great gifts for just about any occassion. I've done very little knitting from charts, so I'm looking forward to giving it another try. The 2nd pair are called Boston Bulkies and I'm truly intrigued by this---> "If you've tried double knitting before and found the knitting tedious, give Patricia's purl-side-out version a try!" "These socks start at the toe and all shaping is done by short rows. I developed them to wear with clogs and sandals. When felted, they make wonderful boot liners." The pattern is by Patricia Tongue Edraos who is from Boston. They are supposed to be SUPER warm and cushy - I think this might make a great winter boredom buster project - I love trying new things. The third pair are just cute, and I need to find a small child to make them for ;) There are quite a few socks in this book that I want to make, I can see myself spending some quality time working from it. and.... here we have the second working of the sock that my little Beau unravelled the other day, pictured outside on my poor beaten down Mums. It has FINALLY stopped raining and I'm hopeful that some sun may perk the poor things up again. The plants came up so beautifully this year and in such vibrant colors that it's terribly sad to see what 9 days of torrential rains have done to them, not to mention my cellar! ugh! Thankfully, my house is still standing, my heart breaks for all that have lost so much. Now a question for all of you sock knitters out there.... I am using Wooly Nylon as reinforcement for the heel and possibly the ball of the foot. I've read an awful lot about the merits of using this "magic thread" in sock knitting, but dont' know anyone that has had any experience with it as far as reinforcing socks go. Does anyone out there have any experience with Wooly Nylon? Is it worth it? Does it work? I'd appreciate any feedback you can give me. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, stay warm and dry and happy knitting! Cath