March Madness Sales...

...and the temptation is overwhelming. Too bad the yarn budget was spent for a school trip for the youngest. Do you think she would mind staying home for a week while her classmates are away in VA? I am thinking I better just pretend I haven't seen all these fantastic yarn sales. But.... being the enabler that I am, I will pass them onto you, just in case you aren't aware of them and your yarn budget isn't going to VA. These are some of my most frequented yarn shops that have wonderful sales going on right now. The Yarn Grove, SSYC, Pick up Sticks, and Sonny and Shear. Go ahead and check them out. I will live vicariously through your new yarn acquisitions. I know there are probably several more shops having March sales, but these are the ones I get newsletters from with sale notices.

I have to confess, I did take advantage of one of the sales and bought my first skein of Malabrigo sock yarn in the Solis color. I wish I had purchased this yarn sooner. It is wonderful...what was I waiting for?? I now understand the love affair with the MMMMalabrigo Sock. I have knit with worsted weight Malabrigo and loved it, but this is simply wonderful. I cast on last night, but was so tired I only knit a few rounds.

And today the mailman delivered more goodies. Kristi of Shalimar Yarns has given me the opportunity to try their Zoe Sock yarn. It is 100% Superwash Merino, and it is lovely. I will have to get out the swift and ball winder after I finish posting and wind it. I have an idea for this yarn already. She let me choose any color I wanted, and after drooling over all the colors on her site and projects knit up with the yarn on Ravelry, I chose Passionfruit. And I am glad I did, it is even more gorgeous in person than on the monitor. Hopefully by the next post I will have something knit with it to share. The yarn is very soft, and smooshy, it has a nice tight twist and the shadings are gorgeous.

I do have a few finished projects to share. I am so happy to say that the socks I was knitting for my brother fit him perfectly. And I even had some yarn left over. I could have made the legs longer. Here they are on his dainty size 13 feet. He loved them and I am sure if the weather gets cold again they will get some wear. His biggest problem will be keeping them away from Sophie, their Golden Retriever. She seems quite enamored with wool socks. It could prove to be a challenge.

Remember the Mini Mochi I bought a few weeks ago? It has become my Fronds Fingerless Mitts pattern. This is a single ply merino/nylon blend. Because of the single ply and extremely loose spin it is splitty, making the k3tog's in this pattern a challenge, but I am very happy with the finished results. It knits up to a very soft fabric, and the colors are beautiful.

Well it is simply gorgeous outside today, maybe a little on the breezy side, but temperatures are in the 60's ( it was in the single digits at the beginning of the week). I think I may wind my new yarn and go sit on the back porch and enjoy the sunshine and knit. I hope the weather is beautiful where you are too and you have the opportunity to enjoy it. Have a great week!!