pepperknit

I’ve been back from Portland since late Sunday night, and I am eager to pick a winner from my contest–thanks for all the great sage advice everyone!–but I have been pretty much at work, out with friends, or fast asleep since I’ve been back (jet lag has hit me hard, as I hear it does in one’s dotage). And tomorrow I’m headed back to the West Coast, to San Francisco. So, hold out a little longer to find out who gets the book and who gets some yarn.

I was surprised how many of you assumed I was worried or upset about turning 30. Far from it! I am thrilled to finally be 30 years old. I am so happy with who I am as I hit this new chapter of my life, and “30” commands more respect than “29,” I think.

I must say that this was my best birthday EVER. It was everything I wanted it to be–and I cannot remember a birthday that even came halfway close in the last 10+ years. I was with a group of my closest friends, and I did the one thing I had the urge to do: climb a mountain.

I didn’t knit at all on the big day, but I did do a lot of plane knitting to and from Portland, and will have an FO to show very soon–plane knitting only gets so far before you need a cutting implement, so hopefully once I’m back from SF I’ll be able to wrap up the current project and tell you all about my brief yarn pilgrimage in Portland.

Thankful for good food,

and good friends.

I don’t know how I keep doing it, but I have forgotten about Eye Candy Friday for the past few weeks. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been taking pictures!

In the last week, I went to the Met with friends and saw some “coloury” goodness.

I got back into cooking again, playing with everything from complex flavor pairings (click the picture for the recipe) to old standbys.

I had my 30th birthday party, which was so much fun and made me really happy.

I got some excellent gifts, some useful . . .

Some pretty . . .

And one that truly blew my mind.

And since this is my birthday week, I’m feeling generous. It’s time I gave away that extra copy of Folk Socks that I have, and there will be a yarny second prize as well. So leave me a comment with advice for me as I hit my thirties! (I’ve already gotten the eye cream lecture, thanks.) If you already own the book, please say so, and I will not enter you into the drawing for the book. The contest will be open until midnight on Friday, November 23, when my 30th birthday comes to an official close. I’ll do a random drawing once I’m back from Portland, Oregon, where I’m celebrating Thanksgiving.

From the idea to knit a single sock and swap it with someone else to the pattern and the knitting by Kristy, this pair of socks is bursting with brilliance.

Pattern: Chalet Socks from Nancy Bush’s Folk Socks
Yarn: Tess Designer Yarns sock yarn
Skeins: 2
Needles: US 1.5
Received Sock #1: Monday, November 4
Started Sock #2: Tuesday, November 5
Finished Sock #2: Saturday, November 10

Kristy picked a pattern that I probably would have never chosen myself, despite everyone else making it, but that I ultimately have fallen completely in love with. It was a perfectly fine pattern, but never caught my eye. But the traveling twisted knits on the bed of purls? Brilliant. (I’m definitely going to play with designing my own socks based on this technique.) It took me a while to get the hang of the pattern–those charts are unlike anything I’d ever seen before, and I wasn’t “getting it” for the first few rows. When it clicked, though, I was suddenly going like gangbusters. I didn’t swap stitches the way the pattern specified; I considered them like normal cables and worked them using the method for cabling without a cable needle that I first saw on Grumperina’s blog.

Let’s talk a bit about this yarn. I’ve always been someone who lusts after Tess yarns, and spends an inordinate amount of time in that booth at all the fiber festivals I attend. I’ve bought yarn there, but never the sock yarn. I’m a total convert! It’s firm and dense and gives excellent stitch definition (great with this pattern) and is also soft and comfy. And the color Kristy chose!! Pale icy blue ranks very high on my list of favorite colors, and I found picking this sock up every day a true delight.

I don’t know how to thank you enough, Kristy! Actually, stay tuned, folks, because Kristy sent me a copy of Folk Socks (in addition to the tea, chocolates, and small bag featuring yoga-themed fabric), but I already own it. So we’re going to devise some kind of contest in which you win the extra copy.

I’m so sad that I finished so quickly. It was less than a week ago that I was marveling at Kristy’s skilled knitting. In such a short time I magically have a finished pair–and that’s the brilliance of the Single Sock Swap. (Happily, the two socks are nearly identical. Only difference? She did a better job picking up the stitches around the gusset.)