Perfect Men's Socks

I finally made a pair of men's socks!  I just have the worse luck with men's sock, but then I discovered the great Basic Ribbed Socks by Kate Atherley!  This is a simple but fun pattern to knit.  The socks came out beautiful and super stretchy, which is perfect for large feet.

I had just enough yarn to make a pair; I was getting very worried.  Thankfully I had just enough because I don't know what I would have done!  I used Fortissma Socka yarn, and it was perfect!

Did I tell you that I am addicted to sock knitting?  Yea, I wasn't joking! 

Stitches West 2015

It came and went.... I had a blast, again.  It was so nice to run into so many friends and to feel all the gorgeous yarns.  I stopped by my favorite booths and have a few new favorites.

I am really into socks and shawls this year.  Yoth was a super nice booth; they had beautiful earthy/taupe colors, which I love.  I am going to make the Lorene shawl/vest by Cocoknits with the fig color Yoth yarns I got.

The Yoth booth; it was so crowded!

I also got several different project bags.  The ones from Slipped Stitch Studio were super cute!  Have you seen these Needle Nooks?  They store everything I need when I am knitting socks on the go!  I don't know why it took folks this long to come up with this idea. 

 Some of my goodies from Stitches West.  Those two shawl buttons were from Yoth - just too cute!

I also got enough yarn to make the Iwo and Cameo shawl.  I may have purchased a few skeins of yarn from Miss Babs.

Now check out the two photos below, and tell me what you see....

One photo shows that you can buy a pair of premade socks for $15.  And the other photo shows that a ball of yarn to knit a pair of socks is also $15.  So.... what did I buy?  Two skeins of yarn, of course!  I thought that was really funny. 

Did you attend Stitches West?  If so, please tell me what you got!  I am curious what goodies you found!

In Love with NYC

I had a chance to spend a few hours in NYC, and I made sure I stopped by Purl Soho.  This shop has been on my "places to visit" for a long time.  It's conveniently located in Soho, so it was easy to stop by.  The store did not disappoint; everything inside was just beautifully displayed.  I wish I could spend more time there.  Below are some photos; see for yourself!

 Display by the window. 

 Yarn heaven!

 An entire wall dedicated to Liberty fabrics!

I also made sure I stopped by the Garment District.  It was really fun to walk down streets full of fabric stores.  Most of the stores were closed on Sunday (when I was there) and they carry a small collection of quilting fabrics.  The best part of my visit was meeting students who are studying fashion design at schools nearby. 

The City Quilter was a short walk from my hotel.  The shop was inviting and inspiring.  They had lots of nice quilting fabrics and many quilted on display.  The shop owners were super nice too. 

New York city was so fun but so cold.  I did not shop as much as I thought I would at these craft stores.  I guess I am saving up for Stitches West.  Are you planning to attend?  I can't hardly wait!  I am still super into knitting socks these days.  What about you?