On the needles

Thanks so much about the kind comments and e-mails about the upcoming Valentine Kit!  I'm so glad that my chosen artisans were able to participate, given the short timeline I gave them (it's difficult to dye several hundred skeins of yarn in a matter of weeks, I'm sure, but Claudia and her crew had my back), and I'm so glad that you all like the traditional Valentine colors I went with.  And I'm going to admit that all your e-mails and comments have me scared that this is going to sell super quickly and I'm going to disappoint people.... even though I have more kits than usual available.  Check the website and/or the blog on Feb 1 or 2, as that's when I'm anticipating putting these up for sale.  In the morning (EST).  And if you are an in-store shopper on the one day a week we are open for that, I recommend ordering your kit online, as I don't anticipate having any leftover by Saturday the 4th when the showroom is open again.

I've found a bit of time to knit lately, which means I actually finished a sock.  Yes, just one sock so far, because I was distracted.  Above is my finished Austermann Step Color Block 184.  And I'll admit that while I didn't notice the addition of the aloe and jojoba in the yarn while the yarn slipped through my fingers, I certainly do while wearing.  Definitely worth the extra buck it costs over Opal, IMHO.  If only Austermann had such a good color selection as Opal.

What distracted me from starting the next Austermann sock?  Well, the Van Gogh Collection from Opal, of course (a restock of colors coming in a couple days, for those who want all 8).  I'm knitting the Sunflowers colorway above right now, and am already to the heel, which is quick or me after only a few hours of knitting.  I'm doing my simple vanilla sock, very similar to this one, so it's easy to knit on at night while watching TV.  I find that self-pattering socks are my quickest-to-finish projects because it's addictive to see the color develop.  I feel compelled to knit just one more row.. then another... then it's midnight and I have half a sock finished.

I'm using the new Cubics needles, and I'm enjoying them.  I've knit my last several pairs of socks on Kollage double points, which are the aluminum square needles.  Cubics are similar in shape, but they are made of wood.  At first, I thought they seemed flimsy b/c I'm so used to metal.  But after knitting one-and-a-half socks with the Cubcis, I'm surprised at how durable they are- not flimsy at all.  They haven't bent at all yet, and I usually find that with bamboo needles they start to bend or warp after the first sock (I'm a bit tight on the gusset and toe, so I think it bends the needles prematurely).  I really like that these seem warmer than cold metal needles.  And the lesser price is very nice too.  If you haven't given these a try yet, they are certainly worth the money, in my opinion.

Comments

[Donna]

On the other hand, I was surprised at how much I like the Kollage needles since I am devoted to soft, flexible needles that tend to bend (bamboo & casein). I have had trouble with small sizes of wood needles (birch) snapping with use (& then there's the problem of sitting on them - but hardly the needle's fault). I think I am hard on the wood ones at gussets & toes. I made Austerman (my phone just wanted to change that to sister man -haha) Step socks for the grands & have just started a pair for myself but they've been backburnered because I started a pair with the Page Wood Farms yarn from the sock club (I think it was the artists series - maybe Jackson Pollack?) & it is so springy & squishy soft I can't knit anything else!

[natalie]

Love, Love both pair of socks...You have been a knitting machine!!

[Allise Vicens]

Alison,
Will you be putting up the Valentine's kit and DIC Dream Club the same day? I don't want to miss either one, but would love to save shipping!

[Allison]

I'm planning on putting them up at the same time, so you should be able to purchase both on the same order.