YYC obviously replaced all their previous games just for this weekend.

I bought way less yarn than last time, because my SS09 stash was weighing heavily on my mind. I’ve had so much fun squishing and petting my purchases though, that I decided to try a videoblog report on SS11. That way I can wave the yarn around like I want to, rather than typing about it.

It was pretty fun to do, and I think it works well for showing off knitting, so I may do it again some time. I think videos would work really well for finished object posts too.

Sock Summit 2011 Report from Rycrafty on Vimeo.

I find the still Vimeo chose for this video hilarious. I look like I’m trying to be amusingly pompous while I’m adjusting my glasses. Turns out, that is just the face I make when I adjust my glasses.

A question I didn’t ask in the video: if you’ve been to both Sock Summit and Rhinebeck, how do they match up? I probably wouldn’t get any classes at Rhinebeck at this point, so how is the marketplace? The hang-out areas? Do you want a roommate?

Here’s a still photo of the sock I’m working on right now.

And here is a close-up of my nails! The Deborah Lippmann polish I’m holding is just the pink glitter (I think it looks like rose gold). I did a couple layers of SpaRitual’s Jetsetter pink polish first.

Oh, and gratuitous Sockgate photo:

I started this Sunday afternoon, at work. I knitted some more Monday night at game night at our friends’ house. Tuesday work, Wednesday work, and these pictures were taken Thursday morning. If it had been Thursday after work, there’d be half a sleeve too!

I bought this kit at Sock Summit over the summer, because I knew my friend Jilly was going to be having a baby (I can’t remember if I knew it would be a girl back then… I think I did…). The baby was born on Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving, this is not a time-travelling baby) so she’ll be 2 months at Christmas. I bought the 6-9 month size kit, instead of say, infant size, because I was worried about finishing before she was too big (HA!). And this is Canada, so a wool sweater will still be appropriate in April, when she’s 6 months. Realistically, I wear wool sweaters in every month of the year, so I’m not too worried about it being appropriate when it fits her.

I should finish the sleeve tonight at work. Luckily, this pattern is simple enough to knit in the dark. I even did the seed stitch in the dark, by Braille. I’ve found the best thing to do is weave in ends in the green room waiting for the show to start, then knit backstage once the show is on. It’s one of those shows where I have long stretches of nothing, interspersed with busy bits.

In paper crafting news, I bought a Cuttlebug today at Michaels with a 50% off coupon. Dark Side, here I come.

My Ulmus shawl is done, and I love it. I wrapped it around my neck today like a big scarf, and it was lovely.

It wasn’t too cold out, but there was a lot of wind today.

I finished the shawl on Saturday (at work), and blocked it Sunday. I didn’t pin it out, I just put a towel on my drying rack, and pulled it in to the shape I wanted it to be.

I just love the way the two yarns work together. The tweedy one (the one in the edging as well as the body stripes) I bought at Sock Summit, it was Color Fest Fiber Arts, and the maroon-y one I actually bought with a sock pattern in mind, but when I got it home, I realised how well it goes with this other yarn. The maroon one is Gaia’s Colours – I met her at Sock Summit (on the plane, actually!) and found out she lives in the same city as my parents, so when I visited my parents two weeks after SS09, I visited her as well. I got to see her awesome dye studio, and went on a bit of a personal shopping spree.

More pictures in both my Ravelry, and Flickr.

I also just received some of the cutest beads ever from an ex-local (she just moved) Etsy seller. I ordered these specially for stitch markers, and I think they’re perfect.

Currently available in the store – I have a few sets, so message me if you don’t see them!

And I’ve started on the second colour! My Revolutionary Stitch Markers are really coming in handy: as you go up the sides, you leave one stitch of each square live, to pick up when you start the next tier. The markers are perfect mini stitch holders. I’ve also threaded one through the fabric so I know which square was first of this tier:

It’s so great to see it take shape, and I can just imagine all the great stuff I’m going to buy and put in it! I was just coming off a yarn diet when the Summit was announced, so I just kept on not buying yarn in order to save it all up until I can fondle everything in person.

I really like doing mitred squares. Have such little units of work still gives me a huge feeling of accomplishment when I finish one. And I’m getting really good at picking up stitches!