I had to take the quiz over at Potter & Craft in celebration of Clara's new Knitters Book of Wool. The truth is, I'm not any of the answers because there were too many choices for each question. These were just random possibilities. I took it again and came out a Finn and I know I could have been something else - shiny, maybe, or oh, cashmere.... though that's probably not technically a wool. Anyway, nice to have a graphic to post.

Speaking of Clara and Knitters Review and all - what do you think of the mink yarn she reviewed this week? Hmm. interesting sounding. But then I'm all about luxury and new yarns and such. There is a little discussion on the forums about it, but folks mostly seem wary about the animal's welfare - and certainly anything coming out of China is likely to be suspect because the country is so vast, so closed and so culturally different from us. Even if the animals are treated well, how does one know the people processing the yarn aren't political slaves? Still and all - the Great Northern folk are working directly with the producers and they're advertising this as a No Animal Was Killed product so ...

A global world is so full of surprises, pitfalls, delights and conflicts.

I'm motoring down the foot of a Second Sock this week - only about oh, 7 more rows of the sock left before it's time to begin decreases, but I see that the first sock is a little too short. That's the hardest part of sock knitting for me ... deciding when to start the toe decrease. I'm sure I measured the cuffs when I was working on the SS and knit them the same length but when I tried both on, the SS was actually longer than the first - and it's because the foot part of the FS is just too short. I'll rip that back and knit a few more rounds and will be done with a Pair of Socks (for me) by Sunday.

The real joke on me was that I found in each of the 6 pair of unfinished socks ... a beautiful $13 addi turbo needle. That is $70 worth of knitting needles - I am really too indulgent. I'm also thinking of an intarsia design down the back of a knee sock using that plum and butterscotch sock yarn I bought at MS&W ... knit flat and seamed along the calf and then knit in the round from the ankle to toe. That ought to be an interesting project... that, or an exotic floral stranded colorwork band below the ribbed cuff, with the rest of the sock done in textured cables.

This summer I intend to keep that enormous bag of sock yarn out in view in the living room so I'll keep plugging away at the already started socks - time to get these babies done.

I saw the Cookie A sock book on Tuesday ... Sock Innovation. and was impressed with the intricacy of her patterns. I'm usually willing to invest my sharp mental capacity in intricate knitting of little things like socks. When it comes to the shawl or sweater I'm a less inclined to get fussy with my stitches. In fact, I bought the sock book - and the Nicky Epstein book (unseen act of faith) from Amazon. free shipping. total indulgence strikes again.

So knitting is once again getting attention at TheCastle. Had a little with BD about tough things we are facing these days and that helped with the blues, adding to the uplift I get from daily walks with dogs and the realization that I totally miss my pre-school story hour kids and need a swoop fix. So things are not so gloomy, though we could all do with a little more sunshine and a little less rain. But people who live on farms never complain about rain. The rain gods might hear us and go somewhere else for the summer.

It is now time to take that walk so I'll bid you all goodbye for now. Ta.