Second Sock Syndrome...

...is a bitch.

I thought I had found a cure in telling the recipient that the second sock would probably be done this weekend, but no such luck. I think the mistake was throwing in that "probably." As in, they'll "probably" be done, unless I get lazy and practically ignore them. On Thursday (when I last communicated with said recipient) I had not quite 3 inches of ribbed cuff completed. As of right now?

3 1/4 inches of ribbed cuff, and half a heel flap. I've really got to learn to be more ballsy with my cuffs. I have a constant fear of running out of yarn, so I make the cuffs short, even when I have oodles of yarn. I have two 50g balls of this yarn, and the first sock only used about 3/4 of one ball. Now I know, and next time I will take a risk and make a longer leg. But the first sock turned out okay despite my cuff issues (it's a little big on me though).

I never did show you the alpaca I ordered, so here it is in all it's glory: two pounds of creamy alpaca from Spunky Eclectic.

Here it is up close...


I never want to stop touching it.

It's incredibly soft and dense. I'm a little afraid to spin it up, mainly because I don't want to muck it all up. For now I'm happy just to stick my hand in the bag every now and then.

Last weekend I bought this book,

The Knitter's Book of Yarn, by Clara Parkes. Honestly, I got it with the intention of using it more as a reference guide. I mean, I love yarn as much as the next knitter, but an entire book about yarn? I didn't think it would hold my interest enough to read it cover to cover. That is, until I started reading it- you never knew there was so much to know about yarn. From a fiber's staple length to the amount of twist in the plies, there is a wealth of information. Learning how and when to substitute yarns will prove invaluable. If you knit, you should read this book! By the way, the pattens are pretty awesome too.

Speaking of books, am I the only one going nutty from the anticipation of a new Yarn Harlot book? Her new book is set to be released in April, and I only hope I can keep from peeing myself at that point.