Here is my newest sock yarn stash enhancement. Sweet Georgia Yarn in the Speed Demon weight, English Bay colorway from Pickup Sticks. I ordered this with the Socktoberfest discount, and received it very promptly from Canada, with three free stitch markers included in my package. I highly recommend! I also purchased and downloaded the Dimple Socks and Flatiron Clog socks patterns from Designedly, Kristi. I'm planning on knitting up the Dimple Socks pattern next, but I may use another sock yarn stash enhancement that's on it's way to me first. Pictures forthcoming, of course! It would be perfect with the Sweet Georgia yarn, though, too, so I may have to knit that pair up for me.
Lolly's questions:
Do you have certain patterns planned for some of the yarns? Do you buy yarn and then choose a pattern?
Usually I don't have a pattern in mind for the socks (of course I broke the rules above!), just whatever looks like fun to knit at the time.
Does a certain sock yarn you have in your stash take you back to a certain event? (where you were when you bought/received it? what was going on in your life at the time?)
I really would like to get in the habit of buying sock yarn on vacation. it's a great, relatively inexpensive souvenir. I regretted not buying some on our road trip through Northern Michigan last summer, and again in England in January. I just couldn't find the right sock yarn in England (although I did buy yarn). I do have memories connected to the sock yarn I've purchased at fiber festivals though. This beautiful yarn I bought at the Wool Gathering Festival in Yellow Springs, Ohio last summer became these socks (read about them here), and this yarn from the Michigan Fiber Festival this year, waiting to be knit. I also have great memories of finishing these socks while in England in January. They've been dubbed my England socks, even though the yarn came from the States (more specifically Knitpicks-- their Parade yarn).
I also received a new book in the mail recently. I'm fortunate enough to be on Simon & Schuster's bookclub list, and they occasionally send me Advance Reader's Edition copies of various books. I email them to give a short review, and let them know whether or not my book club would consider reading the titles. Imagine my surprise when I opened my mail to find Philippa Gregory's newest book, which isn't available until December! I'm so excited to be given the opportunity to read it before it even comes out. You can preorder it on Amazon--The Boleyn Inheritance if you're interested. I can already tell you it's a good one!