So I cancelled my Yarn Pirate Booty Club Membership recently to justify to myself that I could join the Vamp Sock Club and also because of a $1500 tax bill I owe this year (don’t even ask- NO I don’t make that much money, it was a mistake by a realtor from some land my husband sold…) that I just felt like it was something I needed to do… and I haven’t been too crazy about the colorways recently… Loved HOPE didn’t like Daffodilly…

but my Mommy asked what I wanted for my birthday (next month April 16th- but she only gets paid monthly and if it was going to be something big, now was the time…) and I said BOOTY CLUB< BOOTY CLUB < BOOTY CLUB!  So she sent me the money to re-join and to purchase the 3 month subscription so I can just get the yarn without worrying about the cost.  YAY! Thanks mom!! and double YAY!! for early birthday gifts.  and YUCK for TAXES.  Cause they suck.  So I just re-joined.  <dancing wildly around living room> Now if there are just spots left in Naughty Girls Sock Club when my bday $$ from my daddy comes, I will be in great shape sock yarn wise…  And Yarn Pirate is having a contest on her blog so everyone go over and check it out!

ETA- Just got my March 09 Booty Shipment- sorry again for crap cell phone pic- it is called Rain Shadow (I think- it is sitting across the room and I am too lazy to walk over there and double check.)

My Sunday morning began with some muffin making. I was out rather late with friends from the Southwest last night, and Boh still wanted to wake up at our regular time. If you have to get up earlier than you’d like, the wonderfulness of muffins wafting from the oven certainly helps with the expected crankiness.

I received a box from WEBS this week, containing materials for several pinwheel blankets and a cobblestone sweater for me:

Thus, I cast on for pinwheel blanket wedding gift #3 (Valley Yarn Northampton in Apple):

Also, because I have a need for a portable project for guest lectures, bus rides, etc. (and because I need to work on my goal of knitting more socks/taking advantage of my sweet Yarn Pirate Booty Club membership), I also cast on for a plain stockinette sock using this beautiful superwash BFL in June Bug:

I really like the way the yarn is striping, and these are already moving along quite quickly. Details: I’m using the basic sock formula for fingering weight yarn from Getting Started Knitting Socks, by Ann Budd, and I’m using 2.5 mm (US 2) needles.

I’m off to eat muffins! Have a great weekend.

The answer is Nutkin.

It is also the reason I did not post this morning. I have at least seven other projects on the needles, included a sock that I am making progress on, so I can’t really explain why I felt the need to cast on — except that I was procrastinating on Ravelry, and saw a gorgeous photo of the January Yarn Pirate Booty Club yarn, Kalamata, en route to becoming Nutkin. In this case, I’m a joiner.

Home for lunch — must get back to work!

This gorgeous hat was made by its wearer — in just over 24 hours. The dear friend I was staying with in NYC asked if we could get her some knitting materials on Sunday evening. We made our way to Purl, and with 15 minutes before closing time, she made her decision: a very full red color of Manos del Uruguay, and some size 9 16 inch circulars. I helped with the cast on, and soon she had inches of ribbing completed. We decreased during the televised MLK Democratic Party debate on Monday night, made the pom-pom before bed, and it was ready to be worn on Tuesday morning.  She did a great job on this hat, and it looks beautiful, particularly with her all-black wardrobe (just kidding, JP).

Time to share a few NYC yarn acquisitions:

This is a super soft cashmere/merino/mohair blend from School Products — about 500 yds of it. I am thinking this may be perfect for the Chevalier Mittens (ravelry link). I also picked up a few skeins of Koigu — too pretty to pass up.

Also, though I have not yet entirely articulated my 2008 goals (soon, I promise), socks are quite central. I even joined the Yarn Pirate Booty Club in December to further inspire me to learn new techniques and try more complex patterns. I just received the January installment — my first — and while I will not post any pictures or details just yet (nobody wants to be a surprise spoiler), this yarn is every bit as gorgeous as the hype!