A Swell Yarn Shop Kinda Day

**** SPOILER ALERT FOR LUCKY LURKERS --- AUGUST 2008 WELCOME PACKAGE PICTURE BELOW ****

 

Yesterday, I cast on for 2-at-a-time socks using the Opps yarn I got a couple of weeks ago from A Swell Yarn Shop which is owned by my friend Angi from my Renton Knitters group. She is an awesome yarn dyer and has the best sense of color I've seen. Her coordinating sock yarn, Duets, have the best colors!

So far the socks are coming along pretty well. I'm kinda improvising these socks as I go. But so far I've cast on 14 stitches using the brown coordinating socks yarn with size US 1 DPNs. The yarn is a deep chocolate brown. I increased every other round until I had 24 stitches. I then changed to a size US 0 circular needle and increased every other round until I got to 28 stitches. I knit a couple more rounds and then switched to the main yarn which is a combination of deep red, pink, and the chocolate brown. I knit the coordinating yarn for one round and then on the top of the sock I started knitting in K2P2.

As I was knitting these socks, I kept thinking that they look like chocolate sundae colors. Since I don't eat sugar, these socks will be the closest I'll get to a chocolate sundae, so I'm really appreciating them!

My plan is to decrease a couple stitches on each side on both the front and back of each sock now that I'm at the instep. Also, I'm going to do an afterthought heel with the coordinating yarn. I may increase back when I get to the leg, but I'll try as I go to see what I need to do.

**** SPOILER ALERT FOR LUCKY LURKERS --- AUGUST 2008 WELCOME PACKAGE PICTURE BELOW ****
















Also, yesterday, I received my welcome package from the September-October-November Lucky Lurker Yarn Club hosted by A Swell Yarn Shop. Usually, Angi doesn't send yarn in the welcome package, but this time she sent a sample 1/2 skein each of coordinating and main color yarn in her new line of sock yarn called DeKAY in a lovely colorway called Mystic Calm. It also came with a pattern called Save Your Sole Footy Pattern by Tori Barnhart.

**** SPOILER ALERT FOR LUCKY LURKERS --- AUGUST 2008 WELCOME PACKAGE PICTURE BELOW ****

 

Aren't the colors just lovely and calming looking!?! And the yarn feels fantastic. I think the twist is a bit more tight then the original DK Duet yarn. Now I need to finish up my current sock pattern so I can work wit this yarn!

A Swell Yarn Shop "Opps" Duet Sock Yarn

I have the lucky privilege to belong to a knitting group started by an awesome hand-dyer, Angela of A Swell Yarn Shop. I recently joined her Lucky Lurkers Club, a monthly yarn club featuring her famous and (soon-to-be-more famous) Duet Sock Yarn. My welcome package comes in August and that is followed by 3 months of yarn goodness. Can't wait.

The great thing about Angi's yarn is that she provides one skein for the main part of a sock along with another smaller skein for the heels and toes. They are always great color combinations.

Last night she brought another batch of her "Opps" yarn. I put it in quotes because her "Opps" yarns seem anything but. I have several skeins in my stash already but I was able to add two more sets of Duets with these:

Original Duet Sock Yarn, Chocolate Fantasy:

 

Original Duet Sock Yarn, Panjandrum:

 

I'm thinking of making a small bag with one set and some flip-top mittens with the other. For now, I'll just be admiring them while I work on other projects.