Punta Taken. Sock it to 'em.

I've been working on the Punta scarf throughout the weekend, including at the Twisted Stitches Knitting Guild meeting on Saturday. Esther Bozak did a wonderful presentation on the mathematics of knitting. Her website can be found at http://www.cs.oswego.edu/~ebozak/knit/. She is a gifted teacher, designer, and knitter.

The Hippy Chic Cardigan has been sewn up and is finished except for the buttons. I have to find the right buttons first. The cardigan turns out to be more of a spring close fitted jacket. (pictures will be posted next weekend).

Socks are my next UFO's to go hopefully to completion. The first set is knitted in Sockotta on US 1 needles.

I had planned a day trip to Rochester, NY about 3 years ago to coincide with the Lilac Festival at Highland Park. The weather was slightly overcast on a Friday and I headed first for Spirit Work. The owner, hearing I was from Syracuse, asked which yarn shops I had planned to visit besides her shop. I replied that I was going to go to Knit 'N Purl. She said, "You have to go to Village Yarn Shop, too" and hopped on her computer and printed me out directions to downtown Rochester. I bought the Sockotta yarn at her shop. Beautiful fibers, artful samples, and lovely service.

I then headed for Village Yarn Shop. Now, keep in mind, I had never driven in downtown Rochester. There is a parking garage beneath the Midtown Plaza, so parking is not a problem. Village Yarn Shop is inside a book store. Yarn everywhere you turn. Lots of patterns and every knitting book you can imagine. I was very very good and bought some Bryspun double point sock needles. They are some of my favorite now for knitting sport weight socks.

The third stop was Knit N' Purl which is very near to Highland Park. I bought some beautiful Koigu Merino. This yarn store has good service and yarn that reminds me of candy (you can't choose just one and it all looks soooo good). For links to all three of these yarn shops, see the Rochester Knitting Guild's site at http://rochesterknitting.org/MemberShopInfo/MemberShopList.html

Another pair of socks I want to work on is Cascade Fixation socks with cables in the pattern. If I remember correctly, I bought the yarn, pattern, and Crystal Palace Bamboo Double Points at Mission Rose Quiltery in North Syracuse, NY. Nice service and current patterns, classes (shameless plug for some of my fellow knitting guild members who teach there), and lots of natural light to show the true colors of their current yarn collection. See the store's website at http://missionrosequiltery.com/ .

I am already having fun with the stash knitting concept. My journeys are remembered through my yarns.