Stitches swag

For those of you who have been waiting for me to show my Stitches swag, your wait is over.

I did forget to take a picture of my Trindle, a really cool drop spindle made by a local physics teacher. I'll take a pic and post it on a day when I need some eye candy.

This is Dragon Sock Select from Dragonfly Fibers. I'll admit that I just could not pass by this wild color combo. I've been on a pink kick for some time now, and I just loved how "Preppy Handbook" these are.

Next up is Bugga by the Sanguine Gryphon. I'll admit to getting it since this is one of those yarns that is a little difficult to get, and I do like being able to have some boasting rights. (I didn't know I could be such a yarn jackass, but there ya go.) It really is a lovely yarn, as you can see in the photo. Bugga is named after different bugs, which appeals to the entomologist side of me. (Let's face it, if Gil Grissom was a sock knitter, this is what he would use.)

Next is Lisa Souza's Sock! You may think this is an odd color choice for me, but there is a method to my non-color madness. There is a knit-a-long on Ravelry for Wendy's new book, Socks from the Toe-up, and her Nanner pattern, based on bananas, is one of the first ones to knit. I wanted a sock yarn that made me think of the inside of bananas, not the obnoxious yellow of the outside, and this was the closest one I found, at first. Anyway, it's a pleasant enough colorway that I can use for something else.

This Anzula yarn is the one I found for the Nanners. I love the way it looks like the inside of a banana, but it also has some wonderful color variations. I can't wait to get finished with my current socks and get started with this.

I don't buy a whole lot of worsted weight yarns, especially in hand dyes since they can be so expensive for project quantities, but I just had to have this one. I may just keep it and pet it for awhile, but it will most likely become a hat.

Ok, how could I possibly pass up a sock yarn in a color called Pansy? Well, I've probably never mentioned it here, but pansies and violets are some of my favorite flowers. I just love them. Anyway, this comes from Ellen's 1/2 Pint Farm. I've got to find just the perfect pattern for this yarn. I think it's fantastic.

So there you go. Swag from Stitches South, and I didn't go too crazy. I suppose I'm rather jaded by a couple of things. 1. I spent a little over 3 years working in a local yarn shop. 2. We are very spoiled and fortunate here in Atlanta to have so many wonderful yarn shops from which to choose. I didn't feel the need to purchase massive quantities of sale yarns from Webs or the other large stores. I did want to support the small businesses and indie dyers as they are the ones with the interesting yarns.

Now, get out there and go knit socks. I see the end of Keith's socks in sight, and I'm ready to start my next pair.

By the way, did you notice I had help taking those photos? Look for the paw.