Let's talk FO's!

for a second...cuz compared to the newest stash acquisitions, the FOs discussion will be short in comparison!

I have a slipper swap coming up next week, so I actually got some felted slippers completed! The flowers I had planned on making to look more "lazy daisy" looped, felted together into more of a blobby-abstract kinda flower. Because the loopy ones took up so much room on the slipper, I opted for small 'buds' as additional accents.

Of course, hindsite is 20/20--yes, I could have and should have used a single strand of yarn for the flower accents!

Before 'felting'After!

These are due to the recipient this coming Tuesday and I still need to add some beads to the center of the flowers. Of course, me being me, I haven't done that yet! Hmmm...looks like a job for Nartian! She'll make me get that done! Only thing is, I'd sure as heck better have it done by the next time I see her, cuz that will be Monday!

Amazingly, I have two more projects nearly complete for gift-giving! Now, I guess I need to mention that the two that rank higher in priority are still sitting but "non ne parliamo!" ("let's not talk about that!"-I suck at foreign languages, but there are a few, choice phrases that stuck with me!) So here they are, pre-felting because as I said, they are almost finished...

This is a modified "Stafford" handbag (pattern from MagKnits). I didn't care for the round handles that are supposed to hold the sides, so I extended the side (short, wide straps) into a long shoulder strap. This is for a friend's teenage daughter (one of 'my girls'!) I'm considering adding a bottom areas, similar to the purse below, to add a bit more space and allow for it to sit upright a bit better.

And this, for her younger sister...the Flower Purse featred on DIY Knitty Gritty. I used a double strand of Cascade 220 on size 13 needles (vs. the bulky yarn on size 11's prescribed). I used up all 100g. of the yarn just to get to this point-and that's with adding in some Knitpick's Wool of the Andes. I still have to knit the finishing along the bottom (pick up along bottom ridge and CO), which I will probably do in black. Note that I grafted the handle to the wrong sides and am now undoing that portion!

So...on to stash enhancement! I must first say that I NEVER EVER wake up early to go to Black Friday sales. As a matter of fact, I won't drag myself up early EVER to do anything optional! That is, except for maybe when (long ago and far away) I would drag myself out of bed to "run" a race which required that I wake up early enough to arrive at the starting line, freezing, in shorts because I was never the big athlete type, anyway, so I didn't have the kinda runner wear to keep me warm while running in the freezing cold of the too early morning! OK, so yet I digress...Well as it turns out, Purlescence was having a Jammie Jam party on Friday morning at 6 freakin' o'clock!

So...I made sure the appropriate Jammie Jam attire was ready...

I had to have the proper jammie bottoms to wear, right?...

and against my natural inclinations, was up and on the road, driving 45 minutes to a 6am Jammie Jam! Yes, folks, only for a yarn sale will I do this!

The best thing about Jammie Jam? I got to meet IRISHGIRLIE in person! How about that?! And I had partners in crime as we inspected every nook, cranny and yarny goodness at Purlescence and contemplated new and old knitting projects, cuz Nartian was there, too, with the Monkeys 2!

And this is what I got:

Fiddlesticks Zephr yarn (merino/silk), Cascade 220 (already being knit into gifts!), and a skein of super bulky yarn that was 1/2 price!

Please observe the absence of sock yarn-especially BMFA Socks that Rock sock yarn that had just come in and that I had-yes-walked away from! (Well, not before carefully examining the colorways and petting just about each and every one-including the heavy weight Lemongrass, which just isn't at the top of my list!) Irish Girlie was shocked, but truth be told, as much as I wanted more, well..just look below!

The Blue Moon Fiber Arts stash (most of it!)

Does it all make sense now? And knowing that I want some Ravens colorways for some thigh length stockings, as well as one or two other skeins, do you see why additional skeins are a bit harder to justify? My above Blue Moon Fiber Arts stash may not be all STR, but even if you were to omit the one skein of Bambu, 2 skeins of Seduction, and the worsted (the pre-heavy weight worsted superwash...)...well...I think you get the picture! Nothing like seeing it all in one place, huh? And I am sure there are plenty of other skeins disguised as UFOs and just hiding out where they shouldn't be!

Besides that, there were these two orders that were to arrive later that day:
A package from The Knittery in Australia! (Nartian is to blame for the knowledge of this yarn!)

The Knittery merino sock yarn: Chocolate, Vineyard and Passionfruit

But I enabled her and told her I was putting in this order and "want to add something to the order and split the shipping?" Hee! She got the Chocolate colorway! Man, after seeing that one in person, I was loving that colorway, too! Ever since seeing the Passionfruit colorway on someone's Flickr, confirming it's match with my color tastes, I HAD to get that colorway!

But wait-there's more! The second package from WOOLGIRL!

A little soap for the body, a little soap for the knitted stuff!

Extras aren't everything, but they mean alot to me! I love little details, and look how nicely these were wrapped? When you order from WoolGirl, it really is like treating yourself to something very special! It is so much more than just making an online yarn purchase!

Lisuu Leili sock yarn (merino/mohair in Waves of Memory and All That's Good with Christmas), Das Schneeschaff spray-dyed (Autumn Rose), Madeline Tosh sock yarn (Home)

And I really couldn't resist scoring up some of the new sock yarns she got in! I also picked up a couple of the Leili for Nartian for her birthday which was on Saturday, another reason I held off posting these for a bit...

And some unexpected addtions...

I loved this self-striping chunky wool too much to pass up on sale! I almost passed up this soy yarn, but in the long-run, couldn't resist!

I had wanted this book from the first time Allison showed it to me at ImagiKnit. But when I went back to get it the following month-it was sold out! I like to support my LYS and since Allison was the one who introduced me to the book, I thought it only fair to give her my business and buy it from her, rather than some other on-line deep-discounter. (Now don't think I don't buy books that way, either, but like I said, if my purchase is a direct response to service I've gotten at a yarn store, I'd rather pay for having that service around by directing my funds accordingly...)

Anyways, the scarves in this book are amazing! Like Cat Bordhi's new book changes your perspective on sock architecture, so does this book do the same for scarves! There were a few other purchses for my Holiday Swap pal on Ravelry: chibi needles, Malabrigo, a few other items...more on the swap later!

BTW, I will try and post the contest winner on Monday! Thanks to all who entered!