Between my computer being in the shop, and the random craziness in life lately, the following post has been a w.i.p. for what seems like forever, but takes place in about a month’s time…..

Hubby has a job at the Oregon Coast right now, and we’ve been spending a couple days a week doing the beach thing. It’s April. It’s supposed to be spring. The weather is already hit-or-miss at our beaches – let’s just say we weren’t prepared for the intense coldness of last week. This week, however, we packed & dressed like the snow mountain family we are, and came out all right. April. Spring.

Yes, that’s snow in the picture. The big flakes… lots of them… I actually felt very honored to have gotten to see this. The bummer was that the beach itself was actually white for a while and I missed it. We were staying toasty and getting ready for an outing consisting of indoor activities including the “Funland” arcade.
The Seaside Aquarium is a favorite Seaside stop of mine. It’s an old facility with a lot of history and good intentions behind it. The kids find feeding the seals a huge excitement!
We got a few good moments in the sand.
Rolled out the sitting blanket on the snow day… incredible. See the little pink bag next to my purse on the towel? It’s a yarn gem.
I visited a really cute yarn store in Cannon Beach – COASTAL YARNS – I highly recommend the visit. I had heard about “Socks That Rock” (Blue Moon), but not seen them in person. I have never been a sock person, but the Dixie Chick colorway called to me from the shelf – knit me, knit me, knit me. It sat at my shoppe for a week behind my computer before I mustered up the courage to figure out what terribly tiny needles a loose knitter might need to use the Knitting Pure & Simple child’s sock pattern. I can finish a pair for my 7-year old, right?

Yes, no problem. As soon as I cast on those stitches, I was enamored. Yummy colors, nice twist to the yarn, overall a very pleasant experience. Knitting on the beach is a great time….. a little cold, perhaps, but totally worth it for the smells and sounds of the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

So….. do they fit alright? Do they stretch the proper amount to get them over the heel? They’re perfect! My daughter loves them, and even asked if she should just put them in the dirty clothes pile – what a good girl – can never be too careful with homemade knitted goods!
I have a cure for my Second-Sock-Syndrome – SOCKS THAT ROCK! That, and a simple and easy-to-navigate pattern. Needless to say, I ran back in to Coastal Yarns again for two more skeins – one for me and one for my son. He’s a little upset he doesn’t have any socks made of yarn…..yet! So now that I’ve enticed you… they won’t let me have any of this yarn for my shoppe, apparently they’ve saturated the market in Oregon with their three stores… BUMMER! However, I can’t let anyone reading this have the disappointment of denial – they do have a website: http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/newmoon/ - tell ‘em I sent you……

In the wake of this disappointment, I comforted myself with some yarn purchases including some new sock yarns! Well, I had to fill the hole in my heart/ shelf/ yarn stash with something, right?

First, from Mountain Colors: I have a couple new colorways, and a revival of the ever-popular Mountain Tango Colorway….. These come out so nice. Thin-ish yarn, but the colors in this buttery soft superwash Wool/ Mohair/ Nylon mix are decadent and well worth a little splurge…from Skacel, I’ve got some Trekking, Limbo, and Life Style to try out….. I’m hopeful about the Life Style as it has the same kind of spin to it that the above-mentioned yarn has that I love so much – a fabulous colorway, too…. I’ll keep you posted on that one! new sock yarn called Soxx Appeal in a yummy chocolatey-berry color scheme from K1 C2 as well as a few fun colorways in cotton and wool. 100% Cotton Ty-Dy, 100% (Feltable) Wool Paint Box, Washable Wool Arabesque, and a new 2nd time cotton color! Whew! Where on earth do I start? It’s all so overwhelmingly enticing!

Posted: June 2nd, 2008, 7:57 PM