What I got with my Christmas present yarn-wise

I used my Christmas mad money at the LYS inventory reduction sale - 35% off is irresistable :D

I bought a sweater's worth of Cascade Dolce in a steely gray; I had a bit left in the blood red from a shawl I made a while back, grabbed a couple more hanks of that and will use it as contrast for the welts and button band.

Got another ball of sock yarn. As if I need a) more sock yarn or b) more socks.

DH gave me a new acide-free unlined journal, which I'll switch into shortly as my current journal is nearly full. Offspring (with much help from DH, I'm sure) gave me a gorgeous new fountain pen, which I'll use when I write in the journal :D

I'm working on a Circumnavigated Cardigan using some Bendigo Colonial

5-ply that I've had stashed for a couple of years, and I need to put thumbs on a pair of commission mittens and mail them off.

It's nice to end the year with no UFOs!

Hi Wooly, Are the sock machine hard to knit with and are they pricey like the knitting machines?just wondering.

Stella

A CSM (circular sock machine) in good working order, with a ribber that also works (mine does, kind of) will run anywhere from $700 and up. That is certainly not as costly as a good electronic knitter/ribber combo that might sell for $2k or more, but a CSM is a rather more specialized machine than a flatbed knitter, no matter how many bells and whistles you hang on the flatbed.

My CSM has paid for itself, as I've sold enough cranked socks to recoup my investment. I've also cranked gift socks, my socks and preemie socks with it. I considered selling on my CSM once I realized I'm socked up for the forseeable future, then discovered I can't knit acceptable socks by hand any more, as my post-accident, post-surgeries gauge is much too sleazy for socks.

As far as ease of use: there is a learning curve with any piece of equipment. Getting cocky with the CSM or the flatbed can result in much aggravation, so when I find myself getting cocky (or tired!) I stop for the day. I turn out much nicer socks with many fewer bad words when I'm not cocky :D

Hopefully that answered your questions.

Make that "preemie hats", not preemie socks. Duurrrrr...

Stella

I'm kicking around getting a new one and have been for a while. I like making socks in the round, and I love machine knitting in general. I think self-patterning sock yarns and the CSM would go together like bread and butter and be much easier than doing it by hand, because your gauge can vary doing HK.

I found a woman in New Zealand is making new CSMs. Anyone know anything about her CSMs?

Leah

I'm about to make the appliance shopping trip to Lowe's, too, as my current washer isn't spinning all the way to damp and my dryer seems to have lost some of the intermediate heat settings. I'm going to get a ultra-large front-loading washer and matching dryer. No pedestals, though. I'm getting the Whirlpool stacking kit. I'll be able to get both minivans into the garage that way. I think I'm also going to have to get a new dishwasher, as the current one is making a funny noise.

I'm trying to hold out until next spring when we come back up to this house for the summer. I don't want to buy new appliances and then run off to Palm Desert for the rest of the winter.

Mary "Appliances wear out after a couple of decades"

So far, so good on the washer and dryer, but the dishwasher bit the dust on Sunday, the 30th. I went to Lowe's and bought a new one on Monday (as my husband said, "Happy 37th Anniversary"), but it won't be installed until the 8th.

Mary "You can eat most Stouffer's right from the trays, no plate needed"