I’ve been seeing ads for Darn Good Yarn for YEARS. The other day, I was inclined to check out the sale they were running. There were some pretty substantial markdowns, and I found a small handful of items that I was interested in. I put my order in on Monday and it arrived on Friday, of the same week! Everything in the picture cost $37.55 USD, this included the cost of shipping.

The sock yarn is boxed as 2x 30g (130 y) balls at $7.00. It’s pre-wound! GREAT DEAL. Since I like short socks, this is a completely reasonable amount of yarn for a pair of socks for me. I’m going to construct them 2-at-a-time and toe-up so I can see if they are reasonably matched (not important), that the foot is long enough (very important), and to see if I would order it again in the future. If they DO happen to come up short, there is ALWAYS the contrast toe/heel/cuff option.
I got email codes the same day I ordered for sock pattern downloads. I think there were 2 knit (actual socks) and 2 crochet (slippers) patterns. One of the patterns was for a “toe-up Turkish style sock”. I was intrigued by the heel, and integrated that into the pink and green socks I have been working on. It seems to fit ok. Looks less weird than the Fleegle Heel. Hey, it’ll be in my shoe, so as long as it stays put I don’t care what it looks like.

The roving looks just like the picture! Right out of the bag, its not what I would call “soft”, but it is squishy (which may help it draft easily). I hope this will be my inspiration to SPIN SOMETHING! The pin and the amigurumi kit are cute too.

I want to share my only success with plants along my front walkway in the 8 summers I’ve lived here. My Zinnia have been so easy maintenance since their root systems got established (they don’t need to be watered very often). The afternoon sun is perfect for them! My neighbor told me that if I don’t cut them, they WILL go to seed, and I can easily collect the seeds to use again next year. This may be above my gardening ability. Next year, I will also direct sow the seeds myself (from the ones I grew or other purchased seeds). I had the kids (mine and the neighbor’s) plant these. The patches that the kids missed is super obvious to me…. maybe its my perfectionist nature ruining everything. At least the patches the kids missed have violets, which the wild RABBITS love to eat!!

My spouse wishes they were shorter, he thinks their tallness along the walkway is off-putting. I however LOVE how huge they are, its whimsical to walk between them. My daughter would disagree, she HATES walking through them. They have been attracting ALL the pollinators. Humming birds, butterflies, flies (yes! I’ve seen them drinking the nectar), beetles, and BEES! My daughter hates winged insects, even the kind that make honey.

Until next time!