We just got back from a two week visit in NYC.  It was a lovely, relaxing break, and we both really enjoyed catching up with our families.  I spent so much time lounging around, watching the water, talking, and eating that I didn't get a stitch of knitting done! 

It seems weird, since I almost always have needles around, but running around in circles, making trains, trying to meet up with people, and being on time to events just isn't conducive to picking up the sticks.

While we were there, I did get the pleasure of visiting a yarn store that I occasionally order bulk from and was able to pick up some worsted weight alpaca at a fabulous price (without having to pay shipping!) to fill out the amount I need for my husband's sweater.  I also picked up enough for a sweater for me, of course. :)  

I did spend some time charting out new patterns and have a plan of attack for a new product.  What's that involve?  Mostly twisting my brain and stretching my deficient spatial skills to imagine swatches and maneuvering of mental knitting needles.  Very painful, but it's usually a pretty important step in my creative process.  I'll probably start seriously working on those in the next few weeks, depending on how the madness here at home goes.

When we got home, my alpaca yarn was waiting for me.  The stuff is gorgeous and this is my new favorite supplies.  The balls are bigger so I don't have to worry about breaks in the second sock, and the quality is amazing.  It's like spun kitten hair with teflon strength.  Truly beautiful, decadent stuff.

I've already started a pair of socks out of the black.  I'd hoped to have knocked out at least one pair of alpaca socks for Father's Day by now, but I had a sudden custom order come in and knocked out four pairs of tabi in two days.  My elbows hurt!  So I'm taking it easy on the alpaca and will just start making a dedicated effort to knock out a pair every week or so until the holidays (or a bunch sell! :) )

That's life in the fast lane.  It's great to be home, and I can't wait to catch up and get back into the groove.

It looks like incoming custom orders are about finished for the Christmas shopping season, and I'm breathing a big sigh of relief.  I have a few more to finish up, and I'm then going to tackle a few holiday gifts for my loved ones.
I got in a rather fat shipment of yarn today, and I'm resisting the temptation to rip into it and knit up a storm.  I set a goal for myself at the beginning of the year to use up some yarns that have been hiding in the back of my stash, and I realized that I needed to ramp up on that before rolling around in my new lovelies.  The recent stash busting has yielded two more large pairs of my Simple Luxury Alpaca socks in a nice, subtle buff color (found here and here), and a nice, cushy pair of super thick, large, graphite tabi (found here.)

Exciting news: After the holidays, twiddletoes will be joining hands with Leslie from CoolEastMarket, where my handmade tabi will accompany her extensive offerings of tabi.  Leslie has been fantastic and upfront, as we've hammered out details, and I hope this relationship is lucrative for the both of us!

I'm finishing up my last custom order today!  I finished a few of my personal projects in downtime at doctor's offices and while visiting family, so I'm primed and ready to go on new socks for my shop.  And I can't even begin to tell you how many different tabi I have spinning around in my head right now!

I called around about a week ago, and I have found another source for my yarn.  This is a pretty big relief, and I'm putting together a huge, celebratory order soon.  I can't wait to sink my hands into new, rich colors.  I was starting to get a bit panicky about paying retail costs for yarn, and am still itchy from cutting it so close with this order.  Hopefully, it arrives in good time and when I'm ready to work with it.