Cue the Angelic Chorus

It's here! It's here! My first Rockin' Sock Club shipment is here!





***Spoiler Alert: If you're still waiting for your first shipment and want to be surprised by the colorway, don't scroll down!***




After being disappointed day after day upon coming home and seeing no box on the doorstep, today was finally the day. I was starting to think that the yarn kleptos in Leetsdale had been holding onto it (and I have a beef with the Postal Service, which I'll get to later), but as it turns out it was only mailed on Saturday, so it actually got here pretty quickly.

It did not disappoint and it was definitely worth the wait. Now I finally know what all the fuss is about regarding Socks That Rock. This stuff is so delightfully squishy and soft, and the colors are just gorgeous. The pattern for this month's sock is quite interesting and I think it will be very fun knit. I am holding off on starting the sock at least until I finish my current pair (2 1/2 inches of foot and the toe to go on the second sock, so that probably means I'll get to start tomorrow).

Also in the package were my Rockin' Sock Club binder with dyer's notes, a helpful foot measurement/sizing chart, and pages for keeping track of foot measurements; a Rockin' Sock Club button; a NSK (Notorious Sock Knitters) bumper sticker; a keychain of BMFA's signature emergency sock yarn; and a coupon for 10% my next purchase. I plan on using that next item soon, but I will not be using it to break my yarn diet. You see, J keeps asking me what I'd like for my birthday (which is this Friday, by the way, if anyone wants to send me yarn!), so tonight I told him I'd like some more STR. It won't be here by my birthday, but I'll be just as happy if I can pick out my colorways.

So, you want to know about my beef with the USPS? I'm going to tell you anyway, if only to push down the photos a little more so as not to ruin the surprise for anyone. Here's the story: a week ago Friday, when I was taking a vacation day to go do all the errands I can't do on the weekends, I also stopped at the post office to send off my final package to my Sockret Pal. I sent it delivery confirmation so I could track it and make sure it got to her. All last week, I checked. And all last week, it only told me that my package had been accepted. Finally, this morning, it told me that it was sent from the shipping facility -- this past Saturday. That's right, they let that package sit for a whole week before sending it out. Now, I may not have sent it overnight with tons of insurance, so they didn't make a whole lot off of me in postage, but that seems kind of rude, doesn't it? Next time I'm in that post office I'm going to be sure to mention it. Fortunately my Sockret Pal seems to be okay with waiting a little longer for her final package and at least she knows it wasn't my fault.

Okay folks, you've made it long enough, here's the shot you've been waiting for:

Some of the goodies -- the binder, bumper sticker, button, emergency sock yarn, and the gorgeous skein. I think that the yarn deserves its own closeup, don't you?

This is STR mediumweight and the colorway is called Monsoon. As usual, the colors aren't captured at all accurately here. The darkest shade is a deep slate with a touch of purple; the other sections are dusty shades of olive, chocolately brown, and taupe. Shortly after taking this photo, I put it on the swift and wound it into a lovely STR cake, so now it's all ready for me to cast on!