Damn you, Harry Potter!

Don't get me wrong, I love the Harry Potter books, but they've been the reason I've been absent from the blog for the past week. First I was in a hurry to finish rereading #6, as I really had little to no recollection of what happened in it and wanted to have it fresh in my mind before starting the final book. Then, of course, once I started #7, I've wanted to read it relatively slowly so as not to miss anything. I've been reading every evening, but the problem is that, after reading all day at work, my eyes have been crapping out on me and I've been passing out early night after night. I've got a little less than 300 pages to go, so I will finish it by the end of the weekend -- tonight, if possible, since J will be out at his bachelor party dinner.

There has been a little knitting in spite of all the extra reading. I haven't taken Harry Potter to work (my eyes really need a break during my lunch hour), so I've been working on my Solstice Slip socks instead. Sock One is done ...

... and Sock Two is well into the foot. The stitch pattern is easy to memorize and goes really quickly, so I'm sure this will have a completed mate sometime in the next week.

I've also been knitting a little bit while reading -- specifically knitting the miles and miles of stockinette on my French Market Bag, which requires no attention at all:

This bag is going to be positively humongous, at least before felting. I started out with the four skeins of the Patons SWS (leftover from Lady E), but it's been getting used up so quickly that I picked up two more skeins at Michael's today; I also picked up some white crochet cotton to finally knit up a wedding garter (blue ribbon was purchased as well).

As long as I'm fessing up to buying that yarn, I might as well tell you about the major stash acquisition I made this morning. You see, I'd gotten a postcard in the mail about a big sale at Yarns by Design -- everything 35% off this morning from 10 to noon -- and I figured I'd might as well take advantage of it to buy yarn to make Eunny Jang's Tangled Yoke Cardigan in the fall issue of Interweave Knits. I'd seen a peek of the design months ago on Eunny's blog, but I've been seriously lusting after it since the preview showed up on IK's Web site earlier in the week. This morning I was contemplating substituting Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool for the Rowan Felted Tweed called for in the pattern when I came across this:

I wish there were a way for you to feel this yarn through the computer screen because it is positively the softest yarn I have ever felt. This is Sublime (aptly named!) Extra Fine Merino DK, in a gorgeous sage-y green that I have not at all accurately captured with my camera. It's not at all the tweedy look of the pattern, but when I saw this yarn I knew it would have great stitch definition (and thereby make the cabling on the yoke really pop). After I touched it and held it to my cheek for a minute, there was no way it wasn't coming home with me.

This also found its way into my basket, though I've no idea how:

Two skeins of Malabrigo worsted in the colorway Verdes -- the first thought that popped into my head when I saw it was "Emerald City." I've no real project in mind for this stuff, although wouldn't it make a spectacular garter stitch scarf? (Clearly the knitting of one particular blogger is in my head!)

I am off to be a good blogger and finish up the tale of the boy wizard so I can get back to my knitting!