Good Yarn Related Week? It feels like it

WIPS
-Soft Stones by Ela Torente
Progress is feels like it's actually being made.  I finished the upper back, did the boatneck and now I'm working my way down the front.

-Cabled Helix Socks by Karen Buhr
The progress I've made is barely worth a mention.  I'm half way through the heel.  Since the last update, I was right before the heel...I will hopefully have more progress to show for this next update, like a completed sock.

-#100DayChallenge
As much as I love the Blankie, I have managed a couple of days without adding anything new...like Friday and Saturday.  I still manage to get some knitting done on other projects.

Almost an FO
-Plain Ol' Strippy Socks 
Eeek!  I had put these socks down months ago because I was struggling with picking up the stitches of the afterthought heels.  Tanya, lovely woman that she is, took my sock home with her and did it for me.  The only thing I have to do now is put in the heel.  I could have technically done this the same day she brought it back for me but somehow I didn't do it.  Next update, it will definitely be an FO.

Why this picture looks like it's a part of a romantic movie with soft focus is beyond me

Coming Back on the Needles
-Quick Silver
This shawl is so addictive and the only reason I put it down is because I wanted to make some progress on my other timed projects, which I have done.  So this week, I going to pick it back up again, especially since I have about another 2 weeks to get it done.

Stash Enhancement
It was mostly a pattern stash enhancement but of course, I do like what I got.
-Celtic Myths by Asita Krebs
A crescent shaped shawl, celtic themed cables with a bit of lace work that is available for free on Ravelry.

-A Little Old Fashioned by Lalie Roque
A Captain America themed circular shawl with a little crocheted edge.  The regular price is $3.50 USD but if you use the coupon code by May 31st 2015, you can get it for free.  (coupon code: language)

On a side note, as soon as I saw the pattern, I had to send a message to my friend JB because I knew she would LOVE it!

-Niamh by Woolly Wormhead
Cabled hat with buttons.  That was enough for me.  I love cables and if you can stylistically place buttons on it as well, I am all for it.  The regular price is £3.50 GBP

Stash Enhancement Amendment
This is kind of a stash enhancement but not quite since I already technically owned the yarn.  I dyed my first skein of  self stripping yarn.  I didn't turn out exactly as I was expecting however I have made adjustments to the colour recipe to fix that problem.

I call it The Evil Queen (or Regina).  It's a 4 stripe, 3 colour pattern.  The only problem as of yet is that it is very hard to see the purple.  I wanted a royal purple and somehow it turned into a navy-ish purple.  The other problem is that it's sandwiched between the blacks making it even more difficult to see...although now that I think about it this gives me 2 different colour way idea still based around The Evil Queen /Regina from Once Upon a Time.

I am anxious to dye another self stripping skein however I have realized I am getting low on acid dyes therefore, I need to learn how to use it more sparingly and to buy some more.  On top of that, I need more white or undyed yarn to continue with my expirimentations.

More than 5 days past since I was supposed to do this

I really can't say anything else other than I just didn't feel like it.  It definitely not that there was no knitting related things going on in the past almost week and a half.  I managed to cast on a shawl, enhanced my stash, participate in a VKN...I'm even currently dyeing yarn. Let's just get going on this.

Casted on
I was finally able to start my Quick Silver shawl and let me say that I love it and I am surprised with how much I have done so quickly. I'm also kinda proud since the blue yarn I used is my first attempt at dyeing with an acid base in my slow cooker.  The changes in the blue go from a dark sapphire colour to a really pale blue that's almost white.  The black yarn is from my shopping trip in my Stash Enhancement.

WIP
Soft Stones Sweater
Not much has been done on the sweater for this week since I have been focusing my attention on the Quick Silver shawl.  I have until the end of June, I think to finish it.  I did finally manage to get around to taking a picture and it definitely looks cool.  See?

#BBSC2015
I'm still making progress on my May socks.  As much as I like the Cabled Helix Socks, I didn't want to do the same design as stated in the pattern for the foot.  I have an idea in my head as to what I want to do and since I have never modified a pattern as much as this, I'm going to have to pull out some graph paper and draw it out...keep in mind I'm still on the halfway through the leg.

#100DayChallenge aka: Sock Blankie
I am not even sure how many I've done since the last update.  I missed Saturday.  Oh well.  I've finally made it to the other side of the blanket.  It's almost even and it makes me so giddy and happy.  I'm working my way back across.  Oh yeah, I also calculated how many squares I'll need for this...1446...yeah, I'm currently about 220.  This is going to take awhile. 

Stash Enhancement
Last week Friday, I met up with an old friend named JB.  We had so much fun.  We went to Lettuce Knit and Romni as well as a restaurant called The Grilled Cheese (absoulutely yum!).  At Lettuce Knit, I discovered many Canadian Indie Dyers and I wanted to leave with just about EVERYTHING!  Suffice it to say, I was reasonably good and left with a skein of Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts 100% BFL Yarn in the colourway Le Chat Noir and a set of fixed circular needles from ChiaoGoo (6US/100cm).  The yarn is so much softer and squishier than I thought it would be.

We then went down to Romni Wool.  Let's just say it was hard to leave with only 1 skein but I did it.  It was Regia World Ball Color Schachenmyer Nomotta (I think).  It's discontinued and I had to guestimate on the name of the colourway since it only had numbers on the ball label.  When I compared it to other skeins I saw on Ravelry, I looked like the colourway Madrid so we'll pretend that's exactly what it is.

JB also brought me a gift of mini-skeins to add to my Sock Blankie.  I haven't used any of them yet but give me time.  I know there's some self-striping yarn that I'm looking forward to using it. 

She even added some stitch markers she had made.  They are such a bright orange it's next to impossible to miss them but somehow I managed to misplace and not find it until the next morning.

Inordinately pleased with myself

I was unable to continue with the Exploration Station shawl because of this stitch.  I brought it up to my friend Tanya last week when I saw her.  She found a tutorial from The Purl Soho entitled Brioche Stitch.  So easy to follow the instructions there.

Next thing to learn: 2-colour brioche and then I'll be ready to take on the Exploration Station again.

Off week?

Quality time with mom
It's sad that my mother is recovering from a broken wrist but I must say that I love getting to spend time with her.  She just can't stay at home though.Twice this week she comes to my room and tells me that we're going out.  Monday we made it to Promenade Mall, close to our old house.  She made sure I came home with 3 dresses, 2 shirts, 3 tank tops and a sweater.  After that, we went out to Swiss Chalet and ate dinner together.  She actually ate something.  Today, she came back to my room and said that we're going out again.  This time we went to Vaughan Mills.  We found 2 dresses that she wanted to get for me.  I wasn't too fond of the price so we decided we'd come back later and hope that they were on clearance or sale.  We went to 2 more stores out of the mall and we each came home with new purses (mine is awesome and green and can fit a knitting bag so I definitely can't complain).  I told her next time we go out we're not allowed to spend any money or else we'll both be broke.

Happening...
I got a tea to go to.  I have never gone for tea.  I don't even really like tea however this is an opportunity to see some of my old co-workers (and maybe they'll have the option of hot chocolate instead).

WIPS
#BBSC2015
I finished my April socks over a week ago and I pulled out my May sock yarn.  I pretty much stared at the yarn up until Tuesday evening, when I finally cast on a pair of socks.  It wasn't the Maeve socks like I planned.

I'm doing the Cabled Helix Socks by Karen Buhr (I had done the test knit for the pattern last year) and the yarn is Groverkill by Indigodragonfly.  I refused to go to bed until I finished the cuff.  I started on the leg this morning and it's coming along well.

Soft Stones Sweater KAL
I casted on the Soft Stones Sweater by Ela Torrente last Thursday night.  It's coming along well but I'm still on the first section.  I had hoped to be further along before this upcoming Friday since I'm supposed to be starting the Quick Silver on Friday.

#100DayChallenge - Sock Yarn Blankie
For the first time since I started this challenge I not only missed one day but I ended up missing 2 in a row.  I came home after my last exam on Friday, talked with my mom while preparing food for church the next day and then promptly went to sleep.  I didn't wake up until the next morning.  On Saturday, I went to church and after we came home, we left again to go and visit a family friend and didn't come back home until almost 1 o'clock in the morning.  Believe me, knitting was the last thing on my mind was adding in a square.

I didn't even attempt to make any extras to make it up.  What's done is done but I got myself back on track and made progress on Sunday.

I do have somewhat of a picture of the current state (before the last added squares).  It's too big for me to take a full picture.  It's almost all 4 squares deep!  I am very proud of the progress that has been made.

I haven't managed to finish anything this week and I've been good and haven't added anything to my stash.  I nearly did though but it turned out I already had the pattern in my library.