Knitting Obsession

Contest winners!

Thank you all for entering! I really appreciate all of the creativity and energy you put into this. It was a lot of fun reading all the answers. First of, lots of people want to know the answer. It is not nearly as creative as some of your answers. When I was growing up, I started reading Betty Neels books. Betty Neels was a prolific author who wrote >150 books in her lifetime. They were almost all the same, with the basic storyline of a down-on-her-luck girl who was invariably mousy and unassuming, and who was usually a nurse. The hero was almost always a large, older, and yes, placid Dutchman who was a doctor and slowly, over the course of the book, swept the girl off her feet. The most passionate they ever got was a kiss on the lips...scandalous!  The stories always ended up in Holland and Betty Neels was famous for her descriptive passages which were so detailed that people actually can take trips to Holland and Friesland and follow the same roads that the characters did to see the houses she describes. I have almost all of the books, mostly originals from the 1960's through the 90's, and I always thought I would like to meet one of those placid Dutchman. Instead, I met a placid Slovak, who is just right.
The short answer, then, is that the URL is from my love of Betty Neels books. However, I kind of wish it was from Becka's extremely creative entry, which is detailed enough to rival any Betty Neels book:

You attended college @ FIT in NY,NY and your college roommate, Ann (Anneken as her Dutch parents called her) lived in Lake Placid. Sadly, your family was jetsetting in Milan during the Christmas break of your freshman year. Your roommate's family kindly invited you to join them for the break and their holiday festivities. You & your roommate arrived after traveling about 500 miles by car, she looked stunning (as always, even when she awoke!) you looked as if you had been traveling for 500 miles without a break, having left school after the last class on the last day before the break (in other words, your makeup was no more and your were wearing a baseball cap because your hair was a mess, yet you were still the cutest girl around!). Well, you entered her lovely home and were greeted by the best looking young man you had ever seen, her older brother, Andrew (called Andries by his Dutch parents) and your eyes locked and you had that moment, the one you have always remembered...when you fell in love at 1st site. So, you lovingly call your husband, Andries Brill, "The Placid Dutchman" which reminds you both of the way you met and fell in love.
I mean, come on! Is that straight out of a romance or what? Becka, you win the most creative answer prize!
Becka, coincidently, was also my 100th commenter. She agreed that it would be great to spread the love around, and so I am actually giving a prize to my 99th commenter, who was Denise. Please check out her blog; her writing is amazing!
Then I went to the random number generator to come up with the 3rd prize, which goes to Trek! She is also having a contest, so go along and check it out! Congratulations to all of you! I plan on having a good time picking out prizes at Maryland Sheep and Wool this weekend.

This is why I need your help.

First off, don't forget the contest! I will close this contest at 12:00 noon EST on May 3rd, and announce winners that night (if B and I can stop drinking the birthday Prosecco long enough to read the entries and figure out which one is most creative).
This is just some of my gorgeous handpainted sock yarn. This is why I needed ideas for fast sock patterns! I've taken some of your advice...am trying a garter rib sock now per Amanda Cathleen, and Becka noted that I should still make things pretty and consider a simple lace or slip stitch pattern. I've found two simple patterns for each (all of these are from Sensational Knitted Socks or More Sensational Knitted Socks, BTW. I love Charlene Schurch). I've tried Wendy's toe up pattern which was very easy and quick; however, I'm not a fan of the short row heel. I am going to try Judy Gibson's recipe for toe up socks with a gusset soon, and I understand that Wendy may be posting a pattern soon with same type of heel. And of course, there is the basic stockinette sock recipe much like Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's. I have made this before with some success, but I can't remember if it was fast or not.
Enough chatter...here's the yarn!

This is from a new online yarn shop, Woolgirl. Left to right: Yarn Pirate in "Shiver Me Timbers." Zen String Lotus Toes in "Argyle." Union Center Knit's Whatnot Sock in "Daisy." Zen String Serendipity in "Woolgirl." Plus a new tape measure with a fun lizard theme.
Woolgirl is a fantastic place. Terrific customer service and she ships very quickly. Plus, look at all the goody extras!

Chocolate, stitch markers (the sheep one is on my Butterfly in Bam Boo from Knitscene), a sample of Soak, Hello Kitty stickers, gift tags...I think this shop will be around for a while if Jennifer Jett keeps taking care of people like this!
Next up, some lurvely Cider Moon.

Glacier in "Go Go." Glacier in "Jackie O" (25% of retail goes to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research and awareness).

Flurry in "Apple Crisp." Glacier in "Birch Bark." These yarns are amazingly soft and the colors sing. Plus, look at the very generous samples of other colorways:

These are Glacier in "Banana Cabana,""Pistachio," and "Pandora Rose" and Flurry in "Casual Friday" and "Peas and Carrots."

From left to right, we have Crash Into Ewe in "Pop Life," Froebe Fibers in "Watermelon Bombe," C*Eye*Ber Fiber Softee Sock in "Kettle on the Ocean," and Pureknits Ideal Sock in "Pop."

Shibui Knits Sock Fluids from Pureknits. Colors from left to right are orchid and spectrum. Talk about vibrant colors! These leap out and grab you.
All of this gorgeous yarn is all well and good, and then something like this happens.

I almost started crying when I saw this. It's my own fault. I've been wearing my handknitted socks everywhere, as well I should, but the shoes I wear to work slide on the heel (purposefully). These jaywalkers are made of 100% merino (SweetGeorgia handpainted merino in River) and I, of course, did not reinforce the heel in any way. I never had. When I darn these, I'll probably put some reinforcement in the darn and never wear them with those shoes again. I think I need to be more careful about remembering whether the socks had nylon or tencel in them. My mother has my grandmother's darning egg, and said I could have it to darn my socks. Thankfully I keep my remainders for just this reason.
Something to cheer me up...I received my April BMFA Rockin' Sock Club shipment and I'm fighting my way through the cast on now. Another toe up pattern, but this time with a gusset.
Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather (if you are here in the Baltimore area, that is). Here's hoping this weather holds through next weekend and the MD S&W festival!

You say it's your birthday!

Well, it's my birthday coming up. I like to have a big celebration each year, a tradition that started when I turned 30. Why not have a little contest?! Winner(s) will receive a lovely yarny or fibery giftie. My birthday is May 3rd, so the contest starts now and runs through then. Here's the question!

What is the meaning behind my url "a placid dutchman"?

Two winners: one for the first person to get it right, and one for the most creative answer. If no one gets it right, I will use a random number generator to pick the first winner. Most creative answer winner is as judged by me, B if I can talk him into it, and maybe the cats. You can enter through May 3rd.

Here is your one and only hint (maybe). It has nothing to do with the Lone Ranger!

Hey! I wonder if more than 4 people will enter this time?

Here's a little pink nose just for kicks: