In which pandas mate with sheep

Reward yarn. Is there any better?

Now that Swan Lake is behind me (and never mind baby E's sweater) I craved a trip to the yarn store. And I wanted to reward myself with Cat Bordhi's new book. So down to Apple Yarns I went yesterday, snagging two balls of Crystal Palace Panda Wool (bamboo/wool blend) and New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I know I could have gotten New Pathways cheaper elsewhere (I paid $28.95), but I really want Apple Yarns to stick around for a while. So I'm choosing local.

Both purchases: fabu. The yarn is smooth and warm and swatches up well on size 1s. The colorway I chose is greens, yellows, and sort of browns and blues--I thought they could be my Friday school pride socks, since the primary colors, at least in the ball, are green and gold.

The book: ingenious. I've already done two of the basic coriolis pathway, from when Cat was on Knitty Gritty, so now I'm trying to decide whether I want to go toe-up or toe-down, and which pathway to explore. I usually think the word "genius" is overused, but in this case I can't think of a better descriptor. How else do you describe someone who has engineered eight revolutionary ways of creating socks? Plus 28 patterns? And made it understandable to someone with basic knitting skills?

Bless you, Cat!