A Little Yarn Pr0n for Your Amusement

Still knitting away on my Daybreak (and the big version of the green-and-pink-shawl for Heather and the Animal Crackers socks and the mindless socks for my mom . . .), so in lieu of a knitting update, I though I would show some recently acquired pretties.

I have a pretty hardcore Wollmeise addiction and must feed the beast every so often or risk ending up in a yarn store shouting "RIGHT THERE IN THE VEIN!"  A month or so ago, I fed the beast with sock yarn:

From left to right (for some reason the picture is upside-down, but that hardly matters), colorways Holly, Pfauenauge, Tosca, Rubin, and Poison Nr. 5.

Om nom nom nom!  (I especially like the Poison Nr. 5.  It is the dark version of the colorway.  Yummy.)

More Malabrigo

I just have a weakness for it; what can I say? We got a new shipment of Malabrigo Sock in at the store, and I had to snap some up before other people got it. I have this problem where I growl at people who try to buy yarn that I want, which is rather bad for business.

Result--Archangel:


And Indiecita:


It's funny--there are tons of scarves and shawlettes designed for sock yarn, but I don't think of those when I buy it. I think "socks!" But looking at these, they'd be fantastic for lace--just imagine the colors. And it would remove the worry of accidental felting. Perhaps I should look into this. Rosemary's patterns call . . .

My mom is the greatest

And why's that, you may ask?

A while ago we were talking on the phone, and she mentioned that an older lady at her church had died recently. She'd been an avid knitter, and her husband wanted to donate her stash to the church rummage sale, profits to be given to the local knitting guild. Said Mom: "I told him I'd look at it . . . I figured it would mostly be old-lady yarns. And ohhhhhh, Lanafactrix . . . she had the most beautiful things."

Mom went on to describe the stash--fun ribbon yarns, some good basic wools, and lots of other nice things that would sell well at the rummage sale. "And there was this lovely blue-green stuff, a whole bag of it--I kept that for you."

Oooh! What is it, Mom?

"Well, it's . . . 'Merino Stripes' . . . says it's 90% merino wool, 10% acrylic . . ."

And what's the brand?

"Crystal Palace Yarns. Is that good?"

And then, a few weeks later, I get this in the mail:


Oh, Mama--you have no idea how good!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope your day is full of warmth, cheer, and yarn. Especially yarn.

I plan to spend the day knitting this . . .


What about you?

We're not in Kansas anymore

Awww, missed a day. Oh well, I'm not perfect.

Anyway, back in April, I went to Kansas for a family wedding. Of course I had to check out the Yarn Barn. I was absolutely blown away by the size of the store and the variety of materials offered. The knitting yarn selection is staggering, but they also have huge sections devoted to weaving and spinning, which you just don't find in your average fiber store.

Their prices were fantastic, their staff was super-friendly, and overall it was tons of fun. I recommend it without reservation. (And they do online and catalogue orders . . . just sayin'.)

And did I get yarn? Of course I got yarn. How could I not?

First I got some more Blue Ridge Yarns silk laceweight, because this stuff is like crack to me. The pictures don't do it justice in any meaningful way; you just have to see it in person.


Order a couple so you can roll around in them.

And then there's this:


Three half-pound skeins of DK alpaca--enough for a sweater! (*squee*) The colors are gorgeous, and the prices are unbelievably good.

All in all, it was a fantastic visit, and I'd love to go back. I keep telling the Irishman that he needs to get a post-doc in Kansas. I don't think he believes me . . .

Malabrigo nom nom nom

This time, just a little yarn pr0n. Because yarn takes the edge off, y'know?

I try very hard to avoid buying much yarn, because I don't have much space, and I already have more yarn than I could reasonably knit in a year, even if civilization were to collapse and take away my access to Posh Yarn.

On the other hand, if civilization were to collapse I could totally stop going to work, so maybe I should buy more yarn.

Anyhoodle, my Achilles' heel is weekly knit night at WoolWinders, where I'm regularly exposed to wool fumes. I'm reasonably resistant . . . but not to Malabrigo. To be fair, I'm not sure anyone is truly immune to Malabrigo. I mean, look at it:



And by "it" I of course mean "the laceweight I may or may not have purchased two skeins of because LOOK IT'S GREEN."

And then there's this:


Now, you've got to understand. I'm not really a pink person. (Well, in my dye preference. In my actual skin, I am an extremely pink person.) I'm definitely not a pastel person. But look at this. It looks like cotton candy threw up a cloud. And I am helpless before it.

I should knit this stuff quick to get it out of the stash before it breeds.

*squee*

So I got a very nice thing in the mail the other day:


The lovely Nyx sent me some beads, some chocolate, a little J. Knits Lace-a-licious (in "Boston") . . . and some of her very own handpainted laceweight.

Seriously, this stuff is so gorgeous. The picture can't do it justice; it's much more subtle and purpley in person. Right now it's on the corner of my desk so I can pet it as desired--I don't remember the fiber content off the top of my head, but I think there's some cashmere in there. Whatever it is, it's wonderful. <3 Nyx.

Yarny Goodness

As promised, long ago, here are some of my souvenirs from my spring break.

This is Great Adirondack Yarn Company Silky Sock (70/20/10 merino/silk/nylon) in Hibiscus. These really aren't my usual colors, but I was very drawn to this skein regardless. I have to find the perfect pattern to showcase this yarn--I don't think it's quite suited for mindless socks. Any suggestions?


This is Artyarns Silk Rhapsody. I'm not sure of the exact fiber content--the website says 70/30 mohair/silk, the label on the skein says 50/50. Either way, it's beautiful stuff.


Another shot, because it's too beautiful to resist. This and the Silky Sock above were purchased at Knit and Stitch = Bliss in Bethesda. Of the yarn stores we visited, this was far and away our favorite. The women working there were absolutely wonderful, and we met a great fellow knitter we must have talked to for a half an hour. I highly recommend it if you're in the area.


This is Knitswithsticks Wullenstudio sock yarn (75/25 merino/nylon), in the delightfully named "Lipstick on Your Collar." Something for nice lacy socks, I think.


This is ZAUBERBALL (75/25 merino/nylon). I feel like it demands all-caps, no? It's this magical German stuff that knits up into the coolest socks. (If you're on Rav, check out Aspen's.)


If you can believe it, that's still not quite everything, but I think I'm done for now. Gotta go knit mitts . . .