Since I started spinning I have not spent a lot on yarn. Until recently. For the trip to LA, I stopped by a going out of business sale to pick-up a travel project. Big mistake. I got the travel project (Henry's blanket) and a few other things.
Clockwise from upper left: 2 skeins of Queensland Collection Soft Comfort Mohair in a pretty variegated cream, tan, and brown, 3 hanks of deliciously soft Classic Elite Inca Alpaca in a heathery oatmeal, 2 skeins of Lana Gato Venus mohair in pink-gray-gold, 3 skeins ofknee-bucklingly luscious Cascade Yarns Indulgence (70% superfine alpaca, 30% angora) in winter white, and 4 skeins of Lana Gato Iside (70% viscose, 30% linen) in medium brown. Each one spoke to me. They must have teamed up because each one whispered scarf, stole, wrap, or shawl.
While I was in LA I picked up some alpaca at Hissy Knits. On the right is a hank of lace weight suri alpaca (Suri Elegance) in gold, taupe, tan, and pinkish brown. It is 875 yards of gorgeousness destined to be a shawl. On the left is a skein of Classic Alpaca in a warm rich heathered brown with red and gold fibers mixed in.. It is DK weight and a joy to knit. Unfortunately, it has been telling me lies! I bought 6 skeins and I have swatched parts of 5 of them. I think I have tried 6-8 pattern stitches. All of them failed. I even knit 90% of one in "the" pattern stitch only to discover a fatal flaw at the beginning. Aaargh! It was a blessing though because "the" pattern stitch turned out to just be "a" pattern stitch.
Here it is. My pile of swatch-o-rama. It is a disease. I am a swatch-aholic. It is like being addicted to food. A little is a great idea. A lot is a problem. I have banished it to a bag to think about what it has done.
Henry's blanket is progressing, please excuse the wonkiness; there is still curl in the knitting needles so it doesn't want to lie flat. I am playing with an openwork pattern. You can see it starting at the outer edges. It is proving to be the ideal project to zone-out with after a long stressful day at work. I really hope Henry likes it. The yarnovers are perfectly sized for little fingers.
I picked up a pencil to track my blanket pattern. Eventually I looked at it. It is a promo from misshawlet. It reminded me of how creative she is; I am loving using it. She makes books, journals, and handspun yarn. Check her out.
Henry's blanket is coming out great. I've now made three circular baby blankets and I agree with you that they are great zone out projects.
Posted by: Brooke | August 25, 2006 at 11:22 AM
I love the suri elegance, that's gorgeous! Don't you get me started on more stuff, yikes!
I'm loving the blanket, it looks so sweet :)
Swatching, I love swatching. I have ruined balls of yarn from persistent repeated swatching. Calms my nerves when I get the nutty idea that I can handle one more wip lol
Posted by: DeeAnn | August 27, 2006 at 05:51 PM