Happy Mailbox

The mailbox has been very good to me lately.

First I got this wonderful handspun from Lunabud.  I won a contest!  I never win.  She was looking for patterns for using some sari silk yarn.  I thought to myself "self, go suggest your Scarf Around scarf pattern".  Guess what?  Someone else had already suggested my pattern!  That was pretty cool.  Anywho, I looked around and found a cute bag ( I want one!) and a book cover.  She picked the book cover.

But, you want to know about the yarn.  Pardon me, I got all excited about being scooped with my own pattern. 

The top yarn is a Navajo-plied soysilk.  I would guess it is a DK weight.  The colors are amazing.  There is purple, peacock blue, burgundy, and copper.  The spinning is very even and it is silky soft. 

The bottom one is soft, luscious alpaca in a stunning colorway of olive, mustard, and a touch of gray.  It is so soft I can't stop touching it.  It is richer than this picture shows (very hard to photograph).

Rumor has it that she sells her roving and handspun.  She is about to get married so there may not be much for a bit.  Thank you Lunabud and congratulations again on your upcoming wedding.

Next I got this book, Celtic Charted Designs by Co Spinhoven.  It has been on my list for so very long now.  It isn't available in the local bookstores I've checked and I was reluctant to spend $5 for shipping for a $5 book.  I finally got over that silliness.  Definitely the best $4.95 I've spent in a while.  The good folks at Schoolhouse Press carry it. 

Yesterday, I received some fiber I ordered from Abby.  She makes beautiful batts, in blends specifically for socks.  You may not know this, but I rather like knitting socks.

There are those colors I gravitate towards.  It is a superwash merino, silk, and mohair blend called Dandelion.  (bad flower, gorgeous fiber)

 

Oh, how I wish I had time to start spinning this now.  Should I spin it for 2-ply or 3-ply socks?  If I go with 3-ply, should I Navajo ply it to maintain stripes or go for a tweedy-blendy kinda thang?  Decisions, decisions.

She makes them from fiber she dyes and then blends on her drum carder.  Check out this great tutorial on how she does it.

I couldn't resist this lovely bit of Romney roving either.  Isn't it pretty?  I love spinning Romney.   

Please disregard the orange background.  My dining room table is made from a Berkeley street tree salvaged by my father.  The wood is Black Acacia.  It is naturally orangish, but not as extreme as the photo implies.

No knitting in the last day (gasp!). I have been getting ready for the natural dye class this weekend.  There is so much I want to dye.  There should be lots of fun to show and tell from the class.

Comments

[Robin]

I so love reading your blog. Probably because I am fascinated with socks and spinners. I so want to learn to do that. Beautiful sock.

[Robin]

I so love reading your blog. Probably because I am fascinated with socks and spinners. I so want to learn to do that. Beautiful sock.

[LaurieM]

Hey! Congratulations on your win. Feels good, doesn't it? ;-)

I've got that book too, and the charted peasant designs too. Very inspiring.

[Knit Lunabud Knit]

I am so happy that you like the yarn! I was keeping my fingers crossed that you liked it! I am an alpaca junkie! Just absolutely love the stuff! The Suri fleece is much softer and finer than the Huacayas. What you have there is Suri. It is an absolute DREAM to spin! Next to the skin safe:) Putting the roving for sale on pause until after the wedding:) I think I could have been a bit more even with the spinning of the soy silk, but it is slippery stuff! Can't remember the alpaca or soysilk yardage, but have a quick way for you to find out......My Niddy-Noddy is a 1-yarder:)
Well, it's close to bedtime:) I hope you have fun with the yarn!

[Ronni]

Oooh pretty yarn! I love spinning Romney too. I've got lots of lovely Romney/mohair blends I'm planning on getting to before too much longer.

[Marina]

Aren't the colours of Dandelion pretty close to the Alpaca handspun?

Both are very pretty!

[Lisa]

Congrats on winning! What a great bunch of new stuff to play with!

[elizabeth]

I definitely vote for a three ply out of the batts. They are so easy to spin fine that you should have plenty of yardage for a three ply. I've never spun Romney; I'll add it to the list! Great stuff you have there!

[Jennifer]

Those are some great looking goodies. The celtic design book looks so cool! I will have to check that out.