Monday, May 15, 2006

Non-Silicone Enhancements

OK, I promised to tell you all about my stash enhancements, so here goes! Last week my sweetie took me to The Fold, a place I have been itching to visit for some time now. Unfortunately, my timing was off and I missed the proprietor, Toni, along with many skeins of the oft coveted Socks That Rock sock yarn. They were off at the Maryland Wool Festival. However, there was a decent selection still at the shop, and I happily chose the Torridon colorway in medium weight. I was attracted to the unusual color combinations, golds, browns, and lilac, with hints of soft blues and greens. Imagine my surprise at finding how similar it is to some Regia Canadian Color, #4731 I bought several months ago! Sure, the Regia is thinner and a bit more subdued, but the colors are conspicuously similar. Sigh. I wanted my STR to be something really different, something special. Apparently, I am attracted to these colors together.

But STR wasn't the only goody brought home from The Fold, oh no. I was elated to find a nostepinne that really spoke to me. I have always been attracted to quality woods, and wood grain patterns fascinate me to this day. I wanted a nosti that was asthetically pleasing as well as functional, and I found one. It's English ash and made by Avi Wasserman. Here you can see it resting from hard work, lying on a bed of llama yarn I bought off eBay from Sandstone Ranch. Ahhhh...

STR, a new nosti, what else could a girl want? Well, I also managed to escape holding a skein of Chinese merino laceweight in a real purty deep grey/brown color. It's great stuff and feels softer than merino to me. I also bought a skein of Blue Blue Fiber Arts' "Seduction" yarn in the Samhain colorway. Blue Moon, incidentally, is the same place that bring us STR. They have gorgeous colors and fabulous yarns, and The Fold has quite a selection. Seduction is a merino/tencel blend that has a great hand and an awesome sheen. I have read good things about tencel, and they are all true. Silky in appearance but easier to clean. YUM. This will make an amazing dressy scarf, in autumny colors of dusty green, gold, brown, and redwood.


I did put back the green yak yarn I had been petting, but only because I was not sure what I would do with it. Still not sure, but I'm wishing I had gotten it anyway. Note to self for next trip to Marengo, IL - buy yak yarn. Nice and soft, and how often do you get to wear yak in Chicago?!?


That about sums up my acquistions from the Fold. Later I will show you some of the books I have been acquiring. I believe I now have all the basics I will ever need....cough cough. A pack rat at heart, I am. I am sure that having everything I could ever really need will not stop me from buying more!

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Scarf Stuff

This last month I have spent more time in stash enhancement than I have knitting. The Irish Hiking scarf is finished - woo hoo! My dear father tried to claim it but I patiently explained that there was no way he's ever going to get it. From the beginning, I knew this one would be for me. I was surprised he thought the jewel tones were masculine, I never would have picked that yarn for a guy. I may even get more of that yarn if he really wants it enough, but I think everyone else will assume he borrowed it from a lady friend!

Since this one went so well, I have started yet another scarf from Hello Yarns, the Besotted Scarf. Needless to say, this one is going to my guy. I am using a yarn that my beloved has been eying fondly, a wool/alpaca blend imported by Joseph Galler labelled Musarde. It is a bit fuzzy but the pattern does still show...I've only done a couple pattern repeats and am going to show it to aforementioned beloved to see what he thinks. His scarf, his choice. Perhaps I will change the pattern but still use the yarn he likes so much.
The so-called Easter sock hasn't faired so well. I finished the first sock only to decide that it really was too tight. I have weird feet and why add to the problem? It was painful, but I frogged back to the heel flap. I have finished the heel, making fewer decreases. The leg fitted fine so there was no need to frog that. But I need a wider foot. I figure that getting this right will give me the formula I need to make more great fitting socks in my future. Still, it was discouraging, so I haven't gotten much done. I will be returning to that this week.

Since I really don't have much to report knitting wise, let me entertain you with tales of my stash enhancement. That is where my time has been going these days. So, this week I will make several entries showing you all the goodies I have been getting!