I was almost about to apologize for the lack of significant crafting going on here. I was almost going to, but I'm not. Not for the standard "this is my blog and I'll do what I want to reasons", but because taking a little break from crafting while I did other things has helped me really start to get excited about the crafting projects I want to tackle. There have been bits and bobs of knitting and weaving when I'm hanging out with the kid and watching TV, but most of my free time is still going into Dragon Age. What's funny, now, though, is while I am still enjoying the game a great deal, all the great new yarn I have been acquiring has starting to shift the balance of what I want to do. I've gotten to that point where I know the end of the game is coming relatively soon, and I'll be okay with that since there are so many other fun things waiting for me once it's complete.
Okay, Yeah. So that means today there's still precious little knitting to discuss. But there is new yarn.
Julie and I headed out to Marengo to pay a visit to the Fold. I have to say, I always feel like going out to see Toni is a little bit of a pilgrimage if you love fiber or yarn. There's always something new to see and Toni has a real knack for finding hand dyers who make beautiful stuff. My primary mission for the trip was to acquire some more Mountain Colors 3-Ply wool to continue my diagonal squares blanket.
Mission accomplished! This was one of the most fun and fast color selection processes I've ever done. I spread my completed squares out on a table in the sunlight, started grabbing hanks of yarn and tossing them on top. Keeping some, returning some to where they came from. I want this blanket to be big and very patchwork feeling when it is complete, so I looked for harmonious colors, but also a fair amount of variation. Most of these yarns fall into the dark jewel tone end of the spectrum, but I absolutely love how the yarns with the rich gold jump in and out. I would love to end up with a full size or queen-sized blanket when all is said and done -- I think this project is going to be my mindless TV knitting project. Honestly, there's nothing you have to pay less attention to knitting than a garter stitch square.
But, no trip to the Fold would be complete unless I found a few unexpected treasures that I just couldn't leave without.
The yarn on the left is Blue Moon Silk Thread II -- which to my eye looks roughly equivalent to 10/2 perle cotton, thus making it a yarn with the potential to be a spectacular scarf warp. I think it is the ST-2 colorway. The yarn is 100% silk and there's about 1200 yards, so if I was feeling ambitious, there is actually two scarves worth of warp there. Clearly I will be thinking about suitable weft and weave patterns to complement. The Luscious is another 100% silk yarn, but more of a worsted weight preparation. I haven't talked about it much, but over the last 9 months or so I've been dealing with eczema. I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that I might be developing a little bit of a wool sensitivity (something that it is paining me greatly to admit to myself). Right now, it's incredibly easy to send my into a frenzy of itching. But I've discovered that many of my silk and silk blend things can be worn next to my skin without making me feel like I want to take the top layer of my skin off and slather myself in steroids. I've wanted a simple, luxurious black scarf for a while now, so the Luscious jumped right into my hands and never jumped out.And while I will never say never about yarn acquisitions here chez Keyboard Biologists, I think it's fair to say that my basket overfloweth at the moment and I'm going to try to be a good deal more reserved for a while.
And now I'm off to rid the world of corrupt nobility and darkspawn. See you on Wednesday!
Yes, the breaks do allow the opportunity for inspiration to develop on its own.
Those are gorgeous yarn purchases. My local shops aren't carrying the Blue Moon yarns yet, so I'm getting antsy. I keep wanting to buy them online even though I know I will be much happier if I get to touch them first.
Don't you just love Toni? I have you to thank for introducing her to me. I was researching spinning wheels a couple years ago and came across your blog and you mentioned Toni and The Fold. I am forever in your debt.
Congratulations on your new acquisitions! I had one of those days that nearly sent me to the yarn store in search of fiber therapy. Good thing for my wallet that my favorite LYS is closed on Mondays.
You were restrained for what Toni has to offer at the Fold!
Every time I drive from here to Chicago (several times a year), I think that I need to make time to stop at the The Fold. Of course, there's never time, but some day, I'll make the time!
Re: wool sensitivity. I have had to admit the same thing to myself just this past week. Several weeks ago, while working on some socks in a wool/mohair blend, my hands developed a terrible sort of itchy rash/miniscule white bumps which worsened. I went to the doctor, got extra-strong steroid cream, stopped the socks, assuming it was the mohair. But although it's gotten a bit better, I've had to conclude after some experimentation that I seem to have developed a permanent issue. It's a big loss, especially since I have a big wool stash. (I live in Vermont!) But I just ordered the book "No Sheep For You" and also, it seems that blends are okay. Still, don't know what to do about the 2 wool sweaters I have in progress. Ack! Anyway, thanks for sharing. I feel somewhat better now, knowing I'm not the only one.
Re: developing a wool sensitivity. Same thing here - just recently, in the last few weeks. It's awful. Thanks for sharing. Makes me realize I'm not alone.