Heaping Up the Yarn Hoard

Saturday I went and splurged once again on yarn and knitting books. It's all part of the X-mas knitting spree. (Not that I'm particularly about X-mas, but it is a handy excuse for waylaying relatives with knitted goods, isn't it?)

I hit two different yarn stores in my quest for yarn fullfillment: Windsor Button and Woolcott & Co.

Here you see 2 skeins of black Jaeger Matchmaker merino 4 ply, 2 skeins of charcoal Scheepjes Invicta Extra (70% virgin wool, 25% nylon) , and a skein of blue Sockotta (45% cotton, 40% superwash wool, and 15% nylon).

I got two skeins of the black merino just in case one skein wouldn't be enough for Sibling #8's mittens. (100% merino wool for mittens for a 13 year old. Am I crazy? Well, at least she doesn't have a drier, I know that for a fact. ) The blue Sockotta is for TV socks for my Mom. I haven't received confirmation yet that she's prepared to accept a pair of hand knit socks but I think she roll with it; I know her shoe size. The charcoal Scheepjes Invicta Extra is for socks for yours truly, as a reward for finishing all of the above.

Sibling #5 chose a red scarf for X-mas, so I bought a skein of red Wool-Ease Thick & Quick. The skein of black Meilenweit is for my boyfriend's socks.

The buttons are the ones I used on the hat from Rowan #36 that I liked so much. Turns out they're some kind of dyed nut. I don't know exactly what I'll use them for but I'll certainly come up with something sooner or later.

I think I went the way of the red Wool-Ease out of guilt for making Sibling #7 a scarf out of kettle dyed Malabrigo merino wool. I think she's 14 and I really can't picture her carefully washing it in cold or luke warm water and then pressing it with a towel before laying it out to dry. Mom would have to dry clean it. At least this way Mom will only be dry cleaning one scarf, but Wool-Ease is not kidding about Thick & Quick. I cast on the scarf while I was waiting for these pictures to upload (Did I mention I don't have DSL?) and not only have I made it three inches, the moss stitching looks like bobbles. It's really got me concerned. I may have to add a fringe just to make it look less hulking. At least it's soft.

These are the two books I got. The Traditional Fair isle Knitting book I got for the insight into making a fisherman's hat for my Dad. My dad is a Hat Person and a hat is the only article of clothing I can conceive of him wearing on a regular basis without something tragic happening to it, like roof tar. I got the RYC Classic Collection Book Eight ("Classic Weekend") because of the jacket on pgs. 38-39, "Thistle".



I went thrifting and picked up this silk shell top. Isn't it nice? What I especially liked about it was how it was too big for me and put together so well that if I were to, say, cut a couple threads, the entire thing would come apart in my hands in one long strand of silk yarn... Hmmm...

I also got this knifty teapot!

Tonight I did a little art in the form of a decorative card. I was planning to draw my cat, but he wouldn't lay still. So I drew my hand, which is somewhat more inclined to obey my commands than that little furball. My efforts were somewhat restricted by my inability to sharpen the pencils once I got started, but I don't think it's bad. I am bothered that I did much better hands in high school. I also had a larger vocabulary. (When I read my old diaries, I have to look up some of the words! So sad!) This is what work does to you; eats away at your time to doodle and read. *sigh*