Warning: This post is kinda wordy. And linky. And imagey. But it's good and pretty.
I got a whole crapload of yarn. Wanna see?
I won't list them all just yet - I have better close-ups. The Socks that Rock that you see here are NOT SPOILERS. These are old colorways. My club skein is carefully tucked away, so if you haven't gotten yours yet, don't fear a spoil here.
The only one I didn't get a closer picture of is my batt there on the right. It looks like two, but it's really one - it's a Henny Penny from Luxe. There's just all KINDS of great junk in there - should be a lot of fun to spin! I'm glad Natasha's out there, doing what she does - she makes the most wonderful art yarns, too, but she's also a scrap-freak like me. (I'm glad there's at least one person who wouldn't have looked at me in horror as I ran around after my Introductory Spinning class, gathering up all the little mohair locks off of the ground.)
And while I look forward to spinning it (and the March installment of The Sweet Sheep's fiber club that just went out yesterday,) I'm going to have to wait. My plying flyer (which is what I'll spin this batt onto) is out of commission. My parents were in town over the weekend, and dad didn't get the front door closed quickly enough on one of their visits - Rooster saw his window and went for it. Dad didn't realize that Rooster, once out the door, always just stops and looks at me like, "See, I can come out here any time I want and you can't stop me. Now pick me up and take me inside." So Dad kinda panicked and tried to catch him, but he slipped and fell on the enormous pile of crap - not literally - we have by the front door. (Travis is staining and refinishing the table, so all the stuff previously housed therein is...everywhere.) He landed on my plying flyer and the tensioning knob snapped. Hey, at least the plyer is fine - and that knob is only $2.50. And better yet, Dad was uninjured. (I may have panicked a little, but he's fine. And The Woolery has a new tensioning knob en route.)
Back to sexy good yarn party (and please, God, let me find "sexy good yarn party" on my Search Engine Keywords list.)
It's just hot, isn't it??
In this picture, left to right, you see: Socks that Rock, Rainforest Jasper (from last year's club); Yarn Pirate's merino/tencel blend in Olive; Socks that Rock Sock Candy (cotton) in Scaponia; Yarn Pirate's merino/tencel again in Dogwood; Lorna's Laces in Aslan. The STR were lucky destash acquisitions - getting STR from destash feels like winning the Boston Marathon. (Okay, it probably feels nothing like that. But it's triumphant nonetheless.)
Okay, left to right here: Claudia Hand Painted, Red Wagon (hee); Apple Laine, Deep Sea; Lorna's Laces, Hawaii; and, just because I thought it was pretty enough to get pointed out a few times, there's that Rainforest Jasper again.
I have (thinks hard) four more....no, five more....batches of sock yarn coming. What?! Someone destashed Mama-E yarn for thirteen dollars!! You want me to pass that up? And I suppose you also want me to take the chance of missing out on The Sweet Sheep's Mystery Dyer this month, and kick myself endlessly if it turns out to be Sweet Georgia?? (Even if it's not, all the indies that Michelle stocks are my favorites, so there's a gonna-love-it guarantee.) I can't help it, I'm a sucker for a surprise. It's why I'm so deeply entrenched in sock clubs and swaps.
Poor Travis. He walked into my knitting room (which I have finally dubbed Zenadu), sighed, and declared, "I guess I better build you another shelf." I applaud him. Even though the TONE of his voice said, "You know you don't have to buy ALL the yarn, right?" he didn't actually SAY it. I think I'll marry him.
I never did share photos of my recent spinning endeavors.
There's the lineup....details follow.
This was Sweet Sheep merino fiber in Cotton Candy; it was February's fiber club shipment. It's also reading much more neon pink than it really is - it's softer-toned pinks than my photos would lead you to believe. I spun it two-ply into about...umm, I don't remember the yardage. I think about 220 yards in this 4 ounce skein. I liked working with this fiber a lot, although my skills in spinning an even worsted-weight yarn are going to need practice.
As are my skills in silk:
This stuff is beautiful, mostly of its own accord. Spinning silk is a real bitch...this was also my first time to try spinning from the fold. Long-draw or worsted spinning will not work with silk. It took me most of Gone with the Wind to get this done, and it's just a single. The fiber is Ozark Handspun silk sliver, and I think (I need to start writing this stuff down) I ended up with about 130 yards in two ounces. When I purchased the sliver, it was a wonderful green with spots of pink. But this stuff bled like a stuck pig, and by the time I'd washed it, soaked it in warm water and vinegar, and washed it again in hopes that I could get the dye to stay in the single, I had mostly green and a bit of tannish brown. I miss the pink - but it's still a beautiful shade.
Oh, and cotton? Well, cotton just sucks.
Fortunately I really love a big fat bulky soft cotton single. Because if I'd wanted to actually spin this, I would have torn all my hair out. I am not adept at short-staple fibers. But this is so soft and fluffy and will make a great ... hat? I don't know what the hell I could do with this. The roving came from a vendor at SAFF; I think I spun up about 80 yards, and this is maybe six ounces. (This was also a Gone with the Wind project.)
Last night, I watched Who Killed the Electric Car? with Travis...I love that this guy who makes his living working on gas-powered vehicles gets just as fired up about our fuel consumption as I do. He loves that I drive a hybrid, and he wants one of those electric cars so badly. Too bad the auto companies keep crushing them. Literally. (I would LOVE a Tango SO MUCH. Aren't they just the most awesome little things?! I know hybrid and electric-car people are seen as being smug. But it's better than being smog.) Anyway, during the movie I was knitting away on my sock and feeling the love from my pets - behold, a portrait of my Thursday night.
I couldn't have moved if I'd wanted to. Fortunately, I didn't. (I should have an FO report for you tomorrow.)
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